William Paca House

Historical narrative

The William Paca House and Garden is one of Annapolis’s finest surviving examples of 18th-century Georgian architecture. Built between 1763 and 1765 for William Paca, a signer of the Declaration of Independence and Maryland’s third governor, the house was designed as an elegant five-part Georgian mansion overlooking a two-acre pleasure garden. After Paca sold the property in 1780, it passed through several owners and eventually became part of Carvel Hall Hotel. In the 1960s, the house was threatened with demolition, but preservationists rescued it and restored both the house and garden. Today, visitors are drawn to its beautifully furnished rooms, fascinating Revolutionary-era history, and especially the tranquil terraced garden, with its formal parterres, pond, bridge, and charming summerhouse.

Oil

© Stephen B. Hales — All Rights Reserved