experience in this endeavor in the past. Your prospective donors—you
will find—are quite as interested in what has already been done here to
preserve your architectural heritage by private and public sources, as
they later will be in what you propose to do. Furthermore—and this is
so important—your prospective donors seek public approval and public
appreciation for their contributions; so have you first enlightened your
home folks to the extent that they are genuinely interested in the same
degree that you are?

In this constructive and cultural and educational public pursuit, you
are supported by a most sympathetic and enthusiastic local press. The
daily coverage of these civic developments—and this includes all of the
activities of Historic Annapolis—is as complete as it can possibly be. The
wire services and the state correspondents for the Baltimore and Wash-
ington daily papers seem to sense the ever-present danger to your heri-
tage here, for they are informed on your programs and they are alert to
forward your decisions and your appeals to their editors. In this connec-
tion I retain clearly in my memory the commemorative tercentenary
edition of the Maryland Gazette published in May 1949 upon the 300th
anniversary of Annapolis. This notable special edition of the Gazette
of homeric size and content might well serve as a textbook for the teach-
ing of local history.

Out of this great revival of interest in the illustrious past of Annapolis
came the plan to form a permanent civil organization with the object
to save, preserve and protect every local historic site and structure found
worthy of such preservation. In 1952 this group with a common public
interest became firmly established as Historic Annapolis, Inc. During
the 11 ensuing years since the Annapolis tercentenary event there has
been remarkable progress in the rehabilitation of the old city area here.
Private individuals, business firms, churches, St. John's College, and the
city, state and county governments all have projected and completed
preservations, restorations and reconstructions of their older properties
with architectural or historical merit. These improvements, many of
which conform with the magnificent mid-18th century Georgian pattern
which so distinguishes Annapolis and which is unequaled elsewhere,
have added immense appeal and value not only to the owners, but to the
immediate neighborhood and to the city of Annapolis as well.

Again, I urge you to project for the future upon what has been done
so well in the decade just closed. Your city, county and state governments
are prepared and willing to conform to a program of beautification of
Annapolis which we all strive for and which we hope will eventually
bring back to us the architectural perfection which was achieved here
during the local golden era of the 1760's.

364