ANNAPOLIS, MD—Governor Larry Hogan issued a proclamation officially recognizing today as the 250th anniversary of the laying of the cornerstone of the Maryland State House—the oldest state capitol in continuous legislative use and the only state house ever to have served as the nation’s capitol.
Read the governor’s proclamation.
“It is an incredible honor every day to serve in the oldest continuously operating State House in America, and to reflect on all the historic events that have occurred in this incredible building,” said Governor Hogan. “We are just as committed to the State House’s future as we are to its historic past, which is why we have launched the most significant restoration of the iconic State House dome in decades. This national treasure will continue to stand strong for generations to come, and on the occasion of this anniversary, I encourage all Marylanders to visit our State House and learn more about its remarkable history.”
On March 28, 1772, Governor Robert Eden—the last royal governor—laid the cornerstone for the building, which was designed by Joseph Horatio Anderson. In its earliest years, while still unfinished, the State House became the Capitol of the United States, when the Continental Congress met there from Nov. 1783 through Aug. 1784. During that period, General George Washington visited Annapolis to resign his commission as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army, and the Treaty of Paris was officially ratified—making the State House America’s first peacetime capitol.
The Maryland State House was designated a Registered National Historic Landmark by the Department of the Interior in 1960—the first state house in the nation to receive the designation.
On Saturday, Governor Hogan commemorated Maryland Day near the site of the original 1676 State House in Historic St. Mary’s City. In February, Governor Hogan delivered his final State of the State address from the Old Senate Chamber. Earlier this year, the governor announced that the state has advanced a $34 million restoration project for the Maryland State House exterior and grounds. Learn more about the Maryland State House, which is open to visitors seven days a week.
