Qualla: Annapolis: The Sailing Capital Where Congress Once Met

Annapolis: The Sailing Capital Where Congress Once Met: Introduction

Thu, 15 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Acroterion, CC BY-SA 4.0. For nine months in 1783-84, Annapolis was the capital of the United States. The Maryland State House, completed in 1779, is the oldest state capitol in continuous legislative use - and it's where the Continental Congress ratified the Treaty of Paris, officially ending the Revolutionary War, and where George Washington resigned his military commission. That brief moment of national importance passed when the capital moved elsewhere, leaving Annapolis to become what it is now: a remarkably intact colonial seaport, home to the Naval Academy since 1845, and America's sailing capital. The harbor is dense with masts; Wednesday night races fill Chesapeake Bay; sailboat brokerages outnumber car dealers. Annapolis found its identity in water, and has kept it for two centuries.

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Image: Acroterion | CC BY-SA 4.0

Annapolis: The Sailing Capital Where Congress Once Met: The Capital That Was

Thu, 15 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Don Ramey Logan, CC BY 4.0. The Maryland State House occupies the highest point in Annapolis, its wooden dome visible for miles. Built between 1772 and 1779, it hosted the Continental Congress when Annapolis briefly served as the national capital. In the Old Senate Chamber, George Washington appeared on Dec...

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Image: Don Ramey Logan | CC BY 4.0

Annapolis: The Sailing Capital Where Congress Once Met: The Naval Academy

Thu, 15 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Preservation Maryland, CC BY-SA 2.0. The United States Naval Academy was founded in 1845 on a former Army fort at the point where the Severn River meets Chesapeake Bay. The campus - called the Yard - spans 338 acres of waterfront, its Beaux-Arts buildings, anchored by Bancroft Hall (the largest dormitory in the worl...

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Image: Preservation Maryland | CC BY-SA 2.0

Annapolis: The Sailing Capital Where Congress Once Met: Sailing Capital

Thu, 15 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Bonnachoven, CC0. Annapolis claims to be the sailing capital of the United States, and the evidence supports it: more recreational sailboats per capita than any American city, the Eastport neighborhood devoted to the sailing industry, Wednesday night racing drawing hundreds of boats to the bay. Th...

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Image: Bonnachoven | CC0

Annapolis: The Sailing Capital Where Congress Once Met: Colonial Downtown

Thu, 15 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Pubdog (talk), Public domain. Annapolis's historic district contains hundreds of 18th and 19th century buildings, remarkably well-preserved. Main Street drops from the State House to the city dock, lined with brick buildings housing restaurants, shops, and a few remaining ship chandleries. The William Paca Ho...

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Image: Pubdog (talk) | Public domain

Annapolis: The Sailing Capital Where Congress Once Met: Chesapeake Gateway

Thu, 15 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit bigbirdz, CC BY 2.0. Baltimore-Washington International Airport (BWI) lies 25 miles north, the closest commercial airport. Washington D.C. is 30 miles southwest. The town is walkable; parking is the challenge - the colonial streets weren't designed for automobiles. The waterfront restaurants serve Ch...

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Image: bigbirdz | CC BY 2.0