BCPL History and Genealogy - Maryland History page.
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Maryland History


Archives of Maryland Online

This historical book series published between 1883 and 1972 which includes transcriptions of the original colonial records from 1634 to 1820's has now been digitized. Images and searchable text of over 1 million historical documents.


Associations and Research Facilities

Jewish Museum of Maryland
Exhibitions and family history research

Maryland Association of History Museums
Provides very basic info such as hours, location, contact for local museums.

Maryland Department
Comprehensive collection of resources available from the State Library Resource Center (Enoch Pratt Free Library)

Maryland Historical Society
Museum, library, calendar of events, school programs, children's page

Maryland Historical Trust
Provides over 1145 Maryland listings for the National Register of Historic Places and National Historic Landmarks in addition to related information on archeology, preservation and museums

Maryland State Archives
"Historical agency for Maryland and serves as the central depository for government records of permanent value. Records date from the founding of the colony in 1634"

Researching the History of Your House
How-To Guide from the Maryland Department of the Enoch Pratt Free Library/State Library Resource Center. Resources for exploring the history of a house, including maps, deed research, and tax assessments.


Maryland and Regional History

Baltimore "America's City of Firsts"
Impressive list of "Firsts" in medicine, science and technology, sports, transportation, military, entertainment, monuments and much more.

Baltimore City Neighborhoods History
Unique history for many of the city's communities.

Baltimore Neighborhood Histories
From LiveBaltimore

Casebook: The War of 1812
in Maryland and the Eastern United States. Sponsored by the War of 1812 Consortium of Baltimore

Howard County Historic Highlights
Includes communities of Columbia, Ellicott City, Elkridge, Lisbon, Savage and West Friendship

Maryland History
Includes Maryland Historic Figures

Maryland Kids' Page
Lots of info about Maryland's geography, places to visit and counties, brought to you from the Maryland Office of the Secretary of State

Maryland the Seventh State
The website provides basic historic information with some illustrations about Maryland, it's symbols and founders. Also a book by John T. Marck, Maryland The Seventh State can be found in BCPL collections (Md (Ref) 975.2 M) and contains much more including histories of each Maryland County.

Maryland's Regions
and by county within each region; founding and history of each.


Maryland Ships

Ark and the Dove
Colony of Maryland began in 1634 with the arrival of these two English ships

Baltimore Clipper History
Burning of the Peggy Stewart
Painting by Francis Blackwell Mayer

Lightship Chesapeake
Marked the entrances to Chesapeake and Delaware Bays 1933-1971

Original Pride of Baltimore
This ambassador of friendship sailed from 1979 until its' loss in 1986

Pride of Baltimore II
Baltimore's goodwill ship

U.S.C.G.C Taney
Last surviving warship that fought at the Pearl Harbor attack

U.S.S. Constellation
Last Surviving Civil War Ship


Museums and Historic Sites

Antietam National Battlefield
Civil War battlefield

B&O Railroad Museum
Birthplace of American Railroading

Baltimore: A National Register Travel Itinerary
Two centuries of history in these 40 plus locations

Baltimore Civil War Museum - President Street Station
1849 train station and the role Baltimore played in the Civil War

Baltimore Maritime Museum
Three historic ships:
Coast Guard Cutter Taney, Lightship Chesapeake,
WWII submarine Torsk and the Seven Foot Knoll Lighthouse

Baltimore Museum of Industry
250 years of the industrial or "work" history of Baltimore and surrounding areas.

Baltimore Streetcar Museum
On site of the old Maryland and Pennsylvania RR Terminal in Baltimore

Carroll County Farm Museum

Catoctin Mountain Park
Recreation area first developed by the WPA and the CCC in the 1930's

Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historic Site
184.5 mile canal from Washington D.C. to Cumberland Maryland

Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum
Located in historic St. Michaels

Clara Barton National Historic Site
Home and former headquarters of the founder of the American Red Cross

Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine
Official National Park site for Fort McHenry, birthplace of the national anthem

Fort Washington Park
Defense for our Nation's Capital

Jewish Museum of Maryland
Exhibitions, programs depicting Jewish history

Great Blacks in Wax Museum
Life-size, life-like wax figures depicting African ancestry and history

Lighthouses: Mid Atlantic Coast
Publicly accessible lighthouses in Maryland, Delaware, southern New Jersey, Virginia, North Carolina

Maryland Forts
Brief information on each fort and links when available. From American Forts East

Monocacy National Battlefield
"Battle That Saved Washington"

National Register of Historic Places: Maryland Listing
Select by county. Some are also designated as National Historic Landmarks. From Maryland Historical Trust

Sotterley Plantation
Dates from 1717

Star-Spangled Banner Flag House
and 1812 Museum. 1793 House of Mary Pickersgill who sewed the flag that flew over Ft. McHenry during the War of 1812.

Thomas Stone National Historic Site
Plantation of Declaration of Independence signer from Maryland

U.S.S. Constellation
Last surviving ship of the Civil War, the Constellation has returned after two years of restoration to Baltimore's Inner Harbor.


Multi-Site Museum Listings

African American Museums and Historical Sites
BCPL's African American InfoCenter listings

Baltimore County Museums and Historic Sites
Visit aviation, fire and police museums as well as historical buildings and mansions such as Hampton, Ballestone Manor and other places of historical interest within Baltimore county.

Museums
Listing for each County. From the Maryland Archives


Maryland's History Day Program

Students in Maryland and throughout the United States compete at local, state and National History Day events for prizes and awards including college scholarships. Look here for the current and past History Day themes, history sources, how to become involved and other information.

Some resources found at BCPL include:
Legacy Web an archive of annotated, digitized photographs of Baltimore County, and annotated 1917-1928 issues of Baltimore (Merchants & Manufacturers) magazine.


Local History

All BCPL libraries contain some local historical material; a few libraries have special rooms and resources. Four major local collections are at Arbutus, Catonsville, Resterstown and Towson Libraries.

Microfilm Collection
Microfilm of local, regional, and national newspapers.


Quick Facts

Great Seal of Maryland
from Maryland the Seventh State site

History of the State Flag
from Maryland the Seventh State site

Maryland at a Glance
Why the name Maryland, nicknames, statehood, museums, capital and lots more; from the Maryland Archives

Maryland Historical Chronology
Maryland history in a nutshell; from the Maryland Archives

Maryland Facts
Explanations of our state names such as 'America in Miniature', symbols, etc.

State Symbols
Great Seal of Maryland; also State Bird, Flag, Song, Tree and others; from the Maryland Archives

Maryland State Flag
Picture, history, and proper display

Maryland - Kids Page
Interesting facts about Maryland!  From the flag to the state bird--test your knowledge here.

Baltimore City Mayors, 1797-
List with dates served, some pictures and biographical info. Md. Archives

Barons of Baltimore and Lords Proprietary

Maryland Governors
1634 - present.

Constitutional Convention of 1776
Ninth Convention which framed Maryland 1st state constitution

Delegates to the Continental and Confederation Congresses

Signers of the Declaration of Independence, 1776

Signers of the Articles of Confederation, 1781

Signers of the Federal Constitution, 1787


Maryland Day - March 25

Celebrates the landing of the Ark and the Dove on March 25, 1634 on St. Clement's Island. A Charter was granted to Cecilius Calvert, 2nd Lord Baltimore on June 20, 1632 and finally the two vessels departed from Cowes, England on November 22, 1633.


Defenders' Day - September 12

Anniversary of the Battle of North Point, September 12, 1814 during the War of 1812.

This page is provided by the Baltimore County Public Library, Towson, Maryland USA.
The text version of this page was last revised on 01 October 2008.
The graphics version of this page was last revised on 01 October 2008.
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