Annapolis Walking Tour State House to Naval Academy
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Description
This very short walking tour includes some of the historical markers and landmarks of the city and concludes at the US Naval Academy.
Maryland State House
The Maryland State House is located in Annapolis and is the oldest state capitol in continuous legislative use, dating to 1772. The capitol has the distinction of being topped by the largest wooden dome in the United States constructed without nails.
Thurgood Marshall Memorial Statue
The Thurgood Marshall Memorial Statue, erected in 1996 by the state of Maryland, was commissioned by Governor Parris Glendening and sculptured by Maryland sculptor Antonio Tobias Mendez. Mendez was one of several artists who took part in a national design competition put together by the state of Maryland (his winning design is included below). The statue stands as a tribute to the great civil rights leader and jurist, one of the 20th century’s most noted advocates for equal rights under the law. The statue is situated in State House Square, a square that was named to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the Court of Appeals of Maryland. Within the square is a chronology of the important events in Marshall’s remarkable life.
Roger Taney Monument (1872-2017)
Located at the courtyard of the Maryland State House from 1872 until 2017 the Roger Taney Monument commemorated Supreme Court Justice Roger Taney. A controversial figure in American history, Taney is best known for authoring the majority opinion on Dred Scott vs. Sandford (1857), known as the Dred Scott decision--asserting that black people, whether slave or free, could not be United States citizens. Taney also claimed that the Missouri Compromise, which restricted the expansion of slavery, was unconstitutional because in his opinion, it violated the property rights of slave owners to take the human beings they owned under the system of chattel slavery into northern states the same as they might any other piece of property. The statue of Taney was removed in August 2017. According to Maryland governor Larry Hogan's statement, "the time has come to make clear the difference between properly acknowledging our past and glorifying the darkest chapters of our history."
Kunta Kinte-Alex Haley Memorial
The Kunta Kinte-Alex Haley Memorial in Annapolis commemorates the place of arrival of esteemed author Alex Haley’s ancestor, Kunta Kinte. The memorial includes plaques that line the sidewalks for visitors to interact with and stands as the only memorial in the United States that commemorates the point of arrival of an enslaved African. The memorial was commissioned by the mayor of Annapolis, Richard Hillman in 1981. This occurred shortly after Haley’s critically acclaimed novel, Roots opened the eyes of people around the world to the role the city of Annapolis played in the story of the slave trade.
Brice House
This home was constructed by free and enslaved laborers for James Brice starting in 1767. Brice became the mayor of Annapolis in the 1780s and later served on Maryland's Executive Council which led to him serving as the acting Governor of Maryland in 1792. Brice's father, a colonial-era judge, designed the home. The home stayed in the family for over a century and then passed to organizations such as St. John’s College. The state acquired the structure in 2014 and it is currently operated as the headquarters of Historic Annapolis.
William Paca House
Built during the 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 mansion 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.
Hammond-Harwood House
Construction on the house began in, or around, April 1774 and a majority of the house was probably completed before the death of the architect in November or December of the same year. Patron Matthias Hammond probably never occupied his elegant house because he abruptly left Annapolis for his family's country estate in 1776. He died in 1786 after renting the house for many years. The house passed to his nephews John and then Philip Hammond who eventually sold the house to Ninian Pinkney in 1810. Pinkney, however quickly sold the house to Judge Jeremiah Townley Chase in 1811. Judge Chase bought the house as a home for the family of his daughter Frances Townley Chase Loockerman. He was well acquainted with the house because he rented the northeast wing beginning in the late 1770s. Judge Chase's descendants lived in the house until the death of his great-granddaughter Hester Ann Harwood in 1924. Judge Chase's granddaughter married William Harwood, the great-grandson of William Buckland, the architect of the house.
Chase-Lloyd House
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.
US Naval Academy Museum
The U.S Naval Academy maintains this museum 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, as well as 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.
1941 Harvard-Navy Lacrosse Game
In 1941, the Harvard Lacrosse team arrived at the Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland for a scheduled match. Upon seeing that the team was racially integrated, the Naval Academy's superintendent refused to allow them to play. Harvard's team decided that they would willingly forfeit but after talking with the coach, the only black player on the team decided to go home and allow the match to go on.
Tripoli Monument
The Tripoli Monument was carved in 1806 in Italy before being brought to the Washington Navy Yard in 1808. It would later be moved to the US Capitol building in 1831, and then finally being put at its permanent residence at the United States Naval Academy in 1860. It is the US's oldest military monument. The Tripoli Monument honors the fallen heroes of the First Barbary War, which lasted from 1801 to 1805. Designed by Giovani C. Micali, it is also known as the Naval Monument and the Peace Monument.
