ANNAPOLIS — Join Historic Annapolis in welcoming forty new citizens into the American family at a naturalization ceremony on Thursday, July 4, 2013 at 10:00 a.m.
The free event, which has become an Independence Day tradition, will be held on the rear terrace of the William Paca House and Garden, home of a signer of the Declaration of Independence, at 186 Prince George Street in Annapolis. William Paca, Samuel Chase, Charles Carroll of Carrollton, and Thomas Stone were the four Maryland men who signed the historic document in 1776, and all of them lived in Annapolis at different points in their lives.
Robert C. Clark, President and CEO of Historic Annapolis, will host the ceremony. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services officials will administer the Oath of Allegiance to the candidates for citizenship. The NJROTC unit at Annapolis High School will provide the color guard, and the All Children’s Chorus of Annapolis will lead the singing of the national anthem and perform a selection of patriotic songs.
Squire Frederick Taylor, Town Crier of Annapolis, will officially open and close the program. Seating for the outdoor ceremony will be reserved for the new citizens and their invited guests, with limited seating and standing room available for members of the general public.
Following the naturalization ceremony’s conclusion, the William Paca House and Garden will be open free of charge from 11:00 a.m. until 2:30 p.m. Visitors are welcome to enjoy the restored two-acre colonial garden on their own, and guided tours of the home’s first floor will begin every fifteen minutes from 11:00 a.m. to 1:45 p.m. The Historic Annapolis Museum at 99 Main Street and the Museum Store at 77 Main Street will both be open from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on July 4th. The Museum’s new exhibit, “Freedom Bound: Runaways of the Chesapeake,” highlights the stories of nine slaves and servants who attempted to escape from bondage between 1728 and 1864.