We all know Annapolis is a historic town, but it also celebrates that history. This Friday through the weekend, Annapolis and Southern Anne Arundel County put on a festival of sorts for residents to revel in their county’s history. Maryland Day, this marvelous celebration, presented loads of free tours, speeches, and demonstrations that all showed off the foundation of Annapolis and its counterparts.
The reason we have this celebration is all thanks to some ambitious colonists. Before America was America, people were under the British. Though fish and chips are oh so enticing nowadays, many wanted independence a long time ago. Finally, after some hard work and a difficult trek across the seas, newly-arrived colonists raised a cross on St. Clement’s Island and declared their independence as a colony of Maryland. All this happened on March 25 in either 1633 or 1634. Marylanders didn’t celebrate this event until 1903, but we’ve made up for nearly 300 years of neglect with a three day celebration. What’s more, the General Assembly legalized this day as a state holiday in 1916.
To honor those brave history-makers, Maryland Day is all about stepping back into the past. Friday, participants could have attended Chesapeake Bay Foundation’s The Stanley Norman Skipjack, Chesapeake Children Museum’s recyclable lighthouses exhibits, Hammond-Harwood House’s notable women exhibits, Wiley H. Bates Legacy Center’s film screening, etc. Saturday, people learned and enjoyed with Annapolis Tapestries Inc.’s tapestry storytelling, Chase-Lloyd House’s music from colonial times, City of Annapolis Historic Preservation Commission’s artifact disoveries, etc. On the final day of the celebration, Sunday, participants learned from Back Creek Book’s colonial books exhibit, Captain Avery Museum’s display of watermen’s tools, Galesville Heritage Museum’s speech about a shipyard’s discovery, etc. To see the fun had on this three-day celebration, go to www.marylandday.org and click on “Event Program” on the right. If you missed this history extravaganza, keep posted to the website above for future events and news.
There were plenty of vendors and businesses represented at Maryland Day, and they weren’t all history museums. Among these, attendees visited Back Creek Books, Maryland Hall for the Creative Arts, Mills Fine Wine and Spirits, Reynolds Tavern, and Wilmsey Cove Framing & Art. Of course, if you were looking for museums and historical organizations (which is only natural to find if you attended Maryland Day), there were handfuls of great ones. Maryland Day featured Historic London Town and Garden, Maryland State House, William Paca House, Historic Annapolis Museum, Chase-Lloyd House, Annapolis Maritime Museum, and Banneker-Douglass Museum, just to name a few.
Plenty of the fun was outside, too, like at Annapolis’ city dock. Downtown, the Stanley Norman Skipjack (to the right) was docked for visitors and residents to see on Friday from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. On the skipjack, a 110 year-old vessel, attendees learned about its original function as an oyster collector. Very appropriately, visitors also learned about how the Chesapeake Bay affects boats like the skipjack. Essentially, the over-pollution of the Bay results in an inadequate habitat for sea life. That’s why it’s so important to recycle, reuse, and reduce what we can to save the Bay!
Aside from the valuable history lessons you learned, many businesses ran deals for Maryland Day. Reynolds Tavern, Rams Head Tavern, Sam’s on the Waterfront, Wild Orchid, and b.b. Bistro all offered specials on food items. Wilmsey Cove Framing & Art gave visitors 20% off Maryland maps. Annabeth’s provided wine and beer samples Saturday and Sunday. In addition to deals on wine, food, and art, “March Madness Shopping” took place through Maryland Day’s celebrations. With this event, you found great, discounted finds on the sidewalks of downtown Annapolis. Shopping and history make a great pair!
Not to be excluded from all the fun, I attended a few events. On Saturday, I went to the Historic Annapolis Museum on 99 Main Street for “The Annapolis Tapestries: 18th Century Exhibit.” Katie Williams, Community Stitching Coordinator, taught me how to stitch on canvas–a fairly simple process. Williams encouraged me to sign my name on the registry, which once compiled, will show who participated in making a canvas. Essentially, I participated in making history.
“Now that you’ve got the hang of that,” Williams told me, referring to the stitching, “You’ll really appreciate the tapestry upstairs.” Williams said the tapestry of 18th century Annapolis took eight women 3,300 hours to make. To put that into perspective, making three stitches took me a few minutes. The tapestry measures six by three feet and truly was born of love and dedication (above right).
Upstairs, the tapestry proudly hung with others of presidents, farm land, and more. There was also a postcard exhibit that dated back a few hundred years. In another room, there were display cases of archaeological finds set up–some old sewing tools, bones, etc.
The museum itself has history. Williams explained that in 1709, the building was a communal oven. “People would make their bread at home and bring it here to bake,” she says. Understandably, the building caught on fire and burnt to the ground. It was rebuilt in 1791, where it stands today as a remnant of history.
On Sunday, I went to Mills Fine Wines and Spirits for a taste of the area. They had wines from St. Michaels and nuts from Baltimore–B More Nutz–to sample. How does wine and nut sampling celebrate the history of Maryland, you ask? For starters, Mills is one of the oldest businesses in Annapolis. Also, colonists replaced water with wine and beer, deeming this event supremely historic.
Also on Sunday, families could go to the Hammond-Harwood House for a bit of dress-up. Kids dolled up in colonial attire from 1 to 4 p.m. There were bonnets, lace dresses, hats, and coats for young history enthusiasts to try on! See the fun had to the left.
If you didn’t get around to enjoying some of Maryland Day, you can still support history. Places like Historic Annapolis Museum and Four Rivers Heritage, the celebration’s sponsor, thrive on donations. Even walking around downtown is like taking steps with the colonists who preceded you. Annapolis has been around for hundreds of years, but make the time to celebrate it now.
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