Calendar of Events

Hurricanes were a new phenomenon for Europeans when they arrived in the New World, but they quickly became a defining (and terrifying) feature of the life in colonial British America.

Visit the Museum of Historic Annapolis on the second Sunday of every month for Hands-On History Days. Drop in any time between 10 am and 2 pm for special family activities.

In December 1752, Thomas Thistlewood, a white Jamaican planter, caught one of an enslaved man named Congo Sam, trying to run away. When Thistlewood challenged him, Congo Sam pulled a machete and ran at him.

"The Real First President of the United States" explains and answers the question on whether Maryland's own John Hanson, as the first president of the United States under the Articles of Confederation, should or should not be considered the nation's "first president" rather than George Washington.

Lafayette’s time in Annapolis totaled less than a fortnight spread out over five decades, but that was enough for the French nobleman and the city to develop a mutual admiration for one another.

Celebrate ‘Read Across America Day’ at the Museum of Historic Annapolis! Local author Pricilla Cummings will read aloud her book, Chesapeake Rainbow, at a special Storytime presentation. After the reading, explore the Museum on a special rainbow scavenger hunt! Chesapeake Rainbow helps youngsters learn their colors. Blue is the color of the water in the… Continue reading Read Across America Storytime

It’s about time! Join guest presenter Steve Sieracki for a full discussion and demonstration of Early American Mantle Clocks! This lecture will reveal the common stylistic and mechanical changes in the explosive youth of the American clock industry. We will discuss how changing resources and advances in technology coupled with American style and ingenuity, led… Continue reading Virtual Lecture – The Development of the American Mantle Clock: 1815 to 1855

Visit the Museum of Historic Annapolis on the second Sunday of every month for Hands-On History Days. Drop in any time between 10 am and 2 pm for special family activities.

Between 1779 and 1782, Spanish rangers from the region around San Antonio herded more than 10,000 cows over 500 miles to Louisiana to help feed Spanish soldiers fighting the British in the American Revolutionary War.

Many Marylanders have heard it called "The Old Line State" but many believe it refers to the Mason-Dixon Line that marked its northern boundary with Pennsylvania and Delaware.

Celebrate all things Maryland and explore the wonder of the Old Line State all weekend! On Friday, explore the William Paca Garden and the Waterfront Warehouse and immerse yourself in the history of our city. William Paca Garden 186 Prince George Street Visit the William Paca Garden and enjoy the 2-acre oasis of natural beauty… Continue reading Historic Annapolis Maryland Day Celebration

Celebrate all things Maryland and explore the wonder of the Old Line State all weekend! On Saturday, encounter living historians at every turn as they bring the William Paca House and Garden and Hogshead to life. Explore the Waterfront Warehouse and the Museum of Historic Annapolis and immerse yourself in the history of our city.… Continue reading Historic Annapolis Maryland Day Celebration

Celebrate all things Maryland and explore the wonder of the Old Line State all weekend! On Sunday, explore the William Paca Garden, the Museum of Historic Annapolis, and the Waterfront Warehouse and immerse yourself in the history of our city. William Paca Garden 186 Prince George Street Visit the William Paca Garden and enjoy the… Continue reading Historic Annapolis Maryland Day Celebration

This presentation addresses the events that led to, and the outbreak of, the armed conflict known as the Revolutionary War. Starting with resistance to British colonial policies that Americans perceived as arbitrary and violations of their liberty, and efforts to seek a redress of grievances, the Colony of Massachusetts Bay was declared to be in… Continue reading Virtual Lecture – Let it Begin Here: The Battle of Lexington and Concord

Join Historian Glenn E. Campbell for a “Revolutionary Annapolis Walking Tour.”  Walk in the footsteps of patriot leader William Paca as you follow his dramatic personal and political story through the revolutionary era.

This talk explores westward expansion and its impact upon Native communities. Even though the phrase ‘manifest destiny’ was not used in print until 1845, the spirit of American expansionism that it referred to was very apparent long before the 1840s.

oin us to celebrate Preservation Month as Rachel Robinson, the new Vice President of Preservation at Historic Annapolis, examines the styles of architecture found in the city and introduces many of the outstanding examples of these styles among buildings you may know well or may not have noticed before.

The War of 1812 is the most misunderstood war in American history. But it turns out to have been nothing short of momentous, explains University of Maryland historian Richard Bell.

This presentation explores the pivotal campaign of the War of 1812 that occurred in the Chesapeake Bay region, and particularly the events in Maryland. It will discuss such topics as the causes and conduct of the war.

Over the course of four years, enslaved people worked to turn the Civil War into a freedom war. Slowly but surely, they pushed President Abraham Lincoln and his commanders in the field toward embracing emancipation as a war aim and to compel them to take the giant steps forward needed to abolish slavery once and for all.

“The Despot's Heel” tells the story of the secession crisis in Maryland in the early days of the American Civil War. Both the state, as well as the city of Baltimore, experienced tensions caused by the divided loyalties of its citizens. These differences erupted into a riot in the streets when a pro-secession mob attacked… Continue reading Virtual Lecture – The Despot’s Heel