Geology
200 million years ago
65 million years ago 200 million years ago, the American Continent split from Africa, giving birth to the North American eastern seaboard. Through water and wind erosion, many ancient rivers joined to the east to create the Chesapeake Bay. 65 million years ago, a six mile wide asteroid hit the Yucatan Peninsula, killing dinosaurs and vegetation and leaving a layer of ash that was heavy in iridium all over the world. The Chesapeake area was also affected by this impact as much of the plants and animals at that time died. By 30 million years ago, a two mile wide asteroid hit. This time it was in the Chesapeake area and hit at around 70,000-100,000 mph. The impact caused tsunamis, buried layers of sediment, and created fault lines.
20 million years ago
Around this time, the Yorktown Sea begins, and the area of Baltimore was under water. Sea levels rose and fell about three times during the next few million years. By 18 thousand years ago, glaciers are covering North America, bringing the sea level down 400 ft. As the glaciers receded, the land was exposed and the melted water created Baltimore's main rivers.
Baltimore's main river, the Patapsco River, meets the water from the Johns Falls River and Inner Harbor at Whetstone Point before emptying into the Chesapeake Bay, making the area mostly marsh and woodlands, thick with clay and oysters.
Map of the Patapsco River
Settlement
As far as we know, the first humans to inhabit the area of Baltimore were the Piscataway tribe, which was part of a larger culture called the Potomac Creek complex.
In 1608, Captain John Smith, the same one who helped found Jamestown, became the first European to explore the area. In it, he first described "a red bank of clay, flanking the natural harbor basin". The Piscataway chief granted the Europeans permission to settle on the land. Baltimore became part of the colony of Maryland in 1632 and Baltimore County was established in 1659.
Throughout the late 1600s and early 1700s, its local pioneers settled throughout the area and the town of Baltimore was established in 1729. It was around this time that much of the marshland was drained, and some of the monumental architecture was raised.
In December 1773, in the heat of the American Revolution, the Second Continental Congress fled the makeshift Capital in Pennsylvania, and held secret sessions at Baltimore for a few months. To protect the harbor, a fort was built on Whetstone point. Before they knew it, the Declaration of Independence and Treaty of Paris had turned Maryland into a State.
The Revolutionary War wasn't cheap, and because the new Country was broke, many veterans of the war had not gotten paid. By 1783, Congress had to flee to New Jersey after groups of veterans seized Independence Hall. Having no jurisdiction in Pennsylvania, lead to Article One, Section 8, to be included in the new United States Constitution:
"To exercise exclusive Legislation in all Cases whatsoever, over such District (not exceeding ten Miles square) as may, by Cession of Particular States, and the Acceptance of Congress, become the Seat of the Government of the United States, and to exercise like Authority over all Places purchased by the Consent of the Legislature of the State in which the Same shall be, for the Erection of Forts, Magazines, Arsenals, dock-Yards and other needful Buildings"
In 1788, word of the newly ratified Constitution had reached Baltimore, and some 4000 residents decided to throw a huge celebration that night on that "red bank of clay" described by John Smith, which was forever known afterwards as "Federal Hill".
Federal Hill
Birth of a New Capital
About a hundred miles south of Baltimore, on the border between Maryland and Virginia is a marshy bank where the new Capital would lay. The location, across the Potomac from George Washington's home in Mt. Vernon, was chosen and in 1791, George Washington hired Peter Charles L'Enfant to plan out what would become the City of Washington, in the District of Columbia.
The problem was that L'Enfant got too attached to his work and alienated himself. Washington, as the first President of the United States, fired him and hired Andrew Ellicott to complete the job, which he did.
Original Plan for the city of Washington contains only two buildings. The Executive Mansion would be the building to the center left, and the Capitol Building would be the building to the center right.
In Washington, construction of the Presidential mansion began in 1792. On September of 1793, George Washington helped to lay the cornerstone of the U.S. Capitol Building, which was located on top of what was then known as Jenkin's hill. The Executive mansion would end up costing $232,000 to complete and the Capital building would cost about $2,400,000. It would take years for both buildings to be built. In 1797, George Washington left the Presidency and John Adams took over.
Back in Baltimore, beginning in 1798, Fort Whetstone was redesigned, rebuilt, and renamed Fort McHenry, named after George Washington's last Secretary of War, and John Adam's first. Everything stops on December 14, 1799, because that day marks the death of George Washington at age 67. Baltimore continued to boom in trade and population and by 1800, it was one of the largest cities in America.
Ft. McHenry
In Washington, November of 1800, both houses of Congress began meeting at the unfinished Capital Building. Meanwhile, John and Abigail Adams first moved into the Executive mansion. John wrote the following prayer to Abigail in a letter:
"I pray Heaven to bestow the best of blessings on this House, and all that shall hereafter inhabit it. May none but honest and wise men ever rule under this roof." (Sadly, not been the case)
U.S. Capitol in 1800
On top of Jenkin's, now Capitol Hill, was supposed to be two buildings, wings which would later be joined together by a dome. The problem was that they didn't have enough people to complete both buildings in time, so they only focused on northern building, which would house the Senate, the Library of Congress and the Supreme Court. Not having enough time or help to complete the southern building, they instead built a circular structure that they called the "Oven" for the House of Representatives. Funds for the building were allocated in 1803 and the Oven was torn down in 1804. Construction on the second wing was completed in 1811.
U.S. Capitol in 1811
Thomas Jefferson occupied the President's house from 1801-1809 and thought that the place was too large. From 1803 - 1812, English sailors begin to impress U.S. Citizens into English Naval service. Beginning a new war over this issue, James Madison would inhabit the mansion from 1809 through the mansion's evacuation in 1814.
Executive mansion in 1814
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