Travel Oracles 50 States: Maryland
As part of my summer series - Travel Oracles 50 States - I am revisiting each os the fifty American states as an overview on travel culture and history. Today: Maryland
Joined: The Province of Maryland was an English and later British colony in North America that existed from 1632 until 1778, when it joined the other twelve of the Thirteen Colonies in rebellion against Great Britain and became the U.S. state of Maryland. During the American Civil War, Maryland was a slave state, but it never seceded from the Union. Throughout the course of the war, some 80,000 Marylanders served in Union armies.
Original Indigenous Peoples: The Algonquin people were very prosperous during European colonization. At that time, tribes and bands were present in most colonies, and Maryland was no exception. Of the Algonquin subtribes living in Maryland, the four most prominent were the Choptank, the Delaware, the Matapeake, and the Nanticoke.
First Settlers: In March 1634, the first English settlers–a carefully selected group of Catholics and Protestants led by Leonard Calvert–arrived at St. Clement's Island aboard the Ark and the Dove.
History moment: In 1632, King Charles I of England granted a charter to George Calvert, the first Lord Baltimore, yielding him proprietary rights to a region east of the Potomac River in exchange for a share of the income derived from the land. The territory was named Maryland in honor of Henrietta Maria, the queen consort of Charles I. Before settlement began, George Calvert died and was succeeded by his son Cecilius, who sought to establish Maryland as a haven for Roman Catholics persecuted in England. Religious conflict was strong in ensuing years as the American Puritans, growing more numerous in Maryland and supported by Puritans in England, set out to revoke the religious freedoms guaranteed in the founding of the colony. Also, Harriet Tubman , born Araminta Ross(1822-1913) was born into slavery on the Eastern Shore of Maryland in Dorchester County in 1822.
Known for: Baltimore, Fishing (it produces the most blue crabs in the United States), a major historic trading port, baseball power and birthplace of the national anthem
Places: Baltimore, Annapolis, The Eastern Shore, Ocean City
Movie setting: Maryland director John Waters has set many of his movies here: Hairspray, Cry Baby & many more, Annapolis, Runaway Bride (Also the TV hit ‘The Wire’)
Musicians from: Frank Zappa, Toni Braxton, Joel & Benji Madden, Ric Ocasek
Surprising facts: The Maryland Gazette founded in 1727 is the oldest continuously published newspaper in the United States
Maryland's mythic hero—its cowboy, if you will—is the waterman, who prowls the Chesapeake in his skipjack, dredging oysters. Today the waterman is a symbol of contemporary Maryland: not in the manner in which he works, but in the variety of his catch. Maryland has always been a land of diversity, and from its rich Civil War history to the contemporary appeal of Baltimore's Inner Harbor, Maryland casts a wide net. Let’s travel to Maryland
My Experience: I have only passed through, but after seeing recent photos of a friend who explored the smaller historic towns, it is on my list
Baltimore: Baltimore is a city of distinct neighborhoods. While stellar downtown attractions such as the National Aquarium and the Inner Harbor draw torrents of tourists each year, much of the city's character can be found in bergs like Hampden (the "p" is silent) and Federal Hill. Scores of Baltimore's trademark narrow redbrick row houses with white marble steps line the city's East and West sides. Some neighborhood streets are still made of cobblestone, and grand churches and museums and towering, glassy high-rises fill out the growing skyline.
Others: Annapolis, The Eastern Shore, Ocean City
Nature: There are 10 national and state parks here, with the top destination being Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine
Ranking in US: Per the annual US News report, Maryland is currently ranked #17 out of 50 in 2021, down from #6 in 2019.