Shiplap House, Annapolis

Shiplap House is a small wooden building from the early eighteenth century and one of the oldest surviving frame houses in the area. It was likely built around 1715, when the nearby harbor was active with trade on the Chesapeake Bay. The building later operated as a tavern where sailors, merchants, and residents gathered. Today it serves as the headquarters of the Historic Annapolis Foundation, which works to protect historic buildings and share local history.

The house gets its name from its exterior walls, which are covered with horizontal wooden boards called shiplap. Each board overlaps the next to protect the building from wind and rain, a method also used in shipbuilding. The structure is small and narrow, with a steep roof and a simple layout typical of early colonial homes.

Inside, the rooms were arranged for everyday activities such as cooking, resting, and meeting visitors. When the building worked as a tavern, these spaces were used by travelers and workers connected with shipping and trade. The structure still shows the size and style of a practical early eighteenth-century building.