Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1905-01-05
SOME OF STATES HOLDINGS
RECORDS SHOW NO TITLE
TO GROUNDS.
Copies of DEEDS of The Governors
Mansion And State House
To Be Filed.

The Capital briefly mentioned in its
state matters report yesterday the re-
port made by Mr.. Frank V. Rhodes TO
the Governor and Board of. Public
Works of his research of the titles and
holdings of 1.-THE State of Maryland.
which is of more or less public in
Ierest. Referring to the Governors S
Mansion and State House the report
says:
GOVERNORS s MANSION
The ground on which the Cover
nor's Mansion stands was conveyed TO
the State of Maryland by three deeds,
as follows: One from Matilda K.
Green. dated May IS. 1867, and re-
corded in Liber 5. II. No. 2. folio 1854.
which deed conveyed to the State of
Maryland all that land which was
conveyed by William Preston and wife
TO the said Matilda Z. Green by deed
dated September IA, 1858, and record
ed in Liber N. H. q. No. 2, folio AIS,
etc., one of the Land Records of Anne
Arundel county, it being lot of
ground in said city bounded by Tab
ernacle, Lawyer and School streets
and the State House lots and circle
conveyed. or about to be conveyed,
by James w. Allen TO the State OF
Maryland.
A second deed from George e. Pres
ton and wife TO the State of Mary
land, dated May l6, 1868, and recorded
among the Land Records of Anne
Arundel county. in Liber 5. II. No
2, folio 365. This deed conveys to the
State of Maryland all that lot OF
ground which, by deed dated January
2l, 1889, and recorded in Liber w. s
]. No %, folio 494, was conveyed by
Thomas Sudler and wife to George
r. Franklin. A third deed, dated
May 10, 1868, and recorded in Liber
s. r. No. 2, folio 800, was conveyed
by James w. Allen and wife to the
State of Maryland This deed conveys
all that property which was conveyed
by Nicholas + Green to the said
James W. Allen by deed dated June
"A, 1865.
STATE HOUSE.
There is nothing in the records that
shows that the State has a record title
TO the ground on which the State
House stands, except a plat herein
after referred TO. We have carefully
examined the records from 1894, when
the records and seat cf government
we're moved from st. Mary's county,
and when commissioners were ap-
pointed for building the first State
House, down to within the last 30
years. We find in 'Ridgley's Annals
of Annapolis" page 81, that the seat
of government was moved from st.
Mary's to Annapolis in 1894. During
the same year Major John Hammond,
Major Dorsey, Messrs. John Bennett
and John Dorsey, Andrew Norwood,
Philip Howard, James Saunders and
Nicholas GTeenberry were appointed
commissioners to survey and lay out
the town of Annapolis into streets and
lanes and also a town common for
pasture, to be fenced at the public's
expense.
At the same time they we're author
lied to have plat of the town made,
which was made by Richard Beard
A copy Of the plat is in theDand Office
at Annapolis, aud on it the State
House Circle is laid out After hav-
ing examined the records from that
time down we consulted "Riley's An
cient City," and find from his book
that the records from 1857 TO 1888 were
lost during their removal from st.
Mary's to Annapolis; that the first
courthouse was burned in 1905 an all
the records there were lost. So that
while we cannot find record title,
there is no donbt of the fact that the
colony had a title to the property,
and that it came down to the State
from Colonial times, for the reason
that the State House Circle is recog-
nized on the plat aforesaid. But, ow-
| ing to the destruction of the records,
we are unable to find in what form it
was transferred.
Governor Warheld said he proposed
| TO have copies of each deed of the
States holdings and plat bound
showing just what properties the
State possesses, to be filed with the
Librarian, so that at any time they
could be easily referred to.