Take a step back in history

The streets of Annapolis are alive with 21st century hustle-bustle. People walk past shop fronts with their eyes glued to glowing Blackberry screens or drown out street sounds with iPod buds stuffed in their ears.

The Historic Annapolis Foundation is assembling nearly 500 volunteers to serve as guides at the 11 homes participating in this year's Annapolis by Candlelight tour, held from 5 to 9 p.m. tomorrow and Saturday.

Ten houses will be open to the public. One house, at 56 Cornhill St., is open only to members of the foundation.

"The houses on the tour change every year," said Carrie Kiewitt, vice president of advancement for the HAF. "Homes on Cornhill and Fleet streets were last on the tour six years ago. Since then, most of the homes have changed owners or undergone renovations or redecoration."

She pointed out that every home will have volunteer guides stationed in each room, in the portions that are open to the public that evening.

"The volunteers will provide interesting facts about the house, the owners' preservation efforts over the years, the architectural details of a particular room, the history of its furniture, art and interesting historical footnotes," she said

The list includes a home at 6 Cumberland Court, sandwiched between the historic William Paca

House and the Hammond-Harwood House. The residence won design awards for its architect after its construction in 1957.

The homes on the tour, Kiewitt said, are "either preserved as a home or adaptive re-use, such as a hotel. Two of the three Historic Inns of Annapolis are on the tour this year, as is the State House Inn. If you haven't had the opportunity to stay in these hotels as a guest, this is your chance to walk through and have a look."

The Governor Calvert House at 58 State Circle was built in 1720, and rebuilt again after a 1764 fire destroyed the original structure. It is an imposing Georgian style building with a gambrel roof. Charles Calvert, a Colonial Governor of Maryland, built and lived in the home. The residence was converted to a boutique hotel with 51 stately guestrooms during the 20th century.

A 1983 restoration of the building uncovered an extremely rare hypocaust, an early 18th century central heating system of brick channels. It is considered the earliest surviving example in America and is based on a system the Romans first devised in England to heat their baths.

A portion of the hypocaust is visible in the hotel, viewed through a clear Plexiglass floor installed in the appropriately named "Hypocaust Room" on the main floor. During the 1983 renovation over 100,000 artifacts were uncovered and preserved.

Peg Bernasky, innkeeper of Historic Inns of Annapolis, noted there's something new at the old hotel: "We've just installed a gorgeous new mural at Governor Calvert House which captures the history of the building."

Washington danced here

George Washington danced at the Maryland Inn at the corner of Duke of Gloucester and Mains streets. Yes, he did!

In the late 18th century, the hotel boasted an enviably large ballroom.

"He lived at Nann's Tavern down the street," said Bernasky. "He spent quite a bit of time dining and playing cards here, too."

Abraham Lincoln also had ties to the building. A display case inside the hotel, part of the Historic Inns of Annapolis, contains a letter found in the wall of the hotel during a renovation. It was a note signed by President Lincoln discussing the ongoing Civil War.

Guests on the Annapolis by Candlelight tour can expect to hear how William Butterfield, the town's drummer in the early 1700s, used to beat his drums on the then-empty lot and guard the town gate. By the 1770s, the inn and its tavern were built on the lot. They quickly became a popular location for the socially prominent and politically-connected to gather. Its luster dimmed in the first half of the 20th century.

After a restoration in 1970 that included the addition of antiques to guest rooms and public spaces, the Maryland Inn became a focal gathering place again. In the 1980s and '90s, the late jazz great, guitarist Charlie Byrd often performed in the King of France Tavern on lower level of the building.

"We haven't been on the Candlelight Tour in years," said Bernasky. "We're really thrilled about participating again."

Excited to be on tour

With his wife Maureen, Mark Lucas owns the State House Inn at 25 State Circle. The address, he admits, is a little confusing.

The State House Inn, with its distinctive front porch, is located between No. 14 and No. 18 State Circle.

"At one point it was called 15 State Circle," he said. "The state lists it as 200 Main St., and, if you use a GPS for 25 State Circle, you wind up at the Governor's Mansion." (Hopefully, Gov. Martin O'Malley's family straightens out any confused hotel guests who turn up on their doorstep.)

The hotel was originally a residence built facing Main Street around the 1820s. It was converted into the Capital Hotel and Restaurant in 1918.

"Legend says George Washington walked down the alley alongside the property line after resigning his commission as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army on Dec. 23, 1783. You can see the outline of the original structure in that alley," said Lucas.

"In the 1880s, there was a two-story well on the eastern side that ran from State Circle to Main Street," he noted, adding visitors on the tour will be able to view some of the seven antique-filled guest rooms in the hotel. Visitors can also view the Annapolis Harbor from the third floor, and the State House from the front rooms.

"Maureen and I have walked the tour in the past, and we've always loved the tour," Lucas said. "We're excited to be a part of it."

Great for parties

30 Cornhill Street was a part of the tour in 2003. Karen Engelke has owned the house since 2000, gently renovating it and making some additions. The building was originally two separate houses constructed by a carriage maker, Samuel Hutton. The first building dates from 1798. The two were joined during a 1954 renovation, though the building still retains much of its 18th century details including original flooring, horizontal wall panels, window and door moldings and an unusual "dog-eared" mantel.

A previous owner bought the house up to code for 21st century living without altering the character of the structure.

Having lived in nearly five dozen places throughout her life, Engelke, special projects director for the city of Annapolis, especially loves this house.

"It has always been a live-and-work space. I identify with the decades, centuries of folks who made a home of this complex of buildings," she said. "I know that space and light and shadows are important, and I feel the antiquity of every board and molding as I move through my days and nights in this special place. I have created a backyard and reconfigured the porch that in tandem bring a great sense of peace and contemplation. They are also great spaces for good parties!"

First time on the tour

The Georgian townhouse at 40 Cornhill St. dates to the 1770s.

"The land was once owned by William Paca, of the Paca House," noted the home's owner Rod Tate Sr, who has lived in the home for six decades. Like the residence at 30 Cornhill, this house also was once two separate homes, No. 38 and 40. They were joined in the late 1950s.

Since the early part of this decade, Tate has completely restored the building. Over the centuries, the house had sagged nearly a foot and had to be discretely reinforced with seven steel beams.

"Visitors will see a total restoration," said Tate. "Not a rehabilitation or a rebuilding, but a restoration. It looks, essentially, like it did in 1770 with some modern adaptations. We added on a large kitchen; part of it used to be a courtyard."

The house has nine working fireplaces, all restored and capable of burning wood or using gas. Visitors will see interior walls made of 7/8-inch pine boards, which were used, originally, to support the interior of the home."

"One of the most unique parts of the house is the kitchen," he said. "It has a conservatory attached that goes out into the garden." Tate worked closely with the city's Historic Commission to secure its approval and to maintain the historical integrity of the structure. The brick front exterior has been re-pointed and its shutters are working, custom-made replicas of 18th century styles.

"The house was probably owned by a merchant," Tate noted. "Later it was a rooming house. It was owned by an African-American sailor in the 1940s and '50s."

"This is the first year the house has ever been on the tour," he said. "It should be a fun event."

One note of caution: Despite the tour's title, please leave the candles at home. Bring a reliable flashlight instead.

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Homes on the Tour

30 Cornhill St.
Built: 1798, altered during the late-19th century.
Architectural style: Federal.

40 Cornhill St.
Built:  1770.
Architectural style: Georgian townhouse.

56 Cornhill St.
(Open to HAF members only).
Built: 1821.
Architectural style: Federal.

57 Cornhill St.
Built: 18th and 19th centuries.
Architectural style: Annapolis Vernacular.

Hammond Harwood House
19 Maryland Ave.
Built: 1774.
Architectural style: Annapolis Vernacular.

6 Cumberland Court
Built: 1957.
Architectural style: Mid-20th century Frame.

State House Inn
25 State Circle.
Built: Early 20th century.
Architectural style: Altered Second Empire.

10 Fleet St.
Built: 1885-1889.
Architectural style: Annapolis Vernacular.

Governor Calvert House
58 State Circle.
Built: 1728 with alterations in 1764, 1854, 1908-13, 1983-84.
Architectural style: Georgian.

The Maryland Inn
Top of Main Street.
Built: 1772-82, altered 1869.
Architectural style: Second Empire Style.

James Brice House
42 East St.
Built: 1766.
Architectural style: Georgian.

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Wendi Winters is a freelance writer based on the Broadneck Peninsula.