The U.S. Naval Academy's museum dates back to 1845 when it was founded as the Naval School Lyceum. The Lyceum was first located in a room above the mess hall, but it was relocated into a former chapel following the Civil War. The Lyceum's collections grew significantly throughout the 19th century, especially with the transfer of collections from the Naval Lyceum at the New York Navy Yard in 1892. In 1922, the museum also acquired the Boston Naval Library's collection. Two years prior, Assistant Secretary of the Navy and future American president Franklin D. Roosevelt called on the Academy to dedicate space for a separate museum. The Naval Academy first provided space in Bancroft Hall before creating the current building in 1939. This facility was expanded in 1962 and in 1970, after which the building was named in honor of Commodore Edward Preble. The museum welcomes around 100,000 visitors each year. Visitors begin their tour on the first deck, which allows them to follow the history of the United States Navy from the American Revolution and includes the history of the Academy. A highlight of the first deck is a flag from the Battle of Lake Erie made famous by Commodore Perry's exhortation “Don’t Give Up the Ship."The second desk begins with an orientation video and models of famous ships from the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. The second desk is also where the Beverley R. Robinson Collection is located. This exceptional collection of prints includes images of famous vessels from the colonial era to the modern era. The ground level includes the gift shop and historic preservation laboratory where visitors can talk with museum employees about the preservation process and the challenges of museum interpretation.

The museum is located in Preble Hall one the Academy's campus. Visitors may park near the museum and walk onto the campus with proper identification for all adults in the party. 

More Info

This museum dates back to 1845 and is operated by the U.S Naval Academy to preserve and share the history of the Academy with the public. The museum includes exhibits on three levels that guide visitors through a chronological tour of the Academy's history. These exhibits also include special thematic displays that explore topics that reflect the larger history of the US Navy and important themes in American history. In addition to these exhibits, the Naval Academy Museum maintains models of historic vessels and displays dedicated to various deployments and wars.

US Naval Academy Museum 

Admin

Known as the "historic heart of Annapolis," the City Dock was established as early as 1634, with no prior settlements in the vicinity. By the end of the seventeenth century, it became an important port within the Chesapeake Bay region. During this period, it served as the site of warehouses, shipping, and trade. As industry expanded throughout the region in the 1700s and 1800s, the wharf area also grew. By the end of the Civil War era in the late 1800s, the port was associated with another period of rapid urban industrialization that lasted through the first decades of the twentieth century.Following a period of urban renewal in the mid-twentieth century, the Annapolis City Dock became a well-known tourist area, particularly in conjunction with the designation of downtown Annapolis as a National Historic District in 1965. Today, it remains an important commercial area, with the historic waterfront flanked by shops and restaurants. Several different architectural styles are represented along the waterfront, including Colonial, Early Republic, Georgian, and Late Victorian.In 2018, the National Trust for Historic Preservation (NTHP) declared the Annapolis City Dock to be one of the eleven most endangered historic places in the country. In recent years, a proposal to rezone parts of the historic waterfront area for further development was met with deep concern by those who instead favor preserving the historic character of the Annapolis City Dock. Currently, the City of Annapolis, as well as the non-profit organization Historic Annapolis, and the City Dock Action Committee are working alongside of other stakeholders towards a preservation-based approach that will adequately address rising sea levels associated with climate change, while preparing the City Dock for such twenty-first century concerns.

The Annapolis City Dock is part of a bustling waterfront area that became known as the "historic heart of Annapolis" following the designation of downtown Annapolis as a National Historic District in 1965. Established as early as 1634, by the end of the seventeenth century it served as an important port within the Chesapeake Bay region for commercial shipping and trade. The wharf area expanded in conjunction with the growth of industry in the eighteenth century, followed by rapid urban industrialization in the nineteenth century particularly at the end of the Civil War. This pattern of growth and expansion continued into the first decades of the twentieth century, and Annapolis City Dock still remains part of an essential commercial area today. With quaint shops and restaurants lining the waterfront, it is also a popular tourist destination.

City Dock

William Paca was born on October 31, 1740 in Hartford County, Maryland. He studied law at the College of Philadelphia and graduated in 1759 with a master's degree. He completed his legal training in London and was admitted into the Maryland bar in 1764. He married Mary Chew, the daughter of a wealthy Delaware physician Samuel Chew a year earlier. They had three children but sadly only one, John Philemon, survived to adulthood. Paca became a prominent Maryland political figure and served in a number of positions including in the state legislature from 1768-1774, in the provincial conventions from 1775-1776, and in the state senate from 1777-1779. Between 1774-1779 he was a delegate to the Continental Congress (where he signed the Declaration of Independence). He also served as a chief judge in the general court of Maryland form 1778-1780. He then became Governor in 1782 and served for a one-year term. He was later a delegate to the Maryland convention, which ratified the Constitution in 1788. His final position came in 1789, when George Washington appointed him as federal district judge for Maryland. Paca remained in that position until 1799 and shortly passed away in October of that year.As for the house, Paca sold it in 1780 and remained in private ownership until 1965, when Historic Annapolis bought it to save it from demolition. The house became a rental property for a time and even a hotel when national tennis champion William Larned purchased it in 1901. He named it Carvel Hall and for a long time was Annapolis' best hotel. One employee, an African American man named Marcellus Hall, became a well-known and well-respected staff member thanks to his professionalism and hospitality. He began working as a bellboy then worked his way up to Superintendent of Services. He remained at the hotel until it closed in 1965.  The state proceeded to restore the historic old house, employing the skills of various professionals including carpenters and architectural historians.

Built in the early 1760s, the William Paca house was home to the third governor of Maryland. William Paca was one of four Maryland colonists who signed the Declaration of Independence. The Historic Annapolis Foundation restored the mansion in the 1960s and offers guided tours of the home and its garden. Visitors to the house can view historic artwork and furnishings, and enjoy a number of interpretive exhibits that offer a rare glimpse into the late colonial period and early statehood.

William Paca House

A charter for "Maryland Colony" was given to Cecelius Calvert by 2nd Baron Baltimore on June 20, 1632. Maryland was named after Queen Henrieta Maria, wife of King Charles I. Marylands original capital from its founding was St Mary's City, however, in 1695, the capital was moved to Annapolis. The first Capitol in Annapolis burned down in a fire in 1704, and the second was razed due to the small capacity for an expanding state government. The new State Capitol started construction with a cornerstone laying by Governor Robert Eden on March 28, 1772. Construction was delayed by a hurricane and by the Revolutionary War and was not completely finished even by 1779. When the Continental Congress met in late 1783, parts of the roof and dome leaked, however, the dome was demolished and reconstructed from 1785 to 1789. The dome has no nails and is instead held together by wooden pegs and iron straps. The State House was named a National Historic Landmark in December 1960 due to its historic significance following the Revolutionary War and its architectural style, especially in the dome and cupola.

The Maryland State House is located in Annapolis and is the oldest state capitol in continuous legislative use, dating to 1779. The State House was designed by Joseph Horatio Anderson, and construction began in 1772, however, it was delayed due to the American Revolution. The cupola on top of the building was constructed in replacement for the earlier one in 1794. After the American Revolution, Annapolis was the first peacetime Capitol of the United States. The Continental Congress met in the Old Senate Chamber from November 26, 1783, to August 13, 1784. On January 14, 1784, the 1783 Treaty of Paris was ratified in Annapolis, bringing an official end to the Revolutionary War. A 1902-1905 addition by Baldwin and Pennington added new chambers for the Senate and House of Delegates. 

Maryland State House

<div>Samuel Chase, a lawyer, started to build his house when he was twenty five years old. He started construction in the year 1769. Chase wanted to "out do" his neighbors by making his house the&nbsp; best in the neighborhood. However, by trying to accomplish this he ran out of money. Chase had to sale his mansion to the wealthy, Edward Lloyd IV. Lloyd was a successful plantation owner, whom wanted to move to Annapolis to start a career in politics. &nbsp;</div><div> The home wasn't complete until 1771. The mansion was Georgian style, complete with the house being three stories.&nbsp; Lloyd hired, William Buckland, for the interior design of the mansion. Buckland was a famous architect at the time. The home included a Palladian window, false doors, plaster ceilings, grand staircase, and decorative moldings. All of these elements were important for the Georgian style. It was one of the last houses to be built like this in Annapolis. &nbsp;</div><div> Eventually, Lloyd served the Maryland House of Delegates and U.S House of Representatives. He became the governor of Maryland in 1809 ,until 1811. After that, in 1812 he decided to join the war. Afterwards he became served in the U.S Senate and Maryland Senate. In 1826, he sold the Chase-Lloyd house to his brother in law, Henry Hall Harwood.&nbsp; Lloyd died in 1834. The year 1846 comes around and Harwood sales the mansion to Hester Anne Chase. Hester Anne Chase, was a distant cousin to Samuel Chase. Hester was the richest woman in Annapolis and lived in the house with her three orphan nieces.&nbsp; She was an investor in the Annapolis Gas Light Company and&nbsp; a member of Annapolis Water Company. When Hester passed, she left the house to her niece, Hester Anne Chase Ridout. Ridout decided to turn the mansion into a home for elderly women. &nbsp;</div>

Three-story brick Georgian mansion dating from 1769-1774. ts construction was started for Samuel Chase, who would later be a signatory to the Declaration of Independence and Associate Justice of the Supreme Court. However, later, Chase would sale the building unfinished to Edward Lloyd IV in 1771.

Susan’s Annapolis Tour

US Naval Academy Museum

Introduction

Images

Backstory and Context

Sources

Additional Information