Anne Arundel County is home to more than 90 sites on the National Register of Historic Places, including farmhouses, Colonial mansions and lighthouses.
Some properties have been recognized for their architecture. Others have been included because of their connection to important people or events in local, state or American history. In downtown Annapolis and other sites, architecture and history are often interwoven.
"Every property has its own story to tell," said Peter Kurtze, National Register administrator at the Maryland Historical Trust, the state's Historic Preservation Office.
Most sites are privately owned and closed to the public. A few, such as the Maryland State House and Annapolis Historic District, are popular tourist destinations.
A listing does not mean the government will buy the property or prevent an owner from changing it, Kurtze said. The register recognizes a site's historic and cultural value, and owners can apply for special grants or loans to preserve their property.
The following are National Register sites, with historical information from the Maryland Historical Trust:
Abbington Farm, on Severn Chapel Road in Millersville, has a farmhouse and outbuildings built between the 19th and early 20th centuries. The Gaither, Ridout and Woodward families, who were active in the county's development, had ties to this farm.
Artifacts more than a millennium old were found at Aisquith Farm E Archaeological Site near the South River.
Noted for its role in county religious history, All Hallows Church, at Brick Church Road and Route 2 in Hardesty, was built about 1710. Parish records go back to 1682.
The Annapolis Historic District stretches from St. John's College to the State House, Spa Creek and part of West Street. It includes surrounding shops, homes and buildings that date from the 1600s to the 1930s. The Continental Congress ratified the treaty ending the Revolutionary War in the State House. Streets emanate from circles around two focal points, the State House and St. Anne's Episcopal Church. The district contains the homes of four signers of the Declaration of Independence: Samuel Chase, Charles Carroll of Carrollton, William Paca and Thomas Stone.
Annapolis National Cemetery, at Taylor Avenue and West Street, is a Civil War-era cemetery.
Anne Arundel County Free School, at Lavall Drive in Davidsonville, was built after the Maryland Free School Act of 1723 and operated until 1912. It is the only such school in Maryland to survive.
Artisan's House, on Pinkney Street in Annapolis, was built in the early 1700s and may have housed soldiers during the American Revolution.
Arundel Cove Archaeological Site, on a tributary of Curtis Creek, was a Native American storage pit and contained artifacts.
Baltimore Light Station, near Gibson Island, was completed in 1908, the largest wooden caisson in the nation at that time. It was nuclear-powered for a year during a 1964 Coast Guard experiment.
Baltimore-Washington Parkway, built from 1950 to 1954, is considered a scenic part of the National Capital Park and Parkway system developed a century ago.
Archaeologists at Beck Northeast Site, on Patuxent River Road in Davidsonville, found deposits that date from 4000 B.C. to A.D. 800.
Belvoir, on Algonquin Road in Crownsville, was constructed about 1736 by John Ross, great-grandfather of Francis Scott Key, and was once owned by Dr. Upton Scott, physician to the Colonial governor. The troops of General Rochambeau camped there en route to Yorktown.
Benson-Hammond House, on Aviation Boulevard in Linthicum Heights, is a 19th-century farmhouse in the Greek Revival architectural style.
Brice House, on East Street in Annapolis, was built before the Revolutionary War in the American Georgian style of architecture.
Bunker Hill, on Millersville Road in Millersville, was built in the 1800s in the style of a "Victorian Picturesque, A.J. Downing Cottage."
The oldest section of the farmhouse, Burrages End, on Bountys View Lane in Tracys Landing, was likely built in the late 1600s.
Captain Salem Avery House and Museum in Shady Side was built in 1860 as a waterman's house and later became a clubhouse. The Shady Side Rural Heritage Society runs the museum at 1418 E. West Shady Side Road.
The house at Cedar Park, on Cumberstone Road in Cumberstone, was built in 1702 for merchant Richard Galloway II. It became Miss Mercer's School for young women more than a century later.
The structures at Chance Boatyard, at 222 Severn Ave. in Eastport, were built between 1913 and 1942 for Chance Marine Construction Corp. and later firms. Annapolis Yacht Yard, one of the successor companies, built yachts and patrol boats and submarine chasers for the Navy during World War II. Later, Trumpy and Sons built luxury yachts there. It also built minesweepers and PT boats for the Navy during the Korean and Vietnam wars.
Chase-Lloyd House, on Maryland Avenue in Annapolis, is an early example of a three-story, Georgian brick townhouse built in Colonial times.
Childs Residence, on Cecil Avenue, was the home of the first postmaster in Millersville, George Miller, for whom the community was named. The post office, which opened in 1841, was the first one along the Annapolis and Elkridge Railroad.
Christ Church, on Owensville Sudley Road in West River, was built in the 1860s, apparently from the published designs of church architect Richard Upjohn.
The Colonial Annapolis Historic District includes those properties in the Annapolis Historic District that were built before the American Revolution.
Cross Roads Church, on Old General's Highway in Millersville, was built in 1861. It includes a mix of architectural styles, including Greek Revival, rural Gothic Revival and Romanesque Revival, according to the Historical Trust.
Davidsonville Historic District, at Routes 424 and 214, includes 11 houses, three churches and a commercial building built between the 1830s and the early 20th century.
Douglass Summer House, on Wayman Avenue in Highland Beach, was built for abolitionist Frederick Douglass by his son, Charles. Tradition holds that Maj. Charles Douglass founded the resort community after being rebuffed by an all-white resort, according to the Historical Trust. Prominent visitors to Highland Beach included Booker T. Washington, singer and actor Paul Robeson and poet Langston Hughes.
Elkridge Prehistoric Village Archaeological Site, near the Patapsco River, had sporadic occupation by American Indians until 1500.
Epiphany Chapel and Church House, at Odenton and Morgan roads in Odenton, was built in 1918 near Camp Meade, then a training camp for troops mobilized during World War I.
Evergreen, on Sudley Road in West River, was built in stages and shows "building evolution from the third quarter of the 18th century to the late 19th century."
Fort Nonsense, in Ferry Farms, is a 19th-century earthen fortification near the Annapolis Naval Ship Research and Development Center.
Governor William Paca House and Garden, on Prince George Street in Annapolis, was the home of Paca, a signer of the Declaration of Independence. The 18th-century mansion is "one of Maryland's chief historical and architectural landmarks," according to the Historical Trust.
Grassland, on Hercules Road in Annapolis Junction, is a plantation house and outbuildings built in 1853. It includes a smokehouse, corn crib, harness shed, storage shed and a slave cabin.
Gresham, on East Central Avenue in Mayo, was home to Commodore Isaac Mayo, who protested President Abraham Lincoln's blockade of seceded states and was dismissed by Lincoln as a result.
Hammond-Harwood House, on Maryland Avenue in Annapolis, "is among the most significant Georgian residences of Colonial America," according to the Historical Trust.
Hancock's Resolution, on Bayside Beach Road in Pasadena, is one of the last 18th-century stone houses in the county. The Hancock family turned the tobacco plantation into a fruit and vegetable farm in the 1800s.
The earliest part of Holly Hill, on Friendship Road in Friendship, was built in 1698 for the Harrison family and enlarged in later years.
House by the "Town Gates," on West Street in Annapolis, was built in the 19th century and converted to business use later that century.
Howard's Inheritance, on Lawrence Avenue in Annapolis, is an example of "18th-century vernacular domestic architecture," with two rooms, one unheated, on the first floor.
Iglehart, on Generals Highway, was owned by Julianna and Leonard Iglehart, a county school official in the 1830s and a commissioner of the Annapolis and Elk Ridge Railroad.
Indian Range, on Mount Airy Road in Davidsonville, was built in the mid-19th century as a Gothic country villa in the architectural style of A.J. Downing or A.J. Davis, according to the Historical Trust.
The James Owens Farm on Greenock Road in Bristol includes a 19th-century, late Greek Revival/Italianate brick house and outbuildings used on the tobacco farm.
John Callahan House, in Annapolis, was built between 1785 and 1790 and moved once before being relocated to its current site on Conduit Street.
Katcef Archaeological Site, near the Patuxent River, held artifacts showing its use as camp sites by American Indians.
Larkin's Hill Farm, on Mill Swamp Road in Harwood, has a brick house built by Capt. John Gassaway in the 1750s. It was part of the 650 acres patented by John Larkin in the 1660s. The Larkin estate was a temporary state capital in 1683 and later held an inn.
Larkin's Hundred, on Mill Swamp Road, was believed to be built by a son of John Larkin. However, this large-for-its-time house apparently was built in the 18th century for Capt. Joseph Cowman.
Linthicum Heights Historic District is an early 20th-century planned suburb that includes 17 streets near the junction of Camp Meade and Maple roads.
Linthicum Walks, on Davidsonville Road in Crofton, has a frame house, meat house, tobacco barn and family cemetery from the 19th century.
London Town Publik House, on London Town Road in Woodland Beach, was built in the mid-18th century as a brick inn of Georgian design.
Mustang, on Dock Street in Annapolis, was built in 1907 and is an example of the brogan type of Chesapeake Bay boat.
Magothy Quartzite Quarry Archaeological Site is a bedrock quarry that was used by American Indians.
Marley Neck Rosenwald School, on Solley Road in Glen Burnie, was built in 1927 with help from the Julius Rosenwald Fund, which built more than 5,000 schools for African-American students in the South.
Martins Pond Archaeological Site, in Annapolis, was a seasonal marine-oriented settlement of Native Americans.
The oldest section of Mary's Mount, on Harwood Drive in Harwood, was built in 1771 for Col. Richard Harwood.
The Maryland State House, on State Circle in Annapolis, is the oldest state government building still in use in the nation. The Continental Congress met in this domed, Georgian style building and ratified the Treaty of Paris in 1784 to end the Revolutionary War. George Washington resigned his commission as commander in chief there. The Maryland General Assembly meets there from January to April.
Mount Airy, on Mount Airy Road in Davidsonville, was built in the 1850s for James Alexis Iglehart and includes the family schoolhouse and a frame smokehouse.
Mount Moriah African Methodist Episcopal Church, on Franklin Street in Annapolis, is a Gothic Revival church built in 1875 by Nathaniel P. Clow. The building became the state's official museum for African-American history and culture in 1984, the Banneker-Douglass Museum. The museum is open to the public.
Mount Tabor Good Samaritan Lodge No. 59, on St. Stephens Church Road in Chesterfield, was built in 1899. It is one of a half-dozen African-American benevolent society buildings left in the state.
Mount Tabor Methodist Episcopal Church (now Mount Tabor United Methodist Church), on St. Stephens Church Road in Chesterfield, was built in 1893 and has kept its original architectural character.
Norman's Retreat, on Plantation Boulevard in Oakland, was built in the early 19th century and boasts several unusual architectural features.
Built in 1947, Oliver's Gift, on Ranger Road in Davidsonville, is a traditional Chesapeake Bay racing log canoe.
Oakwood, on Route 2 in Harwood, is a tobacco plantation house built between 1850 and 1860 by Sprigg Harwood, a politician who unsuccessfully tried to have Maryland join the Confederate States of America.
Obligation, on Route 2 in Harwood, was built in 1743 for the father of Dr. Thomas Noble Stockett, surgeon for the Maryland Line during the American Revolution. The home was enlarged in 1827.
Old City Hall and Engine House, on Main Street, was built in the 1820s as Annapolis' first municipal building. It was used as a fire station and town council meeting place until 1868. The building's original exterior has been altered over the years.
Old Colony Cove Site (Rose Haven), on Friendship Road, is a shell midden (or mound) used primarily from A.D. 100 to 600.
Owensville Historic District has 19th-century buildings at the junction of two rural roads, one of three rural "crossroads communities" left in the county.
Parkhurst, on Cumberstone Road, is a "vernacular farmhouse" built about 1850 by Richard S. Mercer.
Patrick Creagh House, on Prince George Street in downtown Annapolis, was built between 1735 and 1747 by Creagh, a local craftsman, and later enlarged. John Smith, an African-American, bought the property in the early 1800s. Smith's wife ran Aunt Lucy's Bakeshop in Annapolis.
The Georgian-style Peggy Stewart House, on Hanover Street in Annapolis, was built in the 1760s for Thomas Rutland. Later owners included merchant Anthony Stewart, Thomas Stone, a signer of the Declaration of Independence, and Daniel of St. Thomas Jenifer, a signer of the Constitution in 1787.
Portland Manor, on Little Road in Darnall, is believed to have been built about 1755 in a style common to an earlier period.
Primrose Hill, on Milkshake Lane in Annapolis, is a mid-18th-century Georgian style house where portrait painter John Hesselius once lived.
Rising Sun Inn, on Generals Highway in Crownsville, was built about 1753 by Edward Baldwin. His son, Henry, expanded the building and operated a tavern.
Rosehill, on Bell Branch Road in Davidsonville, is a mid-18th-century house with an early 19th-century corn house, an 1821 tobacco barn, a log outbuilding, a late-19th-century stable and a pump house.
Sandy Point Farmhouse, on South Beach Road, was built about 1815. The original owner, John Gibson, was a relative of former Maryland Gov. Samuel Ogle and a business associate of Charles Carroll of Carrollton.
Sandy Point Shoal Light Station, on the Chesapeake Bay, was built in 1883.
South River Club, in Collisons Corner, was built in 1742 for a social club established in earlier years.
St. James Church, on Route 2 in Tracys Landing, was built on the site of two 17th-century churches.
St. Paul's Chapel, at Crownsville Road and Generals Highway, was consecrated in 1865 and may have been built using plans by architect Richard Upjohn.
The site of the Stanton Center, on West Washington Street, was purchased in 1869 for a school for African-American students in Annapolis. The current building is about 100 years old and became the first high school for African-Americans in the county. It was used until desegregation in the 1960s.
Sudley, on Old Sudley Road in the community of the same name, was built in the 1720s with later additions and changes. The house has been associated with several prominent people, including Chief Justice Kensey Johns of the Delaware Supreme Court; College of William & Mary President John Johns; and ancestors of Johns Hopkins.
Summer Hill, on West Central Avenue in Davidsonville, is a typical farmhouse built in the mid-1800s.
The earliest part of Sunnyfields, on Sunnyfield Lane in Pumphrey, was built about 1785. The home incorporates several architectural styles.
Thomas Point Shoals Light Station was the last manned screwpile lighthouse in Chesapeake Bay. It was automated in 1986.
Tracy's Landing Tobacco House No. 2, built in 1805 on Solomons Island Road, is the oldest tobacco house left in the county.
Tulip Hill, on Muddy Creek Road in Galesville, was built in the 1750s as a plantation house in the Georgian style.
Turkey Hill, Sweetser Road in Linthicum Heights, was built about 1822 by William Linthicum, who, with his brothers, developed the area that bears their last name.
Twin Oaks, on Twin Oak Court in Linthicum Heights, was built in 1857 and was the country home of John Charles Linthicum, a congressman who sponsored the bill making "The Star-Spangled Banner" the national anthem. Visitors to Twin Oaks included William Jennings Bryan and Gen. Douglas MacArthur.
Coast Guard Yard Curtis Bay, near Arundel Cove, opened more than 100 years ago. Most of the historic buildings were added in the 1930s and 1940s.
United States Naval Academy in Annapolis was established in 1845 to train officers. Many buildings are in late French Renaissance style built in the 20th century. The oldest existing buildings, the Waiting Room and Guard House, are near the Maryland Avenue gate.
The Upton Scott House, on Shipwright Street, was the Annapolis home of Dr. Upton Scott, the physician of a Colonial governor. Scott was mayor of Annapolis from 1767 to 1768.
Whitehall, on Whitehall Road in Skidmore, was the Colonial retreat of Gov. Horatio Sharpe, who lived there from 1769 until he returned to England in 1773.
Wiley H. Bates High School, on Smithville Street in Annapolis, replaced the Stanton School as the sole secondary school for African-American students in the county from 1932 until desegregation in 1966. The complex was used until 1981.
Woodwardville Historic District, on Patuxent Road in Odenton, is a rural community with 16 historic buildings that developed with the construction of the Baltimore and Potomac Railroad in the 19th century.
Source: Maryland Historical Trust