Annapolis

68 degrees today (what?!). We took a quick trip to Annapolis, Maryland's state capital, also home to the Naval Academy. Lots of men in uniform strolling about (and a few women too). Makes for a nice scenery! It's one of my favorite towns: small, historic, full of small, quaint stores, on the water (always a plus).

This is a picture of Annapolis' State House. Now for some history: it has been the center of Maryland's government since 1780, making it the oldest state capital still in continuous legislative use.

The State House is well-known for the important place it played in the founding of the nation, having served as the first peacetime capital of the United States - and the only state house to have served as the nation's capital. George Washington famously resigned his commission as head of the Continental Army within the Old Senate Chamber in 1783, symbolically ensuring that our country would be governed by civilian - and not military - rule. The next year Congress met in the State House to ratify the Treaty of Paris, formally ending our nation's war for independence.

The State House's dome was built entirely from wood - no metal nails, just wooden pegs and iron straps fashioned by an Annapolis ironmonger - making it the largest in the nation to be built in this manner. The lightning rod was constructed and grounded under the guidance of the inventor of the lightning rod, Benjamin Franklin. It was the largest constructed in Franklin's lifetime. The design of the rod, with a sharp point, was a scientific innovation of Franklin's and was thought to be a political statement against the more inferior lightning rod designs of King George III. :)