The State House

• Construction of original section of the State House: 1772-1779
• Architect of original State House: Joseph Horatio Anderson
• Cornerstone of original State House: laid by Governor Robert Eden, March 28, 1772
• Roof replacement and construction of dome by Joseph Clark, Architect: Begun 1785
• Construction of present addition to State House (replacing annexes built in 1858 and 1886): 1902-1905
• Architects of present addition to State House: Baldwin and Pennington of Baltimore

Height:

• Interior of dome, from floor to ceiling: 113'
• Exterior, to the weather vane: 181'
• Oldest state capitol still in continuous legislative use
• Served as U.S. capitol from November 1783 - August 1784 when Continental Congress met in Old Senate Chamber
• Original section: Two storeys
• Present addition: Three storeys

The Dome

• Height, from base to weather vane: 121'
• Diameter at base: 40'
• Construction begun: 1785

Exterior work completed: 1788
Interior work completed: 1797

• Wood used in dome construction: Timber from Maryland's Eastern Shore, supplied by Dashiell family of Cypress Swamp, Somerset County.
• Architect of the dome: Joseph Clark
• Possible model for design of the dome: Schlossturm, the dome of the free-standing tower next to the palace of Karl-Wilhelm, Markgraf of Baden, in Karlsruhe, Germany

The Acorn

• Size: 5' tall, 3'8" in diameter; including pedestal: 9'9" tall
• Material: Original cypress from ca. 1785-1788, covered with copper panels
• Pedestal covered with sheet lead, probably from 1837
• Original colors (from Charles Willson Peale drawing):

Top: gilt
Bottom: green
Pedestal: white

Purpose: To provide stability to the "Franklin" lightning rod which goes through its center. Acorns were common decorative elements in the late 18th century. In the language of the day, "sound as an acorn" meant to be without a flaw, free from imperfection, clearly something the architect of the dome, Joseph Clark, and the General Assembly, intended his creation to be.

Replacement of the Acorn, September 1996: During restoration work on the State House dome, it was discovered that the 208 year-old acorn had become rotten because of water seepage. As it too damaged to be repaired, it was decided to replace it by having 32 craftspeople from around the state make "slices" that would be used to assemble a new acorn. The new acorn was then clad in copper and gilded and painted according to the original drawings of Charles Willson Peale.

The gilding work was done by Bill Adair of Gold Leaf Studios in Washington, D.C. Mr. Adair wrote an article for the Society of Gilders Newsletter about the work that he did on the acorn.

The Lightning Rod

• Size: 28' tall; 2.5" square at maximum thickness
• Material: Original wrought iron
• History: A prime example of lightning rod designed according to the theories of Benjamin Franklin who argued that the most effective protection from lightning was a pointed rod, preferably grounded into a deep well.
• Restoration Work
• The acorn has been replaced by a new one constructed of sections made by 31 Maryland craftspeople from specification supplied by the Department of General Services. The new acorn is made of cypress wood, as was the original. The original lightning rod has been left in place and a metal sleeve placed around it for protection.
• In 1997, the State House Trust and the Department of General Services were awarded the Calvert Prize by the Maryland Historical Trust for their roles in the restoration and preservation of the State House dome.

Work supervised by:

The State House Trust
The Department of General Services
The Maryland Historical Trust of the Department of Housing and Community Development
The Maryland State Archives
Expert consultants:

Orlando Ridout V, Director, Office of Research, Survey and Registration, Maryland Historical Trust
Edward C. Papenfuse, State Archivist, Maryland State Archives
Mimi Calver, Director of Exhibits, Outreach, and Artistic Property
Willie Graham, Curator of Architecture, Colonial Williamsburg Foundation
Michele Williams, Christopher Goodwin Associates
Mark Moore, Armed Forces Radiobiology Research Institute
Susan Buck, SPNEA Conservation Center
Bill Adair, Gold Leaf Studios
Contractor: Fiorini Brothers, Inc.
Architects: Ziger/Snead Architects
Exhibit on State House Restoration prepared by the Exhibit Services Program, Jefferson Patterson Park and Museum, Maryland Historical Trust

 

Prepared by the staff of the Maryland State Archives