Evening capital and Maryland gazette. (Annapolis, Md.) 1910-1922, 1911-08-07
TOWN OF MANY NAMES
Annapolis Once Called" Providence"
-"PrOctOr's Landing" -"The
Town AT Severn Etc.
THE TREASURY BUILDING.
The Second Royal Governor Francis
Nicholson Arrived In The Province
July 1894.
lMr. Randall's Address on HIS
nannIss Serial vi

napolis Serial vi
Yet there are Maryland historians
who claim to see in the overthrow of
Lord Baltimore's government only a
wanton act of spoliation and religious
persecution. But | am wandering
from my subject. Lawyers have no
business to deliver lectures. They are
too fond of disputation; but having
been a somewhat diligent explorer
among our old Provincial Records, GER
tain nuggets of truth have been found.
which would seem ought to be exposed
in the museum of historical facts. for
what they may be worth.
Nor whatever other consequences,
bad or good, may have followed the
Revolution of 1858 in England and in
this country, there is no doubt that il
was fair wind for Annapolis. The
Second Royal Governor, Francis
Nicholson, arrived in the Province in
July, 1894, and the session of the
Provincial Assembly that followed in
September of that year, was the last
one held at St. Mary's, the original
settlement and Capital of the Prov
ince. By that Assembly and at the
instance of the Governor, the Capital
of the Province was removed from St.
Mary's and established at 1.-The Town
and Port of Anne Arundel" that be-
ing the new name then conferred upon
the Annapolis settlement, which had
previously in its legislative history.
been known by various names, such
as Providence, Proctor's Landing"
1.-The Town at Proctor's," 1.-The
Townland at Severn" To accomplish
the removal of the Capital, an act
was passed, Oh. 20, of the Acts of
1854, For settling Assemblies and
Provincial Courts and Erecting
Court House at Anne Arundel Town,
in Anne Arundel County," That Act
was followed by supplemental Act
at the next session, Oh. z, of the Acts
of May, 1895, again changing the
name to Annapolis in honor of
Princess Anne afterwards Queen
Anne) who had then recently become
the Heiress Apparent to the Throne
of England through the death, child
less, of her sister, Queen Mary of
Orange.
IhoN 5CSSlOA VI 4O0O was HGlQ III
Annapolis and is believed to have been
held in the ancient brick building, still
standing on the northeasterly portion
of the State House grounds, called and
known for many years until quite re-
Gently as "The Treasury Building"
and now occupied by the State Board
of Education. That building was
probably erected after the Act of 1894
and was the Court House." the erec-
tion of which was provided for by that
Act. Mr.. Ridgely, the Annapolis his
torian, says, however, that in Febru-
ary, 1894, Governor Nicholson met his
Council for the first time at the Court
House in Anne Arundel Town. That,
of course, was before the Act of Sep
tember, 1894 was passed. Mr.. ]. d.
Warfeld, the historian of Anne Arun-
del and Howard counties inclines to
the belief that the venerable building
we are speaking of was at that time
standing and was the Anne Arundel
Court House. If so, it had probably
been erected under the Provincial Acts
of 1858, Oh. 5, and of 1884, Oh. 2,
Sec. A, which had made Port of En-
try of our settlement, under the name
of "The Town at Proctors," and had
provided commissioners for laying it
out and making and recording
"draughts, or plats, of it's streets
and lots, with open places to be left
for erecting church, chapel, market
house or other public buildings" As
those Acts were very precise and per-
emptory as to the discharge of the
duties imposed by them upon the COM
missioners, sheriff and surveyors men,
toned in them, and provided severe
fines and penalties for failure on their
part to carry out its provisions, it is
probable that Annapolis was laid out
according to its present plan before
the 29th day of September, 1854, as
provided for by those Acts, and it is
also possible that the venerable build.
ing mentioned was built under those
acts and as the county Court House
and antedated the Act which caused
the removal of the Capital here, anC
| the Act of September, 1894.
A mere question of ten years or so,
however, is not very, important ir
such case, as the building is al
least two hundred and seventeen year:
old, and even if not, 227, it is be-
lieved to be the oldest building of &
public character in the United States
or perhaps, in America.
Continued