![[photo, State House (from Maryland Ave.), Annapolis, Maryland]](/msa/mdmanual/25ind/images/statehouse/i001833b.jpg)
ANNAPOLISLocated on the Severn River in Anne Arundel County, Annapolis is not only the center of Maryland government but also home to the U.S. Naval Academy, and St. John's College whose curriculum is based upon the study of the classics.
State House (from Maryland Ave.), Annapolis, Maryland, 1998. Photo by James Hefelfinger (Hefelfinger Collection, MSA SC 1885-763-2, Maryland State Archives).
![[photo, McDowell Hall, St. John's College, Annapolis, Maryland]](/msa/mdmanual/01glance/images/1198-1-1080.jpg)
From the founding of Maryland in 1634, however, St. Mary's City became the first seat of Maryland's colonial government. (In southern Maryland, Historic St. Mary's City can be visited today in St. Mary's County.) Nonetheless, in 1694, the General Assembly designated Anne Arundel Town as the new capital and, in February 1694/5, the government moved there.
McDowell Hall, St. John's College, Annapolis, Maryland, April 2005. Photo by Diane F. Evartt.
![[photo, Naval Academy grounds, Annapolis, Maryland]](/msa/mdmanual/37mun/annapolis/images/i004554b.jpg)
After Queen Mary's death in December 1694, Anne Arundel Town was renamed Annapolis for her sister, the heiress apparent, Princess Anne. As Queen Anne (1665-1714) of England, Scotland, and Ireland, Anne ascended the throne in 1702. In 1707, she became Queen of Great Britain and Ireland, which she ruled until her death in 1714.
Naval Academy grounds, Annapolis, Maryland, May 2000. Photo by Diane F. Evartt.
© Copyright July 06, 2007 Maryland State Archives