WPA Guide to Maryland: The Old Line State

During the 1930s in the United States, the Works Progress Administration developed the Federal Writers Project to support writers and artists while making a national effort to document the countrys shared history and culture.

The American Guide series consists of individual guides to each of the states.

Little-known authorsmany of whom would later become celebrated literary figureswere commissioned to write these important books.

John Steinbeck, Saul Bellow, Zora Neale Hurston, and Ralph Ellison are among the more than 6,000 writers, editors, historians, and researchers who documented this celebration of local histories.

Photographs, drawings, driving tours, detailed descriptions of towns, and rich cultural details exhibit each states unique flavor.The WPA Guide to Maryland has some of the most thorough driving tours in the series.

From the Allegheny Plateau to the Chesapeake Bay and the Atlantic Coast, the guide details Marylands diverse geography.

The essays on the states two major citiesBaltimore and Annapolisare especially engaging.

Known as the Old Line State for its pivotal role in the American Revolution, Marylands rich history is also extensively detailed in the guide.