Annapolis History

The Athens of America

The history of Annapolis is one that was largely shaped by the sea. Founded upon the importance of trading and commerce, with the harbor adjoining it to ensure safe passage for its residents, Annapolis flourished as one of America's most prominent seaport locations.

Located on the scenic Severn River at the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay, the land around Maryland's capital was inhabited for thousands of years by several Native American Algonquian-speaking tribes who called the area home. 

City of Providence

With the establishment of the Colony of Maryland in 1632, there was a great demand for goods to support the colonies and Europe, which led to import and export by water up the Chesapeake Bay. The earliest recorded settlers of Maryland arrived in 1608. Early settlers migrated from Virginia and became known as the "gentleman planters". They were wealthy men with origins in the English gentry and noble descent from Englad whose principal business ventures involved tobacco growing and trading.

In 1649, a colony of Puritans, exiled from Virginia for religious intolerance, settled a patch of riverfront land that would become the city of Annapolis. They named it "Providence."

The area remained rural, prospering from the production and sale of tobacco, until the town reached a size deemed worthy to replace the current capital of the colony in what was then called Anne Arundel's Town, for the wife of Maryland's proctor, Lord Baltimore. In 1695, Providence was declared the new seat of government and renamed Annapolis, in honor of England's future queen, Princess Anne of Denmark and Norway. 

From its earliest days as a colonial capital, this small seaport town was known as the "Athens of America," as it was a hub of intellectual stimulation and cultural and social activity. A 17th-century baroque street plan mimicking European cities was designed with radiating thoroughfares that converge on the State House, and the city welcomed visitors from around the world with gracious hospitality.

"[Annapolis is] the town that excelled all other towns and portes in our said province."

Governor John Seymour (1708)

A thriving shipping industry developed and brought great wealth to Annapolis. Prosperous merchants and wealthy planters sought to recreate the amenities of England in the colonies, building Georgian mansions that rival any in Europe. Elite social functions such as horse racing, card parties, theater performances, and balls enticed prominent travelers like George Washington, who kept a record of his social engagements in his diary.

The town's fertile fields and shipping connections made Annapolis a prime maritime port for gathering and shipping troops and supplies during the American Revolution. The city even held its own protests against British taxes. After the conflict, Congress ratified the Treaty of Paris at the Maryland State House, making Annapolis the first peacetime capital in the newly-independent United Sttes. 

A city steeped in history and full of charisma, Annapolis is at once a city of many worlds. Weaving your way through the town streets, you can walk the same paths as several of our Founding Fathers, enjoy similar hospitality, and taste the same delicious Tidewater cuisine that was appreciated in colonial America.