Maryland Historical Society

Maryland Historical Society Review

More than 200,000 objects serve to celebrate Maryland's history and heritage at this museum. One major attraction is the original manuscript of "The Star-Spangled Banner." The first floor is devoted to an exhibit about Marylanders' pursuit of liberty, with a focus on religious freedom, voting rights, labor, and war. Featured on the second floor are portrait paintings by the Peale family and Joshua Johnson, America's first African-American portrait artist, as well as 18th- and 19th-century Maryland landscape paintings juxtaposed against present-day photographs of the same places. Furniture manufactured and designed in Maryland from the 18th century to the present is on the third floor. There's also a library with 7 million works that relate to the state's history.