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Literary & Artistic Work
Over the Bridge: A History of Eastport at Annapolis
 

Over the Bridge Over the bridge, across Spa Creek from the urban core of Annapolis, is a community with a rich legacy. It is the land that Louis Heintz called the "little beautiful village of Eastport" when he sailed past it in 1891, and what author William Stevens dismissed as Annapolis's "shabby and unfragrant neighbor" in 1937. In this compelling history, author Ginger Doyel illuminates the people, places, and events that have defined Eastport for over three centuries. She profiles many of its memorable personalities, including beloved waterman Cap'n Herbie Sadler, civic leader and businessman George Davis, and midwife Annie Hanson Christensen. She describes a host of its bygone landmarks, such as the Back Creek Bridge, Richwood Toy Company, and Feldmeyer's Farm. And she chronicles its pivotal (and lesser-known) events, including when it was platted in 1868, named Eastport in 1887, served as the site of Prohibition raids and Ku Klux Klan rallies in the 1920s, became annexed by the City of Annapolis in 1951, and was "rediscovered" in the 1960s by a new group of speculators including Paul Pearson, whose first Eastport development, the Tecumseh, opened in 1968.

Ms. Doyel interviewed over 600 citizens and collected nearly 2,000 photographs as she compiled Over the Bridge from January 2007 through April 2008. The book, which features approximately 700 of these images, is more than a story about what the Evening Capital has often called a "sprightly little village across the Spa." It also puts Eastport's story into a broader historical context, by exploring significant regional trends in work and leisure, industry and development, immigration and race relations, agriculture and maritime culture, politics and population, education, transportation, and more.

Designer: Gerard A. Valerio
Publisher: The Annapolis Maritime Museum
Printer: Whitmore Group (Annapolis, Maryland)
Available: Fall 2008 (second edition Fall 2009)
Details: Hardback, 378 pages with nearly 700 photographs
To order: Please contact the Annapolis Maritime Museum at 410.295.0104 or www.annapolismaritimemuseum.org
ISBN:   0-9817081-0-2

The Annapolitan Club: A Tradition of Hospitality Since 1897
 

The Annapolitan ClubNestled in the heart of Annapolis is a discreet building with a rich legacy: the Annapolitan Club. In this comprehensive history, award-winning author Ginger Doyel offers an unprecedented account of the Club, from its founding in 1897 through 2006.

This book profiles Club members such as Truxtun Beale, the renowned writer, diplomat, and philanthropist who sought out — and shot — a magazine editor for defaming his fiancé in 1902; leading local entrepreneurs and community servants such as F. Marion Lazenby; as well as many Maryland politicians, U.S. Naval Academy superintendents, and St. John's College presidents. It features several of its guests, including the Spanish prisoners of war who visited in 1898. And it chronicles the Club's key events, including when it moved from Main Street to 81 Franklin Street in 1908, burned and was burglarized in the 1930s, and "shattered tradition" by inviting women to its quarters in 1940.

The Annapolitan Club is more than a tale about what the Evening Capital has called "the only masculine retreat left in town". Rather, it paints a broader historical portrait of Annapolis and celebrates many of those who have shaped (and shape) its past and present.

 
Designer: Gerard A. Valerio
Publisher: The Annapolitan Club
Printer: United Book Press (Baltimore, Maryland)
Available: December 2006
Details: Hardback, 224 pages with nearly 200 photographs 
To order: This is a private publication. It is a limited edition of 1,000 copies, which will only be available to members of the Annapolitan Club.

Annapolis: From Past to Present
 

A history column published weekly by The Capital newspaper from November 2002 – November 2004 and monthly, on the second Wednesday of the month, since then. Access past columns at www.hometownannapolis.com.


Annapolis Vignettes
 

Annapolis VignettesAnnapolis Vignettes is a compilation of articles written by Ginger Doyel for her history column, "Annapolis: From Past to Present," published by The Capital since November 2002. It explores the history of the greater Annapolis area, from the late 17th century to the present, through four themes: people, places, St. John's College and the U.S. Naval Academy, and historic preservation. Each of the book's 53 articles, or "vignettes," is accompanied by at least one photograph or original illustration by the author. Sample articles include Peggy Kimbo's reflections on growing up in segregated Annapolis, how the Naval Academy tried (but failed) to seize St. John's College in 1945, and how rats helped to preserve the Hammond Harwood House's history for over two centuries. The book's cover is the illustration that Ms. Doyel created in December 2004 for the City of Annapolis's Annual Holiday Open House invitation. It features Annapolis in December 1904, based on scenes reported by the Evening Capital that month.

 
Publisher: Tidewater Publishers
Available: In Stock
Details: 300 pages, with photographs and original illustrations by the author
To order: Available from The Annapolis Publishing Company website, by calling 800.536.1414, or by writing to the Annapolis Publishing Company at 14 State Circle, Annapolis, MD 21401.

Available from booksellers or Tidewater Publishers. P.O. BOX 456, Centreville, MD 21617 or 800-638-7641.
ISBN 10: 0-87033-571-5
ISBN 13: 978-0-87033-571-6

Gone to Market: The Annapolis Market House, 1698-2005
 

Gone to MarketFor over three centuries, the market house has been among Annapolis's most cherished — and controversial — landmarks. It's been a gathering place, where people of all backgrounds have come to eat, visit with friends, exchange goods, news, and ideas, and yes, even to exercise when part of it was a gym.

Gone to Market chronicles the market's history. However, as the author notes in her Foreword, "the market's story isn't simply a tale about a building." Rather, it offers insight into many of the larger trends that have defined Annapolis (and in some cases, America) since the 17th century — trends in politics, population, preservation, transportation, activism, agriculture, law, land use, women's roles, the cost and pace of living, and race relations.

The book features surprising stories, such as how the market survived the City Council's attempt to demolish it three times in the mid-20th century (to make room for a USO center for "white servicemen," a high-rise commercial building, and a parking lot); it contains never-before-published photographs, including one of Ella Burtis, the City's longtime Market Mistress, who was fired in 1939 because of her gender; and it includes compelling interviews with Annapolitans whose families have "gone to market" for generations. It concludes by describing the ongoing controversy surrounding the market, city officials, and the New York-based gourmet grocer, Dean & DeLuca.

 
Publisher: The City of Annapolis
Available: December 2005
Details: Hardback, 176 pages, over 100 photographs and illustrations
To order: Gone to Market sold out shortly after it was published. Copies may be available through amazon.com, ebay.com, backcreekbooks.com, or by calling 
The Annapolis Collection at 410.280.1414.
ISBN: 0-9771704-0-3


Ginger Doyel has also illustrated the following books:

On Grandpop's Lap, Bodkin Pointe Press, 2004 (www.bodkinpointepress.com)

My Annapolis Adventure: Passport to Discovery, The City of Annapolis, 2003, 2004 and 2005 editions (www.theccm.org)

Gertrude the Albino Frog and Her Friend Rupert the Turtle, Hiccup Cottage Publications, 2003 (www.hiccupcottage.com)

How Charlottesville Got Its Theater Back, The Paramount Theater of Charlottesville, Inc., 2002

Annapolis: The Guidebook, Conduit Press, 1998 and 1999 editions

In addition, Ms. Doyel has illustrated the City of Annapolis's 2004 Holiday Open House invitation and Annapolis Mayor Ellen O. Moyer's 2004 Holiday Gala invitation; created original golf art for over 20 clients, including the PGA Tour, Inc.; and created original art for Historic Annapolis Foundation and the Maryland Commission for Women.

 
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