Maryland is the only state with a motto in Italian. “Fatti Maschii Parole Femine,” loosely translated to “strong deeds, gentle words,” was the motto of the Calvert family who first founded the colony of Maryland.

Maryland was the seventh state admitted to the United States on April 28, 1788. According the U.S. Census Bureau, it has the highest median household income of any state. A major center for life sciences and research, Maryland is the third-largest in this field in the country.

One of its many nicknames, “America in Miniature,” is attributed to its varied topography – from sandy dunes to the east, to low marshlands near the bay, to forest in the Piedmont Region and pine groves in the mountains to the west.

Maryland's history as a border state has led it to exhibit characteristics of both the Northern and Southern regions of the U.S. Generally, rural Western Maryland between the West Virginia Panhandle and Pennsylvania has an Appalachian culture and the Southern and Eastern Shore regions embody a Southern culture, while densely-populated Central Maryland has more in common with the culture of the Northeast.

The digital collections of the Library of Congress contain a wide variety of material associated with Maryland, including manuscripts, broadsides, government documents, books, and maps. A handy guide compiles links to these materials throughout the Library’s website.

The Library’s American Folklife Center has varied materials on the Chesapeake Bay State – a selection of which has been pulled together for further investigation.

All 50 states are represented in the center’s collections and featured in the Folklife in Your State presentation.