William Paca House & Garden

186 Prince George St.
Annapolis, MD 21401

(410) 990-4543

This five-part Georgian mansion was built in the 1760s by William Paca, one of Maryland’s four Signers of the Declaration of Independence and the state’s third Governor. Carefully restored by Historic Annapolis beginning in 1965, today it is recognized as one of the finest 18th-century homes in the country and a National Historic Landmark. Guided tours of the house, which features period furnishings and paintings, reveal the inner workings of an upper-class household in colonial and revolutionary Annapolis.

Painstakingly restored to its original splendor using details drawn from historic artwork and archaeological excavations, the two-acre colonial William Paca Garden is a picturesque retreat from the bustle of the city. Visitors can view native and heirloom plants while exploring the terraced landscape’s formal Parterres, naturalistic Wilderness, and practical Kitchen garden. The charming Summerhouse beckons guests to cross the latticework bridge over a fish-shaped pond. The garden frequently hosts weddings, receptions, and other special events.

Virtual Experiences:

The Historic Annapolis Facebook page shares curators secrets with #CuratorsCorner, tours of their gardens with #TodayInTheGarden, and updates from their expert staff with #WorkFromHomeWednesday.

  • Available to Rent
  • Field Trips
  • Guided Tours
  • On-Site Gardens

Hours of Operation

At this time, Hogshead, Waterfront Warehouse, and the James Brice House remain closed to the public. The William Paca House also remains closed for tours.

The William Paca Garden will reopen on April 15.

School Programs

**Educators/Elementary Field Trip

To reserve your field trip with Historic Annapolis please complete our Field Trip Inquiry Form.

Customize your field trip experience with Historic Annapolis! Students will have the opportunity to journey through more than 400 years of diverse history by stepping inside our historic sites. Discover Annapolis’s and Maryland’s role in United States history through storytelling, hands-on activities, and exploration.

Sites Available to Tour:

Museum of Historic Annapolis and Annapolis: An American Story
99 Main Street, Annapolis, MD 21401

The stories of revolutionaries, visionaries, and champions for liberty and equal rights come to life in the Museum through colorful and interactive exhibits highlighting more than 400 years of Annapolis history.  Students discover powerful connections between our diverse community’s history and the larger national story.

William Paca House and Garden
186 Prince George Street, Annapolis, MD 21401

With a trained guide, students travel back in time to Revolutionary-era Maryland in the elegant historic home of William Paca, Signer of the Declaration of Independence and Governor of Maryland. Discover the daily lives of those who lived and labored here as the colonies became a unified nation.

In William Paca’s colonial garden, students investigate how this outdoor space was utilized by the gentry and the enslaved or bound laborers. Students learn about native and heirloom plants while exploring the terraced landscape’s formal parterres, naturalistic wilderness, the fish-shaped pond, and practical kitchen and medicinal gardens.

We Hold These Truths: Maryland’s Signers and the Declaration of Independence
Exhibit at the William Paca House

Learn about the private and political lives of the four Maryland Signers of Declaration of Independence in this exhibit which includes unique personal possessions. Add on to the William Paca House tour for a deeper understanding of political history.

Hogshead and Waterfront Warehouse
43 Pinkney Street and 4 Pinkney Street, Annapolis, MD 21401

Be immersed in the daily life of a working-class family in the 1700s at Hogshead, a truly unique historic site. Students handle everyday household items, compare children’s lives in the past to today, and learn more about the tradespeople of Annapolis. The Waterfront Warehouse spotlights City Dock history over more than 400 years. A large diorama sparks curiosity as it provides students with a birds-eye view of daily view for colonial townspeople engages in intercontinental trade in the late 1700s and 1800s.

FAQs

Field trips are offered for grades pre-K through 12 and can accommodate groups between 10 and 120 participants. Tours are customizable in length, from 30 minutes to a full-day experience, and may be tailored to all age groups and adapted for schools, camps, and extracurricular groups. Your Historic Annapolis visit can be scheduled Monday through Saturday between 9 am and 4 pm.

Tour Options:

  • Tour with HA (45-60 minutes, maximum of 60 attendees)
  • Half Day with HA (2-2.5 hours, maximum of 100 attendees)
  • Day with HA (3.5+ hours, maximum of 120 attendees, includes use of the William Paca Terrace for lunch)

Experiential Add-On Programs (additional fee):

  • Plant A Seed (Grades Pre-K-5) – Plant an heirloom seed and decorate your label to take home.
  • Craft Corner (Grades 2-6): Choose an option for a craft: create a stained-glass window, decorate a John Shaw flag, make a newspaper page.
  • Rules of Civility (Grades 2-8): At age 16, George Washington copied into his notebook all 110 Rules of Civility. Those rules were commonly known and circulated during Washington’s time. Students will read a selection of the Rules of Civility and translate them to modern day speech. They will practice proper etiquette of colonial times with proper greetings, including bowing and curtsying.

Highlighted Standards:

4th Grade –

  • Definitions of Freedom: What causes people to deny freedoms to others? Students will analyze the methods and motivations by which freedom was granted or denied for various groups in Colonial North America.
  • Slavery in Maryland: How did slavery shape Maryland as a colony? Students will analyze the impact of slavery on the development of Maryland.
  • Events Leading to the American Revolution: What causes revolution? Students will analyze causes of the Revolution.

5th Grade –

  • Conflicts and Compromises at the Constitutional Convention: How and why is power distributed in the United States Constitution? Students will examine the distribution of power in the United States Constitution.
  • Conflicts over Slavery and the Civil War: How did conflicts over slavery result in Civil War? Students will identify slavery as the central cause of the Civil War.
  • Contesting, upholding, and redefining freedom, rights and citizenship – Civil Rights: How has government evolved to expand the meaning of “We the People?” Students will evaluate civil rights in Maryland and the United States.

Contact Info:

Email: [email protected], Phone: 410-267-7619, Website: Field Trips – Historic Annapolis

**Educators/Secondary Field Trip

To reserve your field trip with Historic Annapolis please complete our Field Trip Inquiry Form.

Customize your field trip experience with Historic Annapolis!

Students will have the opportunity to journey through more than 400 years of diverse history by stepping inside our historic sites. Discover Annapolis’s and Maryland’s role in United States history through storytelling, hands-on activities, and exploration.

Sites Available to Tour:

Museum of Historic Annapolis and Annapolis: An American Story
99 Main Street, Annapolis, MD 21401

The stories of revolutionaries, visionaries, and champions for liberty and equal rights come to life in the Museum through colorful and interactive exhibits highlighting more than 400 years of Annapolis history.  Students discover powerful connections between our diverse community’s history and the larger national story.

William Paca House and Garden
186 Prince George Street, Annapolis, MD 21401

With a trained guide, students travel back in time to Revolutionary-era Maryland in the elegant historic home of William Paca, Signer of the Declaration of Independence and Governor of Maryland. Discover the daily lives of those who lived and labored here as the colonies became a unified nation.

In William Paca’s colonial garden, students investigate how this outdoor space was utilized by the gentry and the enslaved or bound laborers. Students learn about native and heirloom plants while exploring the terraced landscape’s formal parterres, naturalistic wilderness, the fish-shaped pond, and practical kitchen and medicinal gardens.

We Hold These Truths: Maryland’s Signers and the Declaration of Independence
Exhibit at the William Paca House

Learn about the private and political lives of the four Maryland Signers of Declaration of Independence in this exhibit which includes unique personal possessions. Add on to the William Paca House tour for a deeper understanding of political history.

Hogshead and Waterfront Warehouse
43 Pinkney Street and 4 Pinkney Street, Annapolis, MD 21401

Be immersed in the daily life of a working-class family in the 1700s at Hogshead, a truly unique historic site. Students handle everyday household items, compare children’s lives in the past to today, and learn more about the tradespeople of Annapolis. The Waterfront Warehouse spotlights City Dock history over more than 400 years. A large diorama sparks curiosity as it provides students with a birds-eye view of daily view for colonial townspeople engages in intercontinental trade in the late 1700s and 1800s.

FAQs
Field trips are offered for grades pre-K through 12 and can accommodate groups between 10 and 120 participants.

Tours are customizable in length, from 30 minutes to a full-day experience, and may be tailored to all age groups and adapted for schools, camps, and extracurricular groups. Your Historic Annapolis visit can be scheduled Monday through Saturday between 9 am and 4 pm.

Tour Options:

  • Tour with HA (45-60 minutes, maximum of 60 attendees)
  • Half Day with HA (2-2.5 hours, maximum of 100 attendees)
  • Day with HA (3.5+ hours, maximum of 120 attendees, includes use of the William Paca Terrace for lunch)

Experiential Add-On Programs (additional fee):

  • Create A Government (Grades 8-12): Led by an Historic Annapolis educator, students will work together to write a class Constitution and Bill of Rights.

Highlighted Standards:

8th Grade –

  • The American Revolution: What were the military and social factors that impacted the outcome of the American Revolution? Students will evaluate the relative importance of key factors that led to an American victory in the Revolutionary War.
  • Ratification and the Bill of Rights: How does the Bill of Rights reflect compromise and conflict between the government and its people? Students will analyze how the Bill of Rights resolved the issues over the ratification of the Constitution
  • The Civil War: How does war impact and change society? Students will analyze factors affecting the outcome of the Civil War.

Contact Info:

Email: [email protected], Phone: 410-267-7619, Website: Field Trips – Historic Annapolis

“Footprints: Walking In The Footsteps of History” Afterschool Program

Join Historic Annapolis in this afterschool program and walk in the footsteps of those who lived long ago in Colonial times. Throughout the 6-week program, students examine the concept of ‘history’, specifically the history of those that lived and labored in colonial Annapolis and their lasting impact on our lives today. The program also includes a field trip to the Annapolis historic waterfront, the William Paca House and Garden, and the colonial tradesperson’s home, Hogshead. Students experience colonial trades, learn how children lived and played in the 1700’s, and imagine the type of “footprints” they’ll leave behind.

 

Contact Info:

Phone: 410-267-7619