Annapolis - little city by the bay

Okay, after far too long a break, I'm getting back on the trail. Blame a bout of depression, plus a broken hand and 80 hour work weeks - whatever, I'm back. I have been doing some walking in the interim, since Chowder still has to poop, and am around mile 154 on the trail. But I'll be blogging all the places we missed during my funk.

So today, we find ourselves in Annapolis, the state capitol of Maryland. Now, two-thirds of my readership (ie my mom and my sister) used to give guided history tours of Annapolis, and they know WAY more about the place than me. So apologies in advance for any inaccuracies to follow. I blame wikipedia.

Annapolis was founded in 1649 by a bunch of Puritans from Virginia, and went through several names in its early years: Town at Proctor's, Town at the Severn, and Anne Arundel's town. It was finally named Annapolis after Princess Anne of England in 1694, when it became the capitol of the colony of Maryland. It briefly served as the capitol of the US in 1783-1784.

One of the loveliest parts of Annapolis is its city dock, right in the historic district. On beautiful days like today, the water is filled with sailboats, and the streets with people strolling around enjoying the view and the shops and restaurants. There is a memorial to Kunta Kinte and Alex Haley, commemorating the actual place where Haley's famous ancestor arrived in America. A few blocks away are State Circle, with the state house at its center, and Church Circle, which encloses St. Anne's church. St. Anne's is an Episcopal church that was the first house of worship in Annapolis. It was built in 1792, but that was 3 churches ago, and the structure that stands there now was built in 1858. The original structure was uncharitably referred to by contemporaries as more of a barn than a church, so I guess no gem of historic architecture was lost.

Annapolis has a lot of surviving buildings from the 1700s. If you like colonial history, this is your town - sort of like Williamsburg Virginia, without all the hype. There's the William Paca House and Gardens (shown above, home to a signer of the Declaration of Independence) and the Hammond-Harwood House ("arguably one of the most exquisite houses remaining from the Colonial Period in America"). Annapolis is also home to the US Naval Academy.

Miles walked: 99