History of Annapolis Maryland & Anne Arundel County

Description

Early History of
Annapolis Maryland,
United States Naval Academy
& Anne Arundel County
NEW
123-
PAGE
ILLUSTRATED BOOK
Excerpts from four vintage publications shed light on the early years of the Annapolis MD area, including the US Naval Academy, in this
New
123-page
booklet. The pages are printed on 8 1/2" x 11" paper. The three-color front cover is an 80# card stock.
The primary source is:
Annapolis: Its Colonial and Naval Story
by Walter B. Norris (1925). This colorful and informative little book has been reproduced almost in its entirety. Other sources include:
The First Parishes of the Province of Maryland
(1942),
Tidewater Maryland
by Paul Wilstach (1931) and
Maryland, a Guide to the Old Line State
, a WPA publication, (1940).
Some of the chapter titles in the Norris book are:
"A Puritan Settlement in a Catholic Colony", "Revolution of 1688...", "Clubs, Theaters and Literature", "Some Tory Families...", "Three Signers of the Declaration of Independence...", "Stamp Act Riots and the Peggy Stewart Tea Party", "Lafayette and Rochambeau in Annapolis", "Washington Visits Annapolis", "Fort Severn Becomes the Naval Academy", "The Civil War and Ben Butler Reach Annapolis", and "Since the Civil War".
The churches covered in the second excerpt include St. James Parish at Tracy's Landing, All Hallows' Parish, Westminster Parish and St. Anne's Parish in Annapolis. The Wilstach book vividly describes early times in Annapolis, recalling gala dinners, racing seasons, theatrical events, club functions, etc. The WPA portion includes a map with points of interest, along with a liberal portion of historical fact and trivia.
Here's a brief excerpt:
The ball dress of a lady of the time in Annapolis...was a masterpiece which required expert assistance in donning and made the wearer able to dance only the slow, stately steps of the minuet. On her head was a pyramid of hair, surmounted by a turban or a great feather head dress, while jewelled stomachers and tightly laced stays contained her waist and encouraged fainting. The dresses had trains of taffeta fifteen yards in length, and turning was possible only with the assistance of a maid.
Wouldn't this make a unique gift?