2020
Maryland Day
WEEKEND
March 20-22, 2020
EXPERIENCE IT
EXPERIENCE IT
Maryland Day celebrations in Annapolis and Anne Arundel County are a hit with family and friends getting together to experience the local history, culture and heritage of the region. Many know we have the signers of the Declaration of Independence calling the area home, regional arts destinations like Maryland Hall and our rich maritime history with the Chesapeake Bay but we have a lot of great surprises you might not be aware of. Plan to visit Annapolis for the Weekend as we open our doors to over 20 locations for free or just $1 and give you fun affordable reasons to experience the area with all your friends and family.
For those spending the weekend we have 2 partner hotels. The Historic Inns of Annapolis and the The Westin Annapolis are both great choices for your weekend getaway. Both are conveniently located in Downtown Annapolis Maryland.
Maryland Day Weekend is a unique heritage based group of events in Annapolis and southern Anne Arundel County. Maryland Day celebrations in Annapolis and Anne Arundel County are a hit with family and friends getting together to experience the local history, culture and heritage of the region. Many know we have the signers of the Declaration of Independence calling the area home, regional arts destinations like Maryland Hall and our rich maritime history with the Chesapeake Bay but we have a lot of great surprises you might not be aware of. Plan to visit Annapolis for the Weekend as we open our doors to over 20 locations for free or just $1 and give you fun affordable reasons to experience the area with all your friends and family.
Check out our Events Page to learn more about our event partners.
What is Maryland Day?
Maryland Day commemorates the formal founding of the colony of Maryland, when the newly-arrived colonists erected a cross on St. Clement’s Island, offered prayers (perhaps by saying Mass), and took “possession of this Countrey for our Saviour and for our soveraigne Lord the King of England.” According to one of the three versions of Father Andrew White’s account of the voyage of the Ark and the Dove, this event took place on 25 March 1633/34 at the colonists’ first landfall in Maryland. In the liturgical calendar of the Roman Catholic Church, this day is the Feast of the Annunciation, or “our blessed Ladies day” as Father White termed it, referring to the Virgin Mary. After consulting with the “Emperor of the Paschataway” and the “King of Yaocomoco,” Leonard Calvert, governor of the colony, negotiated the purchase of land on a nearby tributary of the Potomac River. This became the site of St. Mary’s City, the colony’s first settlement. Marylanders began observing Maryland Day in 1903, when the State Board of Education designated it as a day to be devoted to the study of Maryland history. In 1916, the General Assembly authorized the celebration of Maryland Day as a legal state holiday.
The versions of Father White’s narrative can be read in the “Archives of Maryland Online,” here:
Volume 551 – A Relation of the Successful Beginning of the Lord Baltimore’s Plantation in Mary-land
Volume 552 – A Brief Relation of the Voyage Unto Maryland
Volume 657 – A Relation of Maryland, 1635
Pictured: Detail of a painting of the Ark & Dove by John Moll, Maryland Historical Society. Research and blurb courtesy of Dr. Jean Russo.
Further reading:
Want to know more about “Maryland Day” and what it stands for? Read an article by Dr. Jean Russo on this topic. Understanding Maryland Day – updated
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