Maryland

A

1

Higher Education

Maryland’s oldest-existing institution of higher learning and the first college that was established is Washington College. It was established at Chestertown in 1782 and named for George Washington, who headed the list of contributors and served on the governing board. St. John's College in Annapolis, chartered two years later, included the old King William’s School. The college is now known for its nonelective academic program that stresses the study of great works. The renowned Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore was opened in 1876. Among the other noted private colleges are Goucher College in Towson, Hood College in Frederick, and Loyola College in Maryland in Baltimore.

The University of Maryland, College Park is the largest institution of higher learning in Maryland and the flagship of the state-administered University System of Maryland. In addition, there are state colleges and universities in Baltimore, Bowie, Frostburg, Saint Mary’s City, Salisbury, and Towson. Morgan State University in Baltimore has a tradition of serving the black community. All of the Maryland public four-year colleges and universities, except St. Mary’s College of Maryland and Morgan State University, are now part of the University System of Maryland. Annapolis is the home of the United States Naval Academy. Among the various schools of art in the region is the renowned Maryland Institute, College of Art, in Baltimore. In 2004–2005 Maryland had 30 public and 27 private institutions of higher learning.

B

Libraries

Maryland is served by numerous public libraries, including the outstanding Enoch Pratt Free Library in Baltimore, the leading public library in the state. The libraries are operated by 24 tax-supported library systems, which annually circulate an average of 9.4 books per resident, one of the highest rates in the country. Bookmobiles serve residents in some rural areas. The Maryland State Library in Annapolis, founded in 1827, houses numerous collections of special and general interest. The largest university library in the state is that of Johns Hopkins University. Documents relating to the history of Maryland are housed in the library of the Maryland Historical Society, in Baltimore; in the State Hall of Records, in Annapolis; and in a number of other libraries. Among the noted special collections in the state are the National Library of Medicine, part of the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, the National Agriculture Library, in Beltsville, and the music library at the Peabody Conservatory of Music. In the U.S. Naval Academy’s library are many works dealing with military and naval subjects. Morgan State University library houses a special collection of black writings and documents relating to black history. The Medical and Chirurgical Faculty Library in Baltimore is outstanding in the fields of medicine and surgery.

C

Museums

Most of the noted museums in Maryland are situated in Baltimore. Among them are several fine-arts museums, including the Baltimore Museum of Art and the Walters Art Gallery. The chief historical museum in Maryland is maintained in Baltimore by the Maryland Historical Society. Hagerstown is the seat of the Washington County Museum of Fine Arts. In Saint Michaels is Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum. The U.S. Naval Academy Museum, in Annapolis, houses items relating to naval history.

---

---

D

Communications

There were 13 daily newspapers published in Maryland in 2002. The first newspaper issued in the state was the Maryland Gazette, established at Annapolis in 1727. A second Maryland Gazette, also published at Annapolis, was founded in 1745. The first newspaper in Baltimore, the Maryland Journal and Baltimore Advertiser, began operations in 1773. In the early decades of the 19th century, Niles’ Weekly Register, published in Baltimore by Hezekiah Niles, was one of the most influential papers in the United States.

Baltimore is the home of the state’s leading daily, the Sun. The Sun dates from 1837. The noted editor and critic H. L. Mencken was associated with the newspaper from 1906 to 1941. Other major Maryland dailies include the Salisbury Daily Times, the Hagerstown Daily Mail and Morning Herald, the Cumberland Times-News, and the Annapolis Capital.

The first radio stations in Maryland, WCAO and WFBR, began broadcasting in Baltimore in 1922. WMAR-TV, the first television station in the state, began operations in 1947 in Baltimore. In 2002 Maryland had 39 AM and 60 FM radio stations and 16 television stations.

E

Music and Theater

Early in the 19th century, Baltimore became a leading U.S. theater center, and theatrical activity there flourished for more than 100 years. During the last half of the 19th century, Baltimore also developed as an outstanding music center. The Peabody Conservatory of Music opened in 1868 as the Academy of Music. After 1874 it became the center of musical activity in Maryland, and is now a division of the Peabody Institute of Johns Hopkins University.

Concert and opera seasons are offered by the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, the Baltimore Opera Company, and the Peabody. The Morris A. Mechanic Theater in Baltimore lends itself to a wide variety of productions. Touring professional theater companies appear regularly in Baltimore, and there are several summer theaters and a growing number of little-theater groups in the state. The Vagabond Players of Baltimore is one of the oldest continuously operated “little theaters” in the United States. Major performing arts centers include the Ballet Theatre of Annapolis, Center Stage in Baltimore, and the Olney Theatre Center for the Arts in Olney.

	More from Encarta
	•  Presidential Myths Quiz •  Coffee break: Recharge your brain