Maryland

When I heard Maryland referred to as the Old Line State I thought it was a reference to the Mason-Dixon line, the stone markers that established the border between Maryland and Pennsylvania. But in the first chapter of this From Sea to Shining Sea, Second Series volume, Barbara A. Somervill explains that during the Revolutionary War, General George Washington said Maryland's "troops of the line" were among the finest soldiers in the Continental army. Thus the state came to be called the "Old Line State." But when Somervill asks young readers what else comes to mind when they think of Maryland, the U.S. Naval Academy, Fort McHenry, and Chesapeake Bay will probably come more readily to mind. The geography of Maryland is covered in the second chapter, where the Mid-Atlantic state is divided into three main land regions. This chapter also looks at the lakes, rivers, and very large bay of Maryland, along with the plants and animals (including the blue crabs), and climate. The third chapter is the longest, devoted to Maryland's history from the Mound Builders and early Europeans, through the colonial period and the Revolution, to the War of 1812. Since Maryland is not one of the colonies that you focus on when you study early American history, a lot of what is here will be new information. The Civil War, industrial era, and 20th century are covered in the rest of the chapter. Next there is a brief chapter on Maryland's state government, which briefly looks at the three branches in turn before taking us on a tour of Annapolis, the capital city. A map of the downtown area shows you where the Naval Academy, Bannker-Douglass Museum, and State House are in relationship to each other. The book's final chapter covers arts and sports, as well as working in Maryland. I was anticipating the chapter's recipe would be for crab cakes, but instead it is for Maryland Corn Pudding. The last section of the chapter is devoted to a tour of Maryland from the eastern part on the Atlantic Coast to the Western Shore, Central, and Western Maryland. In the back of the volume there is a Maryland Almanac, which has all sorts of quick facts about the two coats of arms making up the state flag, the major rivers and lakes, and main manufactured products. Next comes a Timeline that contrasts Maryland state and U.S. history, a Gallery of Famous Marylanders including Eubie Blake, Cal Ripken, Jr., and Helen Taussig, and a Glossary of terms from "amendment" to "urban renewal." If a young student needs to go someplace For More Information about Maryland, Somervill provides a list of web sties (e.g., Maryland Kid's Room), books, and addresses. But they should find most of what they need for a school report in these pages. As long as we are in this neck of the wood, our next stop will be Washington, D.C. It might not be a state, but it does have some sights to see.