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 Maryland State House - Annapolis, MD Posted by:  tiki-4
N 38° 58.734 W 076° 29.439
18S E 370880 N 4315491
The Maryland State House is the oldest state house still in legislative use. It was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1960.
Waymark Code: WMWQ4
Location: Maryland, United States
Date Posted: 10/29/2006
Views: 205
The State House is administered by the State House Trust which oversees the interpretation of the building as well as its care and maintenance. The Trust also has responsibility for the use of the public areas of the State House. The State House Visitors' Center is open daily, and tours normally are given at 11:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. For tour information and arrangements call the State House Visitors' Center on (410) 974-3400.
Construction of original section of the State House: 1772-1779
Architect of original State House: Joseph Horatio Anderson
Cornerstone of original State House: laid by Governor Robert Eden, March 28, 1772
Roof replacement and construction of dome by Joseph Clark, Architect: Begun 1785
Construction of present addition to State House (replacing annexes built in 1858 and 1886): 1902-1905
Architects of present addition to State House: Baldwin and Pennington of Baltimore
Height:
Interior of dome, from floor to ceiling: 113'
Exterior, to the weather vane: 181'
Oldest state capitol still in continuous legislative use
Served as U.S. capitol from November 1783 - August 1784 when Continental Congress met in Old Senate Chamber
Original section: Two storeys
Present addition: Three storeys
The Dome
Height, from base to weather vane: 121'
Diameter at base: 40'
Construction begun: 1785
Exterior work completed: 1788
Interior work completed: 1797
Wood used in dome construction: Timber from Maryland's Eastern Shore, supplied by Dashiell family of Cypress Swamp, Somerset County.
Architect of the dome: Joseph Clark
Possible model for design of the dome: Schlossturm, the dome of the free-standing tower next to the palace of Karl-Wilhelm, Markgraf of Baden, in Karlsruhe, Germany
The Acorn
Size: 5' tall, 3'8" in diameter; including pedestal: 9'9" tall
Material: Original cypress from ca. 1785-1788, covered with copper panels
Pedestal covered with sheet lead, probably from 1837
Original colors (from Charles Willson Peale drawing):
Top: gilt
Bottom: green
Pedestal: white
Purpose: To provide stability to the "Franklin" lightning rod which goes through its center. Acorns were common decorative elements in the late 18th century. In the language of the day, "sound as an acorn" meant to be without a flaw, free from imperfection, clearly something the architect of the dome, Joseph Clark, and the General Assembly, intended his creation to be.
Replacement of the Acorn, September 1996: During restoration work on the State House dome, it was discovered that the 208 year-old acorn had become rotten because of water seepage. As it too damaged to be repaired, it was decided to replace it by having 32 craftspeople from around the state make "slices" that would be used to assemble a new acorn. The new acorn was then clad in copper and gilded and painted according to the original drawings of Charles Willson Peale.
The gilding work was done by Bill Adair of Gold Leaf Studios in Washington, D.C. Mr. Adair wrote an article for the Society of Gilders Newsletter about the work that he did on the acorn.
The Lightning Rod
Size: 28' tall; 2.5" square at maximum thickness
Material: Original wrought iron
History: A prime example of lightning rod designed according to the theories of Benjamin Franklin who argued that the most effective protection from lightning was a pointed rod, preferably grounded into a deep well.
Restoration Work
The acorn has been replaced by a new one constructed of sections made by 31 Maryland craftspeople from specification supplied by the Department of General Services. The new acorn is made of cypress wood, as was the original. The original lightning rod has been left in place and a metal sleeve placed around it for protection.
In 1997, the State House Trust and the Department of General Services were awarded the Calvert Prize by the Maryland Historical Trust for their roles in the restoration and preservation of the State House dome.
Type of Capitol: State, Province, Canton, or Other Primary Division of a Nation
Address:
State House
Annapolis, MD USA
21401-1925
Dates of Construction: 1772 - 1779
Major Renovations: 1902-1905
Hours: The Maryland State House is open Monday - Friday from 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. and from 10:00 a.m. - 4 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. It is closed on Christmas Day and no tours are given on Thanksgiving Day or New Year's Day.
Capitol Web Site: [Web Link]
Historical Monuments/Memorials:
*Plaque: In Honor of Maryland's First Eight Hundred Volunteers for Service in the United States Navy in 1917.
*Plaque: In honor of Matthew Henson, explorer who was the first man to reach the North Pole, on April 6, 1906, during the Artic expedition of U.S. Navy Commander Robert Edwin Peary. Born in Charles County, Henson is recognized as a co-discoverer, with Peary, of the North Pole. This memorial was the first state-sponsored memorial to an African-American in Maryland, 1961.
*Display: Moon rock and Maryland flag. Presented to the people of the state of Maryland by Richard Nixon, President of the United States. The flag was carried to the moon and back by Apollo 11.
*Framed plaque: Crew patch, United States and Maryland flag from official Flight Kit aboard orbiter Challenger, STS 51-L, January 28, 1986
USS Maryland Bell, State House grounds.
*The battleship USS Maryland was decommissioned in 1947 and its bell was presented to the state and installed on the State House grounds in 1960. The silver service from the USS Maryland is on display in the Silver Room of the State House.
*Thurgood Marshall Memorial by Antonio Tobias Mendez. Lawyers' Mall/State House Square.: Lawyer's Mall/State House Square. Unveiled in 1996, this memorial honors the great civil rights leader who became the first African-American to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court. The memorial is erected on the site of the old Court of Appeals building where Marshall argued some of his early civil rights cases.
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Visit Instructions:
Post one photo of the capitol that includes either a GPSr and/or the waymarker along with the capitol in the picture.
Please also tell us about your visit.
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