Peggy Stewart House, Annapolis

Peggy Stewart House is a historic brick home built in the early 1760s for Thomas Rutland. A few years later it was purchased by merchant Anthony Stewart. The house later became linked to a protest shortly before the American Revolution, when many colonists opposed British taxes on imported tea under the Tea Act.

In October 1774 the ship Peggy Stewart, owned by Anthony Stewart, arrived carrying taxed tea. Stewart paid the tax so the rest of his cargo, including indentured servants, could be unloaded. This angered many residents who opposed British taxation. A crowd gathered outside his house and set up a gallows as a threat. To calm the situation, Stewart agreed to burn his ship in the harbor on October 19. The event later became known as the “Annapolis Tea Party.”

The house reflects the Georgian architectural style that was common in the eighteenth century. It is a two-and-a-half-story brick building with a balanced five-bay front and a central hallway with rooms on both sides. The current roof shape and a large brick rear wing were added during a remodeling in 1894. The house remains connected with protests that helped lead to the American Revolution.