Maryland State House

Photos Map Information: 100 State Circle Annapolis, MD 21401 410-974-3400 State House Hours: 9 a.m. - 5 p.m., Monday-Friday 10 a.m. - 4 p.m., Saturday-Sunday Tour Hours: 11 a.m. - 3 p.m. Related Stories: George Washington was here 225 years ago today Movers begin returning furniture, files to State House Wreaths, greenery and holly placed around capital State House renovation reveals tidbits of history State House renovation $1.2M over budget Ehrlich takes his place in state history Details of State House closure released Entrepreneur reopens State House shoeshine business State House, governor's residence decked with LED holiday lights State House landscaping, aging walkways get more than $1.4M Advertisement

Rich in both history and beauty, the Maryland State House, with its distinctive, towering wooden dome, has watched over the citizens of Annapolis and the state of Maryland for over 210 years.

The State House is the third to sit on State Circle. The first burned down in 1704 and the second was in use until 1769 when the building was torn down to make way for a new building. Work began in 1772 but was not completed until 1797.

The State House has been the center of Maryland's government since 1780, making it the oldest state capital still in continuous legislative use. The Maryland General Assembly, consisting of the State Senate and the House of Delegates, debate and enact bills and laws within its walls, while the presence of the governor's offices in the State House also make it the center of the state's executive power.

The State House is well-known for the important place it played in the founding of our nation, having served as the first peacetime capital of the United States – and the only state house to have served as the nation's capital. George Washington famously resigned his commission as head of the Continental Army within the Old Senate Chamber in 1783, symbolically ensuring that our country would be governed by civilian – and not military – rule. The next year Congress met in the State House to ratify the Treaty of Paris, formally ending our nation's war for independence.

Designed by architect Joseph Horatio Anderson and led by builder Charles Wallace, construction of the State House began in 1772, after the first state house burned down and the second was found to be too small for Maryland's burgeoning governmental needs. But while the Old Senate Chamber was complete by 1783, the roof leaked heavily, and the dome was also described as leaky, inadequate and unimpressive. The Maryland General Assembly, recognizing that something had to be done, authorized Joseph Clark for repair work on the roof and dome. Clark's work, finished in 1788, likely surpassed all expectations.

The State House's dome was built entirely from wood – no metal nails, just wooden pegs and iron straps fashioned by an Annapolis ironmonger – making it the largest in the nation to be built in this manner. Adorning the top of the dome is a large acorn skewered by a large lightning rod. The acorn, which is clad in copper, stood until 1996, when it was removed after examination confirmed that the materials dated from the 18th century. The new acorn is similarly constructed, from cypress fashioned by craftspeople from across the state.

The lightning rod is its own shocking story, having been constructed and grounded under the guidance of the inventor of the lightning rod, Benjamin Franklin. It was the largest constructed in Franklin's lifetime. The design of the rod, with a sharp point, was a scientific innovation of Franklin's (having found the shape attracted electricity more readily), and the rod's placement atop the State House could be seen as a political statement against the more inferior lightning rod designs of King George III. Having such a rod atop an important, new government building strongly symbolized the independence and ingenuity of our growing nation.

And while our state has grown substantially since the days when James Madison and Thomas Jefferson gazed out fondly from the windows of the State House's dome over Annapolis, the Maryland State House has stood the test of time. The image of the State House has become one of Maryland's iconic images, gracing the back of our state quarter, various state-issued publications – and the logo of Capital Gazette Communications.

At the turn of the 20th Century, the State House needed major updating. Two 19th century additions were removed to make way for a new annex to hold Senate and House of Delegates chambers. Work was completed in 1905 and featured marble-lined chambers and galleries for the public and press. Skylights were made by Tiffany & Company.

The Senate Chamber features portraits of Maryland's four signers of the Declaration of Independence while the House features portraits of past speakers.

Adjacent to the State House a statue of Thurgood Marshall, the first African American Supreme Court Justice, keeps watch over Lawyer's Mall.