What the heck kind of Frankenstein monstrosity is this? So, I had to do some soul-searching to figure out how to photograph the Wicomico County Courthouse. Trees obscured the older entrances (Future Arborists of America take note!), but the other, actual main entrance ... ... was nestled between the mechanical equipment! Which was part of … Continue reading 794. Salisbury, Wicomico County (MD14) →

Dorchester County turned out to be an experiment in mistaken choices. My first thought was to go to the county courthouse, but I accidentally went instead to the district courthouse. What's the difference? To be perfectly honest, I'm not entirely sure. I had always assumed that the county courthouse was the courthouse for county matters, … Continue reading 793. Cambridge, Dorchester County (MD13) →

Now, I really need someone who knows something about architecture to answer a question for me: how can a building completed in 1795 (yes, there have been changes and additions over the years, but still) be Colonial Revival? Isn't that about two months after what one might consider colonial times? OK, fine, I concede that … Continue reading 792. Easton, Talbot County (MD12) →

Denton had another nice colonial-style courthouse, this one being Georgian Revival and completed in 1896. It occurred to me as I walked the brick path toward it that I should probably stop thinking of everything as "colonial"-this and "colonial"-that since almost everywhere for the rest of the trip would likely qualify as colonial, but something … Continue reading 791. Denton, Caroline County (MD11) →

The courthouse in Centreville looked about as classic as it gets. However, as previously established, what do I know? But yes, it turned out to be a true Georgian courthouse, finished in 1796. As fate would have it, this is actually the old county courthouse, and the actual courthouse is on the next block over. … Continue reading 790. Centreville, Queen Anne’s County (MD10) →

It's always nice to see a county courthouse get some love, especially considering how old they can often be. In hindsight, it also reminds me of how little I actually know about architecture in general and courthouses specifically. The Anne Arundel County Courthouse is the third oldest courthouse in Maryland, built in a Georgian Revival … Continue reading 789. Annapolis, Anne Arundel County (MD09) →

I was starting to like this entire trend in courthouses. The whole colonial revival thing was working out nicely as far as I was concerned, and Prince George's County continued that nice feeling. It was not very different from La Plata or Prince Frederick had been, but that wasn't the important thing. What mattered was … Continue reading 788. Upper Marlboro, Prince George’s County (MD08) →

The courthouse was, I thought at the time, another lovely colonial example like back in La Plata, so Georgian with just a hint of neoclassicism that would be all the rage in public building construction.  Except it wasn't. It was built in 1915. I sometimes forget that, having never read any serious books on the … Continue reading 787. Prince Frederick, Calvert County (MD07) →

We began the morning in La Plata a little bit tired but rearing to go. We had a lot on our agenda for the day, and we were ready to get rolling. Alright, some people were a little more ready to go than others. Even I was dragging a bit, not being adjusted to eastern … Continue reading 786. La Plata, Charles County (MD06) →

Technically, I probably should have gone to the office of the mayor or the Office of the City Administrator to fulfill my need to visit the administrative center of a county equivalent. However, considering that the city is funded by federal budget items, I think a strong argument can be made that the city's political … Continue reading 785. Washington, D.C. (DC1) →