Tagging 19th-Century Style: Maryland State House Acorn

Figure 1. Charles Willson Peale, A Front View of the State-House &c. at Annapolis the Capital of Maryland, ca. 1789. This illustration was made soon after the completion of the dome. The acorn is barely visible above the dome. Maryland State Archives. Graffiti has been around since … Continue reading →

The Maryland Jockey Club and the Introduction of Organized Thoroughbred Racing in North America

Iron stirrup recovered from the stable (1711-1730 context) at the Smith St. Leonard site (18CV91). May and June bring the Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing—the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness Stakes, and the Belmont Stakes—and Maryland is proud to claim the Preakness as its own. Horse … Continue reading →

From Hand-Set Type to Linotype and Beyond: Maryland Firsts in the Age of Mass Communication

Figure 1. Print type in the letter “J” from the Victualling Warehouse site. This artifact’s diminutive size (3 mm square) belies its importance in Maryland’s history. I have chosen this piece of type in the form of the letter J to represent the history of printing and mass … Continue reading →

Waterfront Amusement Parks in Maryland

Figure 1. A sample of beads from Brownie Beach. Two or three times a year, staff at the Maryland Archaeological Conservation Lab will get a call from a local citizen who has been beachcombing along the Chesapeake Bay at Brownie’s Beach. While better known as a place for hunting fossils … Continue reading →