---
title: 7 Facts You Never Knew About Maryland
date: 2025-03-25T05:30:00-04:00
author: University of Maryland
canonical_url: "https://today.umd.edu/7-facts-you-never-knew-about-maryland"
section: Articles
---
# 7 Facts You Never Knew About Maryland

*March 25, 2025* — by [Karen Shih ’09](/author/karen-shih)


> From Washington’s Resignation to Famous Authors and Firefighting Innovations, Learn More About the Old Line State

*Adobe Stock 618750699 1920x1080 — On this Maryland Day, celebrated March 25 each year, learn more about the state's storied history, from its own "tea party" before the Revolutionary War to the famous authors who called Baltimore home.*

Crabs, beer and football. If that’s all you know about Maryland, you’re missing out. Our state has a storied history, from its Indigenous roots to its roles as a Colonial capital and hub for Civil War freedom fighters to its status as a major shipping port.

Brush up on some on trivia this [Maryland Day](https://msa.maryland.gov/msa/mdmanual/01glance/html/mday.html) state holiday (not to be confused with the [university’s open house](https://marylandday.umd.edu/)), nearly 400 years after English settlers from the Ark and the Dove landed in what’s now St. Mary’s in 1634.

Blake Wilder, a senior lecturer of English at the University of Maryland who teaches the course “Literary Maryland” (ENGL142), explains what’s special about our State House, the unexpected way famed abolitionist and orator Frederick Douglass learned to read and how a Baltimore tragedy led to major changes in firefighting.



*colonists burn boat — 1896 painting depicting the burning of the ship by Francis Blackwell Mayer*



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*drawing of state house at Annapolis in 1789 — Lithograph of the Maryland State House*



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*Edgar Allan Poe — 1849 photo of Edgar Allan Poe*



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*Frederick Douglass — 1840s photo of Frederick Douglass*



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*a view of the bombardment of Fort McHenry — 1815 engraving of the bombing of Fort McHenry by John Bower*



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*Frances E.W. Harper — 1893 photo of Frances E.W. Harper*



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*firefighters spray buildings with hoses — Firefighters on Liberty Street during the blaze*



**Sidebar note:**

Eager to learn more about Maryland?

“Literary Maryland” (ENGL142) is a Big Question course offered each spring semester, open to all undergrads. The class features multiple field trips, including to the nearby Riversdale House Museum, Washington, D.C., and Annapolis.





**Topics:** [Campus & Community](https://today.umd.edu/tags/campus-community)


**Tags:** [English](https://today.umd.edu/topic/english), [History](https://today.umd.edu/topic/history)


**Units:** [College of Arts and Humanities](https://today.umd.edu/topic/college-arts-and-humanities)