Our Land
 

The basis of land holdings in Maryland is the original patents granted to the settlers and early colonists. The Archives holds many of these original land patents from the earliest days of the colony. It is also scanning and making available electronically the most recent land records that are so important to people's ownership of their property. 

Maryland is sometimes called America in Miniature, and the Archives' collections of historical photographs document the enourmous variations in the geogrpahy of the state, from the Chesapeake Bay in the east to the mountains in the west. These photographs also show how the state and its people have changed over time. Historical maps in the Archives' collections are also vital to understanding how our land, and peoples' perceptions of it, have changed.