Maryland Day Blog

On Sunday, the Boy Scouts will have the privilege of removing the 3 old flags (City, State, National) from the Harbormaster Building and folding them and either disposing of them appropriately OR keeping them for their own use. A flag raising ceremony will take place at noon at Susan Campbell Park at the City Dock in Annapolis. All are welcome to participate.

March Madness! Don't forget, March Madness will happen on the same weekend as the Maryland Day celebrations! Downtown stores will host sidewalk sales and restaurants will have great specials on drinks and food.

Sam's on the Waterfront Restaurant in Annapolis are joining Reynolds Tavern, Rams Head Tavern, b.b. Bistro, and Wimsey Cove Framing & Art in support of the 2012 Maryland Day Celebration by offering a special deal next weekend!

Sam's on the Waterfront, Reynolds Tavern, and Rams Head Tavern are all offering special Maryland Day menus and Wimsey Cove will give 20% off regular price on reproductions of Maryland maps.

Check back soon to see the mouth-watering dishes created by these restaurants for this year's celebration.

 

Annapolis Mayor Joshua J. Cohen invites the public to a special Maryland Day Celebration event at City Hall. Student archaeologists from the University of Maryland will be at City Hall, 160 Duke of Gloucester Street, on Saturday, March 24 at 10:00 a.m. to discuss recent excavations on Fleet, Cornhill, Pinkney and East Streets.

This lively presentation will highlight the various communities that thrived in our City more than 300 years ago. Food remains and tableware will be used to illustrate the lifestyles of a variety of ethnic groups who resided in Annapolis in the 1700s. Following the presentation, participants will be encouraged to share stories of their experiences growing up on these particular streets in Annapolis.

The free presentation will take place in Council Chambers, located on the second floor of City Hall. Please RSVP to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or call Shari Pippen at 410-263-7961 ext. 7793 to confirm your attendance.

Sasha Lourie writes: "here's a picture of our registrar, Chris Kintzel, cleaning the USS Maryland silver cases in advance of next week's Maryland Day celebration. Theimage shows Chris in front of one of the two exhibition cases in the State House Caucus Room. The focal point of this case is the monumental punch bowl which represents Baltimore City and Baltimore County, and is one of the 46 pieces made for the cruiser Maryland in 1906 by Samuel Kirk & Sons."

The Naval Academy's Mianna Jopp send this piece along:

The U.S. Naval Academy Visitor Center is featuring John Paul Jones as its historical figure during the Maryland Day celebration. March 25th, from noon-3:00pm, kids can learn to tie knots (like JPJ), fold a paper JPJ hat (suitable for wearing) and make a rubbing of JPJ and his ship, the BON HOMME RICHARD. A figure of the Revolutionary War naval hero, with the face cut out, will be available for picture taking!

Thanks Mianna!

Please read this appeal from Historic Annapolis' Marcos Salaverria!

Historic Annapolis in partnership with Bates Middle School and Dr. Joan M.E. Gaither will be conducting an exciting two-part community event Monday, March 19 from 8:00-10:30 am and again Friday, March 23 from 1:00-3:00 pm. Threads of Time addresses the important local event in 1966 when Bates High School in Annapolis was intergrated. Sixth-grade Bates Middle School students are currently studying this period in history. Working with local artist Dr. Joan M.E. Gaither students will be creating documentary story quilts, illustrating the local story of desegregation and what it means to the students today. Each student will create a quilt square design reflecting their understanding of the effects of integration/desegregation. Students will travel from station to station to complete their work. Each student's contribution will be transfered to cloth and be embellished. All students' completed quilt squares will be combined to create several larger quilts at a later date. With a total of 275 children participating volunteer assistance is greatly needed on both of these event days.

Volunteers will assist at different work stations by: digitally scanning/copying completed student designs, ironing of transfer prints, and cutting of cloth.  No sewing experience is necessary. A desire to contribute to this community program and share your own viewpoint of this period is greatly appreciated!

This unique project is an opportunity for Historic Annapolis to make a strong showing of support in the local community. All HA staff members are encouraged to attend one or both of these event days.To participate in this worthwhile event and for more information please contact (410)-267-6312 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

To view samples of Dr. Joan M.E. Gaither's work please visit www.joangaither.com.

On Maryland Day weekend, between Friday, March 23 and Sunday, March 25, 2012, museums and historic sites in the Four Rivers Heritage Area (Annapolis and Southern Anne Arundel County) will be offering many activities for you to help complete your Maryland Heritage Badge! Details will be available on this website after March 1 for be sure to check back.

It may not be Thanksgiving yet, but it's never too early to start thinking about plans for Maryland Day Celebration 2012. Our partner sites are hard at work as we write this developing wonderful new activities and events for our 5th Annual Maryland Day Celebration, taking place the weekend of March 23 - 25. What is Maryland Day, you say? Just click on the tab above for a comprehensive history by a noted, local historian, Dr. Jean Russo! For Four Rivers and its partners, Maryland Day Celebration is an opportunity to share the fantastic historic, cultural, and natural resources of the Heritage Area with you. Check back soon for details about the 2012 Celebration. Remember - all Maryland Day events and activities are $1 or less!

Maryland Day Celebration 2011 is making waves in the press world! The event has been featured in "One Maryland," the Governor's weekly e-newsletter (twice!), in "10 for the Road" on Philly.com on March 6, the March edition of What's Up magazine, on DC.About.com (http://dc.about.com/od/specialevents/a/Maryland-Day-Celebration.htm), and on Maryland Family Magazine online (http://www.marylandfamilymagazine.com/2011/03/23/maryland-day-celebration-this-weekend-with-plenty-of-family-fun/). Executive Director Carol Benson was also interviewed by the Baltimore Sun and by WNAV radio! Participating sites are doing a great job of getting the word out about their individual events. Keep up the good work!

A lengthy and richly-detailed essay about Maryland Day appears on the blog of the Maryland State Archivist, Dr. Ed Papenfuse. Please click on the link below to read this entertaining and informative entry:  http://marylandarchivist.blogspot.com/2010/03/celebrating-maryland-day-spirit-of-1634.html

We thank Dr. Papenfuse for sharing the fruits of his research!

-- Carol B.

Last year, four days after our 2009 Maryland Day event, a fax came to the Four Rivers Heritage Area office. It was a handwritten letter from a Mrs. Valerie McCahon from Pasadena. This is what it said:

 "To whom it may concern:
My husband and I attended the celebration of Maryland Day on Sunday 3/28/09. We were accompanied by our granddaughter and grandson. I just wanted to take a moment to express our gratitude for this great and awesome experience.
I am 63 years old and a native of Maryland. I never realized the scope of the availability of the historical opportunities that exist for our pleasure. The entire day was enlightening, educational, and entertaining. I do hope that you are planning to offer this marvelous event again in the future.
As my 9-year-old grandson said, 'MomMom, this city of Annapolis is neat! Can we come again?' I suppose that sums it up!
Sincerely, Valerie McCahon"

This year we contacted Mrs. McCahon to ask her permission to share her letter, and she told us that she would definitely come back to enjoy Maryland Day activities again this year. Thank you, Mrs. McCahon!

The Washington-Rochambeau Revolutionary Route (W3R) is a series of encampments and roads commemorating the activity of French troops under the command of Jean-Baptiste de Rochambeau and their key role in the Revolutionary War.

Between the years 2000 and 2008, the United States has been celebrating the 225th anniversary of the American Revolutionary War. The aid and assistance of France was crucial for the success of the war. The most visible expression of this assistance is the presence of French forces under the comte de Rochambeau in America from July 1780 to May 1783 and their participation in the victory at Yorktown in October 1781. Maryland's substantial role in this victory is largely unrecognized. Congress authorized the National Park Service in December 2000 to conduct a study to determine the eligibility of the route, tentatively identified as the Washington-Rochambeau Revolutionary Route (W3R), taken by the combined Franco-American forces from Newport, RI, and Newburgh, NY, to Virginia, for designation as a National Historic Trail. That designation is part of a larger omnibus bill, S.22, which was passed by the U.S. Senate earlier this year and is currently under consideration by the U.S. House of Representatives.

Rochambeau's troops camped at nearby Belvoir between September 18th and 21st, 1781. The majority of these boarded ships here in Annapolis to be transported down the Chesapeake Bay. The ox-drawn wagon train and horse-mounted hussars traveled south separately, overland.

Submitted by Carol Benson on 02/24/10. Would you like to submit a blog entry? Email us at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .