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Start your exploration of Annapolis: Museum Without Walls™
at the Museum of Historic Annapolis.
Hotbed of the Revolution! Catalyst for Civil Rights! Home of the U.S. Naval Academy! Heart of the Chesapeake!
Annapolis is all these things – and more. Visit the Museum of Historic Annapolis and explore three floors of exhibitions and stories in our historic building at 99 Main Street. Annapolis: An American Story is the perfect first stop where you can begin your discovery of Annapolis, A Museum Without Walls™.
Annapolis: An American Story shares dramatic stories of Annapolis and its diverse people – revolutionaries, visionaries, and champions in our nation’s continuing quest for liberty and justice – who helped to shape our American story across more than 400 years.
This chronological overview of the history of Annapolis includes an inspiring film, colorful exhibits, and an amazing collection of objects. Plus, you can enhance your experience and learn even more at our 10 partner sites, all located within a short walk from the museum. There is so much to see and do – you will want to return again and again to experience it all!
Museum of Historic Annapolis
99 Main Street
Annapolis, MD 21401
410.990.4754
Click Here to Book Your Admission
Winter Hours (January 1 – March/Maryland Day Weekend):
Friday – Sunday: 11 am – 3 pm
Closed Monday through Thursday
Summer Hours (April/Maryland Day Weekend – August 31):
Thursday – Monday: 10 am – 4 pm
Closed Tuesday & Wednesday
Fall Hours (September 1 – October 31):
Friday – Monday: 10 am – 4 pm
Closed Tuesday through Thursday
Holiday Hours (November 1 – December 31):
Friday – Monday: 11 am – 3 pm
Closed Tuesday through Thursday
Click Here to Book Your Admission
Admission Fees:
General Admission (ages 8 and up) – $7
Children (7 and under) – Free
Historic Annapolis Members – Free
SNAP/WIC* – Free
The Museum is a self-guided experience.
*Historic Annapolis is a proud partner in the Museums for All program, which provides free admission to those receiving food assistance (SNAP benefits). Provide proof of assistance with SNAP EBT or WIC and your Photo ID to receive free admission for up to 4 people at this site.
The Museum of Historic Annapolis is a Blue Star Museum, offering free admission to the nation’s active-duty military personnel and their families, including National Guard and Reserve. The 2023 Blue Star Museums program begins on Armed Forces Day, Saturday, May 20, 2023 and ends on Labor Day, Monday, September 4, 2023.
Historic Annapolis is also proud to partner with the Anne Arundel County Public Library. Through their Library of Things program, library card holders can check out a group pass that provides admission for four (4) to the Museum of Historic Annapolis and the William Paca House and Garden. Please click here for more information.
Museum of Historic Annapolis
99 Main Street
Annapolis, MD 21401
410.990.4754
The Museum of Historic Annapolis is conveniently located near City Dock in the downtown Colonial Annapolis Historic District. It is just steps away from a variety of restaurants and shops, and other interesting sites and museums.
Accessibility
The Museum of Historic Annapolis is fully accessible. An elevator is available to access all three floors of the building.
Parking
Public parking is not available at the Museum of Historic Annapolis. Annapolis offers an abundance of parking and transportation options. Visit annapolisparking.com for the most up-to-date information on parking in downtown Annapolis.
Street parking surrounding the Museum of Historic Annapolis is limited to two-hour (or less) paid parking for guests. Please note that street parking may be metered or may require the use of the Parkmobile app.
Directions
Several parking garages are just a short walk from the Museum of Historic Annapolis. Click here for walking directions from nearby parking garages.
The Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Annapolis Activism
This exhibit celebrates the 60th anniversary of the Act’s passage and its impact on the Annapolis community.
The Act was a landmark victory that prohibits unequal treatment based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. It ended segregation and paved the way for new debates and legislation to afford the nation’s founding promises of equality and justice to all its citizens. Our exhibit shares some local stories of Annapolitans as they led the way in the breaking down of barriers following the passage of the 1964 Civil Rights Act.
Visitors can also expand their knowledge of the Civil Rights Movement by checking out our specially-curated Book List. All of these resources can be found at the Anne Arundel County Public Library!
Visit the nearby museums and historic sites that share in the telling of our American story.
The Mitchell Gallery at St. John’s College
Waterfront Warehouse
James Brice House
In the early morning hours of January 21, 1790, a fire broke out in Richard Fleming’s bakehouse on what is now the corner of Main and Green streets. The fire destroyed most of the buildings along the waterfront block.
Frederick Grammar built the brick building now standing at 99 Main Street soon after the fire, and Lewis Neth moved his store to the new structure in late 1791. By 1798, a small brick kitchen stood behind the larger building. In the late 19th century, the kitchen was converted into a dwelling oriented to Green Street, and part of the Main Street store was modified for residential use. In 1908, Moses Rolnick bought the two buildings separately, then ten years later they were sold together to Louis and Pauline Bloom.
In the 1950s, a structural wall was accidentally demolished at 99 Main Street, and the city ordered that the building be razed. A group of Historic Annapolis board members formed Port of Annapolis, Inc. to purchase the property and finance its restoration and adaptive reuse. Restoration was completed in 1960, and the site opened as the Sports and Specialties Shop. In 1970, it became the location of the Sign o’ the Whale.
Preservation of this prominent dockside property marked the beginning of the restoration of the Annapolis waterfront.
The latest phase in the life of this historic building began with a 2004-06 project to transform it into a preservation and education center named in honor of St. Clair Wright, a founder and longtime leader of Historic Annapolis.
Crews removed much of the 1950s building material, being careful to preserve the older structural fabric. Modern electrical, HVAC, plumbing, water, fire detection and suppression, telecommunications, and data systems were installed to equip the 18th-century building for 21st-century visitors. An elevator tower was built against 196 Green Street to provide access to all floors of both buildings without compromising the site’s street-side facades.
Today, the building at 99 Main Street is home to the Museum of Historic Annapolis and Annapolis: An American Story. This new cultural experience offers a chronological look at over 400 years of Annapolis history.
Group tours and field trips at any Historic Annapolis site can be arranged by appointment with advance notice.
To book, please contact us at grouptours@annapolis.org or call 410.990.4514.
Historic Annapolis acknowledges the generous support of its Board of Trustees, individual and corporate donors, and grantors in funding the 2020 restoration of this historic building and the development and installation of the exhibition Annapolis: An American Story.
This project was made possible in part by:
This project has been financed in part with State Funds from the Maryland Heritage Areas Authority, an instrumentality of the State of Maryland. However, the project contents or opinions do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the Maryland Heritage Areas Authority.