Start your exploration of Annapolis: Museum Without Walls™
at Hogshead Trades Museum.
Just a few steps up Pinkney Street from the City Dock area….
This modest wood-frame structure with a gambrel roof is a rare surviving example of a building type that was common in 18th-century Annapolis. It was just this sort of inexpensive rental housing that the new state government pressed into service as barracks for military recruits during the Revolutionary War. Today, visitors learn what life was like for the “lower and middling sort” in early Maryland through an interactive experience with guides dressed in colonial attire and the opportunity to see and handle authentic and reproduction artifacts.
Hogshead Trades Museum Spring/Early Summer
Open every Saturday 11 am – 3 pm, plus most Sundays
Step Back in Time at Hogshead Trades Museum: Visitors of all ages can explore how trades were practiced in colonial Annapolis. Talk with costumed historians and discover the daily tasks, meals, and family life of a tradesperson. You might meet a shoemaker, a baker, a seamstress, or an apothecary!
Special Events
Tunes Through Time: The Sounds of Early Annapolis
Date: Saturday May 17, 2025
Location: Hogshead Trades Museum 43 Pinkney Street Annapolis, MD 21401
Time: 11:00 am – 3:00 pm
Who made and sold instruments?
Which ones were popular?
Where was music played?
Join us at Hogshead Trades Museum and meet fiddler Squire Tomas and local herbalist Mercy as they share with visitors the importance of music in early Annapolis. Discover how music brought people together—from taverns and parlors to ballrooms and backyards.
Visitors can observe and hear the dulcimer, a stringed musical instrument.
This program is fun for families, history buffs, and curious ears of all ages!
Admission Cost: $5 suggested donation
Loyalist Ladies of Annapolis
Date: Saturday, June 14, 2025
Location: Hogshead Trades Museum 43 Pinkney Street Annapolis, MD 21401
Time: 11:00 am – 3:00 pm
Loyalist Ladies of Annapolis – the King is ever our Sovereign!
Stop by Hogshead Milliner’s Shop and meet Mrs. Calvert and Mrs.Dulaney. The year is 1775, and these refined women would never publicly express their loyalist opinions, but you might be able to hear their actual sentiments after the merchant steps out of the shop for a moment….
Supporting the colonies in their defense against taxes imposed by Parliament is one thing, but they draw the line at disloyalty to the King and seceding from Britain!
Admission Cost: $5 suggested donation
Accessibility: Accessing this program requires ascending a flight of stairs.
Cancellation and Refund Policy: Historic Annapolis reserves the right to cancel or alter any programs. Unless otherwise stated, all tickets are non-refundable.
Photography Policy: Historic Annapolis reserves the right to take photographs and video footage of people of all ages at Historic Annapolis-sponsored events for publicity. If you do not wish to be photographed or filmed, please opt out by notifying Historic Annapolis staff.
Hogshead Trades Museum
43 Pinkney Street
Annapolis, MD 21401
410.267.7619
Hours (April – November):
Open every Saturday 11 am – 3 pm.
(plus Sunday 3/30 and 6/29)
Admission Fees:
Admission to Hogshead is pay-what-you-wish (special events may have an associated admission fee). Your donation supports HA’s mission-driven programs, exhibits, and educational outreach.
Hogshead Trades Museum
43 Pinkney Street
Annapolis, MD 21401
410.267.7619
Hogshead is conveniently located near City Dock in the downtown Colonial Annapolis Historic District. It is just steps away from a variety of restaurants and shops, and other interesting sites and museums.
Parking
Public parking is not available at Hogshead. Annapolis offers an abundance of parking and transportation options. Visit annapolisparking.com for the most up-to-date information on parking in downtown Annapolis.
Street parking surrounding Hogshead is limited to two-hour (or less) paid parking for guests. Please note that street parking may be metered or may require the use of the Parkmobile app.
Directions
Several parking garages are just a short walk from Hogshead. Click here for walking directions from nearby parking garages.
This early 19th-century gambrel-roofed building is similar to the modest wood frame structures that housed many colonial Annapolis families as well as fresh recruits to Revolutionary War service. Beginning in April 1777, the State of Maryland billeted recruits waiting to join Continental Army units in vacant and inexpensive rental houses throughout Annapolis. Most of these men stayed in the capital city only a few days or weeks before shipping out.
43 Pinkney Street had seriously deteriorated by the late 1960s, when it was targeted for preservation in a project jointly undertaken by Historic Annapolis and the State of Maryland and partially funded by a grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Restoration professionals retained much of the original timber framing but replaced the building’s exterior siding and roof covering. The interior is now a mixture of old and new material. The strengthened original stair leads to the second story, which has original flooring, board partition walls, and trim. The cellar had been filled in the 19th century, but it was re-excavated to reveal a brick floor, a simple barrel-lined sump, a large cooking fireplace, and a beehive bake oven.
Group tours and field trips at any Historic Annapolis site can be arranged by appointment with advance notice.
To book, please contact us at grouptours@annapolis.org or call 410.990.4514.