Maryland
Art, History & Archaeology Sites & Museums

One of the original 13 colonies that broke from British rule to form the United States, Maryland formally became a state in 1788. At the time of European contact, its inhabitants were predominantly Algonquian-speakers, with English settlements appearing along the coast in the 17th century, including one designed for English Roman Catholics escaping persecution. The name “Maryland” was subsequently adopted in reference to Henrietta Maria, the wife of King Charles I. The state’s northern border became the Mason-Dixon Line and was widely regarded as the border between the northern and southern states, with Maryland becoming a contested zone in the American Civil War, occupied largely by Union forces but also facing several Confederate attacks.