March 19, 2024
Annapolis, US 35 F

Annapolis by Candelight tours this weekend

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candelightOn Friday, November 6 and Saturday, November 7 from 5:00 – 9:00 p.m., guests will be granted exclusive access to privately owned homes at the 24th annual Historic Annapolis Candlelight Tour.  

Tickets are $35. Tickets may be reserved online at www.annapolis.org, or purchased the evenings of the tour at the William Paca House and Garden at 186 Prince George Street. Proceeds from the Candlelight Tour support the preservation and education programs of Historic Annapolis.

Homes on this year’s tour, located throughout the Murray Hill neighborhood, demonstrate different architecture from the late 1800s to present day.

The ten sites on this year’s tour represent architectural styles from the past 300 years and are located along five streets that reflect Annapolis’s long history.

Charles Street was laid out in accordance with Governor Francis Nicholson’s 1695 plan for Annapolis.  Prince George Street was named for Prince George of Denmark, husband of Princess (later Queen) Anne, the English royal for whom Maryland’s capital city was named.  Another Nicholson-planned road called Northeast Street was renamed Maryland Avenue in 1871.  Known today as Pinkney Street, the narrow way between Market Space and East Street was called Carroll’s Alley or Slicer’s Alley in the 19th century.  Randall Street was extended from Prince George Street to King George Street in 1879.

Tour to feature some of Annapolis’s oldest houses

Jonas and Anne Catharine Green House

The one and a half story, gambrel-roofed frame structure with brick end walls was constructed in the second quarter of the 18th century as a rental property for the printer; Jonas Green. The building’s interior retains a high degree of integrity with most of its eighteenth century trim surviving intact. At one time the property contained the freestanding print shop of Jonas Green, printer of the Maryland Gazette.  Jonas’s wife, Anne Catharine continued the printing business after his death in 1767 until her death in March of 1775.  Anne Catharine Green was named public printer of Maryland and she was the first woman in America to edit a newspaper. She was so successful—and such a good businesswoman—that she was able to retire the family’s debt and purchase this house, something her husband had never been able to do

 Shiplap House

This house, built around 1715, is one of the oldest surviving buildings in Annapolis. Its first occupant ran a tavern here. Later, it was the home of merchants and artisans. The noted artist Frank Mayer lived here from 1877-1901. In disrepair when purchased in 1957 by Historic Annapolis, it was restored over many years. This building now houses corporate offices and is not normally open to the public

Sands House

The Sands House stands as one of the oldest fram houses in Annapolis.  Dendrochronology – the science of dating building timbers by studying their growth rings – indicates a construction date perhaps as early as 1681, but other architectural clues suggest the house was built about 1739. The house takes its name from John Sands, a mariner and sail maker, who bought the house in 1771 and ran it as a tavern. 

Tilton House

Built c. 1760, the Tilton House was built for Thomas Ruland as a rental property.  In 1845 it was the site of the first meeting of the Naval Academy faculty.  The home actually takes its name from later residents, Richard Lockerman and Josephine and Edward McLane Tilton. Edward Tilton was a noted explorer who-accompanied Admiral Perry to Japan.

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