Did you know...?

Annapolis has the largest collection of 18th-century architecture in the United States—including five of America's finest Georgian mansions—all in a small urban area.
The city has abundant examples of Victorian and other 19th-century architectural styles—as well as the distinctive Beaux Arts, Colonial Revival, Tudor Revival, Craftsman, and American Foursquare styles of the 20th century.
Annapolis's historic downtown became the country's first National Historic Landmark District. It was named as such by the U.S. Department of the Interior in 1966.
Annapolis is on the National Trust for Historic Preservation's Dozen Distinctive Destinations list for 2005.
Four signers of the Declaration of Independence resided in Annapolis. Three—William Paca, Samuel Chase, and Charles Carroll—lived here in 1776; the fourth, Thomas Stone, moved here in the 1780s. To remember their names, try this: Paca Chased Carroll with a Stone.
In 1771 William Paca was the 16th member elected to Annapolis's exclusive Homony Club—which admitted only married men or bachelors who were over 40.
Annapolitans became connected with the larger world in a major way when the first passenger train departed the city on Christmas Day 1840. By 1911, passengers could choose among 16 daily trains or use half-hourly "Short Line" service to Baltimore.
Annapolis's present City Dock/Ego Alley cove has shrunk to a fraction of its former size-due to natural deposits of silt and debris as well as deliberate filling-in.
Annapolis's St. John's College is thought to be the first in Maryland to be racially integrated in modern times (with the admission of Martin Dyer in 1948). Francis Scott Key, author of "The Star-Spangled Banner," was a much earlier student.
Maryland's state capitol, begun in 1772, is the oldest state capitol in continuous legislative use. It is topped by the largest free-standing wooden dome in America. Learn more
The entire block where the HistoryQuest building (99 Main Street) stands was burned to the ground in 1790. Learn more
John Paul Jones really is buried in the Naval Academy Chapel. His 21-ton sarcophagus lies in a crypt beneath the sanctuary, which is open to visitors. Learn more
Annapolis's first city hall was located at 211 Main Street, a building that still stands. It also housed the city's fire engine.
The first street signs in Annapolis, erected in 1826, were painted on boards and attached to houses at the corners of streets—like the signs still used in many European cities today.
Maryland Avenue (formerly North East Street) was the first street in Annapolis to be paved—in 1867.
Ships from England brought the best breeding and horse racing stock right into Annapolis harbor in the 18th century.
Henry Ford threatened to move Annapolis's Hammond-Harwood House to his new open-air museum in Dearborn, Michigan, in 1924. St. John's College purchased it to save it.
John Maynard was one of 20+ free African American land owners when he bought the property on Duke of Gloucester Street now known as the Maynard-Burgess House. The house has been the site of work by Archaeology in Annapolis.
George Washington first visited Annapolis in 1751, at the age of 19. Twenty years later, his journal records several visits—in which he enjoyed horse races, balls, fine dining, and other social engagements. His last visit appears to have been in 1791, when he was President.