Greetings from Maryland Postcard. Available at Legends’ General Store.

One of the Proprietary Colonies, the English colony of Maryland, was established in 1634 by Cecil Calvert, also known as the second Lord Baltimore.

General George Washington bestowed the name “Old Line State,” associating it with its regular line troops, the Maryland Line, who served courageously in many Revolutionary War battles.

Maryland’s capital is in Annapolis, its state bird is the Baltimore Oriole, and its state flower is the Black-Eyed Susan. Maryland is one of the smallest states by area and one of the most densely populated in the nation.

The State Flag of Maryland contains the family crests of the Calvert and Crossland families. The black-and-gold designs belong to the Calvert family, and the red-and-white designs belong to the Crossland family.

Maryland is the only state in the union with specific guidelines on displaying the flag and what the flag pole should look like. In 1945, the Maryland General Assembly passed a code requiring a gold cross-bottony ornament on any flagpole carrying the state flag.

Ponies on Assateague Island by Robin Baranowski, National Park Service.