The Maryland Mosaic: 150+ National Firsts that Happened in Maryland: the Old Treasury Building.
Submitted by Mary Blair and Burt Kummerow
News from the Maryland Mosaic
The 250th anniversary year is upon us, and we will be featuring Maryland Mosaic partners during the year. The Maryland Mosaic is a collection of 150 historic Maryland “Firsts,” not only in our state but also in the entire nation. These Firsts are associated with institutions or groups that will be telling their stories in 2026. You can find out much more about the Mosaic here: www.marylandmosaic.org.
Mosaic Firsts on State Circle
We begin 2026 with news from the nerve center of Maryland Government. Our partners at the Maryland State Archives are responsible through the State House Trust for the preservation and interpretation of the history in and around the oldest state capitol in continuous legislative use in the United States. Explore more here: maryland400.org/2024/02/28/ratification-day-in-annapolis-ends-the-revolutionary-war.
There are many unique and impressive exhibits inside the Maryland State House, but we call attention to a little brick building on the grounds that will soon open to the public after being closed for over half a century The Old Treasury Building is in fact the oldest public building in Maryland. It was completed in 1737 to hold the colony’s treasury for the commissioners who issued bills of credit. The exhibits inside will tell the story of Maryland’s colonial economy as well exploring how the capital moved from St. Mary’s City to Annapolis. Changing the capital’s site away from Southern Maryland was a major shift in our politics and the Old Treasury Building is the perfect spot for visitors to experience history in the making.
You can hear about the creation of the new exhibits and the Old Treasury Building’s role in the early history of Maryland without making a trip to Annapolis. It will be featured on Baltimore’s Enoch Pratt Free Library’s “Lunch and Learn” Lecture Series on Thursday, January 8 at 1 pm. Learn more about the program here: https://calendar.prattlibrary.org/event/lunch-learn-Unlocking-the-Vault.
We will feature other important Firsts and their supporting institutions all this year. If you are a Mosaic Partner and are featuring your first, please send information about your anniversary programming to the Maryland Mosaic at info@maryland400.org and Mary Zell Galen of Maryland Two Fifty at maryzell.galen@maryland.gov.
This 1789 drawing by Charles Willson Peale shows the Treasury Building to the far right of the recently completed Statehouse.