history

Maryland’s origin dates back to 1632 when King Charles I granted a charter for the settlement of Maryland to Cecil Calvert, the second Lord Baltimore. Originally, the colony was intended to provide a haven for English Catholics, although the Maryland Toleration Act guaranteed freedom of religion to all Christian denominations. By 1658, the population of the colony had grown from 700 to 5,000, with settlers of British, Dutch, Swedish and German descent. Maryland eventually became one of the original 13 American colonies.