Maryland State House, State Circle, Annapolis, Anne Arundel County, MD

Significance: Erected between 1772 and 1779, the Maryland State House is the oldest state capitol still in active use as the seat of government and the only one to have served as the nation's capital, witnessing important events that brought a close to the American Revolutionary War. Recognizing the new capitol's central location and spacious and attractive accommodations, the Continental Congress met in its Senate Chamber from November 26, 1783 to August 13, 1784. It was during that time, on December 23, 1783, that George Washington appeared before Congress to resign his commission as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army. Washington's actions have been exulted as a critical step in the establishment of civil authority over military rule, so much so that a painting of the scene as it enfolded within the Maryland State House hangs in the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol.

Unprocessed Field note material exists for this structure: FN-100

Survey number: HABS MD-245

Building/structure dates: 1771-1779 Initial Construction

Building/structure dates: 1785 Subsequent Work

Building/structure dates: 1858-1863 Subsequent Work

Building/structure dates: 1876-1878 Subsequent Work

Building/structure dates: 1882-1892 Subsequent Work

Building/structure dates: 1901-1906 Subsequent Work

Building/structure dates: 1937-1940 Subsequent Work

Building/structure dates: 1947-1949 Subsequent Work

National Register of Historic Places NRIS Number: 66000385

capitols document signings state government west annapolis maryland house maryland state house circle state circle annapolis arundel anne arundel county joseph horatio anderson jack e boucher philip n buckley john a burns joseph clark thomas dance florence dunbar historic american buildings survey liz jandoli harley j mckee josias pennington john shaw charles wallace george washington j appleton wilson photo us capitol washington dc senate chamber united states capitol washington dc building plans architectural diagrams design library of congress national register of historic places historic landmarks

1901

Library of Congress

http://www.loc.gov/

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