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 Facts About
Maryland
 
Sliced into two parts by the bountiful
Chesapeake Bay, the State of Maryland was first inhabited by Algonquin
and Susquehannock Indians. In 1608, Captain John Smith explored the
area, and later that century, religious freedom was promised to
Christians, and Europeans arrived in great numbers. The great city of
Baltimore was founded in 1729, and in 1767, the colony's official
boundaries with Pennsylvania and Maryland were agreed to, and
subsequently called, the Mason and Dixon line. Maryland, like all of the
new colonies, protested the high taxes imposed by England, and sent
delegates to the Continental Congress. Once the Revolutionary War ended,
it became the seventh U.S. State. It was here, during the War of 1812,
and Maryland's defense of Fort McHenry, that Francis Scott Key wrote the
Star-Spangled Banner. The Civil War's, most horrific battle - The Battle
of Antietam Creek - was fought near Sharpsburg, and over 23,000 troops
were either dead or wounded on one day. The modern State of Maryland is
a land of contrast; one with large cities and towns, a picturesque,
rural atmosphere with thousands of family farms, and a relaxed
 island-like
mentality. Maryland is famed for its Chesapeake Bay economy and
lifestyle, its northern and southern charms, and its very unique role in
the building of America.
Capital:
Annapolis
Population:
5,458,137
Entered the Union:
April 28, 1788
As the: 7th State
Motto: Manly
Deeds, Womanly Words.
Nickname: Old
Line State
Flower:
Black-eyed Susan
Bird: Baltimore
Oriole
Song: "Maryland,
My Maryland"
Origin of Name:
Named for Queen Henrietta Maria, wife of King Charles I of England.
Points of Interest:
Antietam National Battlefield, Assateague Island National Park Seashore,
Baltimore's Inner Harbor, Chesapeake Bay areas, Harper's Ferry, Fort
McHenry National Monument, Ocean City beaches, U.S. Naval Academy in
Annapolis, and much more.
Bordering States:
Pennsylvania, Delaware, Virginia and West Virginia.
Numerous Facts & Trivia:
The United States Naval Academy was founded on October 10, 1845 at
Annapolis.
In 1830 the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad Company built the first railroad
station in Baltimore.
During revolutionary times Rockville was known as Hungerford's Tavern
the name of its most familiar landmark. One of the first calls to
freedom from British rule was heard at the tavern in 1774.
The Basilica of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary is considered
a masterpiece and one of the finest 19th century buildings in the world.
The basilica is the first cathedral in the United States. Baltimore
represents the first Roman Catholic diocese.
Fort Meade near Laurel became a base because a train engineer delivering
soldiers to Meade knew only one Meade, the one in Maryland. He was not
aware of Fort Meade, Florida. The confusion happened so often a second
base was built in Maryland in an attempt to avoid the confusion.
King Williams School opened in 1696 it was the first school in the
United States.
The first dental school in the United States opened at the University of
Maryland.
Babe Ruth, the Sultan of Swat, was born in Baltimore and attended Saint
Mary's Industrial School.
Other Major League Ball player besides "The Babe" born in Maryland
include Cal Ripken, Jr., Billy Ripken, Lefty Grove, Frank (Home Run)
Baker, Harold Baines, Al Kaline, Denny Neagle, and Jimmie Foxx.
Tilghman Island is home to the Skipjacks, the only commercial sailing
fleet in North America.
America's national anthem was written by Francis Scott Key a Maryland
lawyer. It is believed Key wrote the anthem on September 14, 1818 while
watching the bombardment of Fort McHenry in Baltimore Harbor.
Since May 30th, 1949 the United States flag has flown continuously over
the monument marking the site of Francis Scott Key's birthplace. The
flag flies at Terra Rubra Farm, Carroll County, Keymar, Maryland as
mandated by a Joint Resolution of Congress.
The National Aquarium is located in Baltimore's Inner Harbor.
The 1,200 foot Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore is the second
longest continuous truss bridge in the nation.
The 4.03 mile William Preston Lane Memorial (The Bay Bridge), joins the
western part of Maryland to the eastern shore and crosses the Chesapeake
Bay.
Annapolis is known as the sailing capital of the world.
Located in the Chesapeake Bay, Smith Island is Maryland's only inhabited
off-shore island.
The highest point in Maryland is 3,360 feet above sea level on Backbone
Mountain in Garrett County. The absolute lowest point in Maryland is a
depression, often called Bloody Point Hole, 174 feet below sea level.
The area is located approximately 1 mile west-southwest of the southern
tip of Kent Island in Queen Anne's County.
The Maryland State House is the oldest state capitol still in continuous
legislative use.
Chincoteague's are famous ponies from Assateague Island.
Dredging and tonging are methods for harvesting oysters.
On June 24,1784, in Baltimore, 13-year old Edward Warren went airborne
in the first successful manned balloon launch in the United States.
Maryland forests cover approximately 2.7 million acres, or 43% of the
states land surface. Oak and hickory are the dominant hardwood or
deciduous forest type, making up 60% of forested areas. Loblolly pine is
the most prevalent softwood and is the predominant forest wood on the
Eastern Shore.
Constructed circa 1850 an acorn-shaped gazebo can be found in Acorn Park
in Silver Spring. The park is all that remains of Francis Preston
Blair's estate.
On September 14, 1975, Elizabeth Ann Bayley Seton of Emmitsburg was
canonized, becoming the first native-born American to be so honored.
Saint Elizabeth Ann formed the religious community the Sisters of
Charity.
The National Institute of Standards and Technology gave Gaithersburg the
designation Science Capital of the United States when the Bureau moved
to the area in 1961.
Samuel F.B. Morse reportedly received the first telegraph message in
Bladensburg, in 1844, before his famous "What Hath God Wrought" message
between Baltimore and Washington. His telegraph wire had been strung
along the railroad right of way. Ezra Cornell, founder of Cornell
University, lived in Bladensburg and is said to have invented the
telegraph pole.
The town of Garrett Park declared the first nuclear free zone in the
United States in 1982, thus affirming a tradition of peacefulness that
began back in 1898 when it became illegal to harm any tree or songbird
within the town limits.
Maryland was first to enact Workmen's compensation laws in 1902.
Friendship International Airport - now Baltimore/Washington
International Airport - began operations on June 24. 1950.
Channel 67 broadcast the state's first public television programs on
October 5, 1969.
Greenbelt was the first community in the United States built as a
planned city. Greenbelt was an experiment in both the physical and
social planning.
The Concord Point Lighthouse in Havre de Grace is the oldest
continuously operated lighthouse in the State of Maryland.
Havre de Grace is known as the decoy capitol of the world.
The Methodist Church of America was formally organized in 1784 at Perry
Hall.
Mount Airy is unique because two counties, Carroll and Frederick, divide
it.
Oxford (founded 1683), gained its prominence in colonial days by being
mandated in 1694 by Maryland legislation as the first and only port of
entry on the eastern shore.
On the morning of August 10, 1813 residents of Saint Michaels having
been forewarned of a British attack hoisted lanterns to the masts of
ships and in the tops of the trees. The height of light caused cannons
to overshoot the town. This first known blackout was effective and only
one house was struck and is now known as the "Cannonball House." The
town has been known as the town that fooled the British since this
historic event.
New Market is known as Maryland's antique capital.
Swallow Falls State Park near Oakland showcases Muddy Creek Falls. At 63
feet it is the largest waterfall in Maryland.
Maryland gave up some of it's land to form Washington D.C.
The Maryland Renaissance Festival is held from August and October in
Crownsville.
Maryland is a prominent producer and processor of seafood and a national
leader in the production of blue crabs and soft clams.
The Thrasher Carriage Museum in Frostburg houses a collection of early
19th- and 20th-century horse drawn conveyances. Formal closed carriages,
milk wagons, open sleighs, funeral wagons, dog carts, and President
Roosevelt's inaugural carriage are among the approximately 50 vehicles
featured.
Sixteen of the 23 Maryland counties border on tidal water. The combined
length of tidal shoreline, including islands, is 4,431 miles.
The Bollman Truss Railroad Bridge in Savage is made of both cast iron
and wrought iron. It is the only open railroad bridge of its type
anywhere in the world
Clara Barton National Historic Site commemorates the life of Clara
Barton, founder of the American Red Cross. The house in Glen Echo served
as her home and headquarters for the American Red Cross and a warehouse
for disaster relief supplies.
Maryland has forty-seven operational State parks, including 7 parks with
waterfront areas, covering 90,239 acres; 15 State-owned lakes and ponds
open to public fishing; 9 State forests and portions of 15 State parks
open to public hunting; 36 wildlife management areas, covering 88,348
acres, open to public hunting; 6 natural environment areas containing
7,676 acres.
Annapolis was known as the Athens of America during the seventeenth
century and once served as the capital of the United States.
The Community Bridge mural project in Frederick transformed a plain
concrete bridge into the stunning illusion of an old stone bridge. The
entire structure was painted by hand by an artist and his assistants,
using advanced trompe l'oeil ("deceive the eye") techniques.
Learn more at 50states.com
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