CHRONOLOGY 119

1696. April 30—Foundation of first State House laid.
1696. King William's School founded at Annapolis.
1699. Rev. Thomas Bray establishes Provincial and Parochial libraries

in the Province.

1702. The English "Toleration Act for Dissenters" was extended to

Maryland.

1704. An Act was passed "To prevent the growth of popery."
1704. The first State House was entirely destroyed by fire.
1706. Relief was granted to the Quakers or Friends.
1706. The second State House was finished. On the north side of it

stood the Armory, which was also the ballroom.
1716. Disfranchisement of Roman Catholics.
1730. Beginning of settlement of Western Maryland by German

immigrants.

1730. Baltimore City laid out.

1755. General Braddock's expedition starts from Maryland.

1756. Fort Frederick built to protect frontier from Indians.

1763. Mason and Dixon's line survey began.

1764. The log meeting-house, called Strawbridge Methodist Chapel, built
in Frederick County, the first Methodist Church in America.

1765. March 22—Passage of Stamp Act.

1766. March 18—Repeal of Stamp Act.

1767. May 13—Duty imposed on tea.
1769. June 22—Maryland Convention met.
1772. The second State House was torn down, and the foundation of
the present State House was laid by Governor Robert Eden.
The dome was added after the Revolution.
1774. The present State House completed.

1774. October 19—Burning of the "Peggy Stewart."

1775. July 26—Formation of "Association of Freemen."

1776. July 3—Maryland declared her independence.

1776. November 10—First State Constitution adopted.

1777. March 21—Thomas Johnson, first State Governor, inaugurated.

1781. March I—Maryland entered the Confederation.

1782. Washington College, Chestertown, incorporated.

1783. November 26—Continental Congress met in Annapolis.

1783. December 23—Washington resigned his military commission to

Congress in old Senate Chamber of Capitol, Annapolis.

1784. Saint John's College, Annapolis, chartered.
1784. January 14—Treaty of Peace with Great Britain ratified.
1784. Christmas conference of Methodist in Lovely Lane, Baltimore.
Francis Ashbury and Thomas Coke made the first Bishops.

1784. Cokesbury College, the first Methodist institution for higher edu-
cation in the world, opened at Abingdon, Harford County.

1785. December II—First steamboat in the United States, invented by
James Rumsey, made trial trip on Potomac river, near
Shepherdstown.

1786. September 11—Convention of six States to inaugurate movement
for a precursor of the Federal Constitutional Convention met
in Annapolis.

1786. The Pope appointed Rev. John Carroll Apostolic Vicar, afterwards
Bishop of Baltimore. He became later the first Archbishop
of the United States.

1788. April 28—Maryland ratified Federal Constitution.

1791. Maryland ceded the District of Columbia to the United States.

1792. September—Rev. Thomas John Claggett consecrated the first
Bishop of the Protestant Episcopal Church in Maryland.

1796. Baltimore City incorporated.
1810. Property qualification for Electors abolished.
1814. September 12—Battle of North Point.