Annapolis

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Puritans who had fled from Virginia founded the town of Providence in 1649. Hostility between the Puritans and the Roman Catholic governors of Maryland resulted in the battle of the Severn River in 1655, in which the Puritans successfully revolted. They lost control with the reestablishment of the monarchy in England on the accession of Charles II in 1660 after the collapse of the Commonwealth, which is referred to as the Restoration.

Providence was later called Anne Arundel Town, after the wife of the 2nd Lord Baltimore. In 1694 it became the provincial capital of Maryland and was renamed Annapolis for Princess Anne of England, who later became queen. In 1783 and 1784, Annapolis served as the capital of the United States when the Congress met there. In 1786, the Annapolis Convention was held there. That convention would lead to the Federal Constitutional Convention the following year in which the Constitution of the United States was drawn up.

There are numerous interesting monuments in Annapolis. One of the most important buildings is the statehouse where George Washington resigned as commander in chief of the Continental Army in 1783 and where the Treaty of Paris, which ended the Revolutionary War, was ratified in 1784. The Old Treasury is the oldest original building in Maryland. It dates from around 1695. Other landmarks include the 1737 library and Saint John's College. Saint Anne's Church was constructed in 1858 and 1859. The former royal governor of Annapolis Sir Robert Eden, who was an ancestor of British statesman Anthony Eden, is buried on the adjacent graveyard. Annapolis boasts countless excellent examples of 18th-century architecture.

Annapolis is a port of entry on Chesapeake Bay in central Maryland and it is an important business and shipping center for the fruit and vegetable farmers from the eastern part of the state. Local industries include the packaging of seafood and the manufacture of small boats, plastics and aerospace parts. Tourism is also important to the city's economy. Many visitors enjoy sailing on the Chesapeake River. The United States Naval Academy, which was founded in 1845, is in Annapolis Harbor. Its connecting tidal creeks shelter dozens of marinas where thousands of cruising and racing sailboats tie up. This concentration of recreational sailing vessels has earned Annapolis the title of 'Sailing Capital of the United States'. Annapolis is host to the annual national sailboat show.

There are numerous hotels and restaurants in Annapolis. Around the city's waterfront you will find a wide variety of restaurants, bars and inns, which have earned Annapolis its reputation as a party town. The city is on the southern bank of the Severn River, 45 km east from Washington D.C. Buses connect Annapolis with downtown Baltimore. If you have your own means of transportation you can get there via the I-695 to Highway 2S and on to Highway 50W.