ANNAPOLIS — As America celebrates its 250th anniversary, the Maryland State House stands as a symbol of the nation's transition from colonies to a country. The building is the oldest active state legislative building in the country and is open to the public as a self-guided museum.
Construction began under British rule, and the building opened under a new, free nation.
"This building really was built entirely during the years of the Revolutionary War—before it and then after it. The cornerstone was laid in 1772 by Maryland's last royal governor, Robert Eden, and by the time the building was finished through fits and starts during the years of the American Revolutionary War, in 1779, it was presided over by Maryland's first popularly elected Democratic governor," said Elaine Rice Bachman, the Maryland State Archivist.
Inside America's oldest capitol: The Maryland State House's Revolutionary War legacy
History has been written inside these walls. George Washington resigned his post from the Continental Army in the Old Senate Chamber.
"This was an unprecedented event really in world history—that a military leader would give over all of their power to the civilian authority—and it is the original peaceful transfer of power that was established in the United States. So when Washington came into this room, he delivered a speech. He read a speech that he drafted himself, folded up that piece of paper, and handed it to a member of Congress. And today we have that original speech on display here in the rotunda," Bachman said.
The Treaty of Paris was also ratified at the State House. It is the only state legislative building to serve as the nation's Capitol.
"So in these spaces, you really learn about Maryland's role during the Revolutionary War all the way up to the present day. In these chambers, we talk about the events of Congress meeting here in 1783 and 1784, the use of the rooms by the early Senate and House of Delegates," Bachman said.
The impact of Maryland's Capitol extends into the Revolutionary War with the Maryland 400, a group of soldiers who marched from Annapolis to Brooklyn to join the fight.
"The Maryland Line, 'the old line' as it came to be called, took the brunt of the force from the British army and literally enabled George Washington to escape with 9,000 other men while they covered that retreat. And because of that, Washington really looked upon the Maryland men as a very valiant force. He noted that he would lose many brave men that day. They went down in history as the Maryland 400," Bachman said.
The State House now displays these crucial pieces of American and Maryland history in its historic sections. It is open to the public and operates as a self-guided museum.
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