December 31, 2021
On a grey but unseasonably warm final day of 2021 we decided to go on a road trip and drove down to Annapolis, about thirty miles east of Washington D.C. Situated on the Chesapeake Bay, Annapolis is the capital of Maryland. In fact, from 1783-1784 it was briefly the capital of the United States. Originally settled in the mid-1600s, it had a number of names until in 1694 it finally became Annapolis, named for Princess Anne of Denmark and Norway who was soon to become Queen Anne of Great Britain, reigning from 1702-1714. The town currently has a population of over 40,000 and has a thriving old town with a main street that runs down to the bay. Here are some photos from our stroll around town.
Standing on a hill at the center of town is the Maryland State House. The capitol building has the distinction of being topped by the largest wooden dome in the United States constructed without nails. Construction of the building began in 1772 but it was not completed until 1779 due to the ongoing American Revolutionary War.
Some of our older readers may remember the hugely popular 1970s miniseries Roots, based on the Alex Haley novel of the same name. At the foot of main street on the edge of the City Dock is the Kunta Kinte – Alex Haley memorial that commemorates the arrival point of Alex Haley’s African ancestor, Kunta Kinte, whose story is related in the book. A sculpture group at the memorial site portrays Haley seated, reading a book to three children.
Mal and Lauren 