We enjoyed hiking around the historic district of this city. Quite a few of the older homes do date back to the 1700s. In 1783 and 1874 Congress assembled in Annapolis, making it the first peacetime capital of the United States. The picture of the state capitol,which I have posted here, has the statute of Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall in the foreground. He was the first African American to serve on the court,and served from 1967-91. In the traffic circle around the capitol we also found the governor's mansion and St.Anne's Episcopal Church. That church was rebuilt several times,the last time being 1858. The Maryland General Assembly contributed to the cost of building the first church in exchange for official pews being set aside for the Governor and legislators. Several signers of the Declaration of Independence attended here,as well as Frances Scott Key(see picture posted here). There is an impressive walnut reredos(carved screen)above the altar which depicts the Risen Christ offering the Book of Life to mankind. The reredos was done by a woodcarver from Oberammergau Germany in 1920. The United States Naval Academy is also located in this area. While walking the streets here we saw quite a few Naval cadets sprinting past us. They were easy to identify with their blue shorts and white tops! We probably should have toured the academy,but time did not allow that.
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