Maryland’s First Constitution Topic of Annual Meeting
The Union Mills Homestead Foundation’s annual meeting was held Saturday, November 1, 2025, in the Tannery at the historic site north of Westminster, MD. The event started at 11 a.m. and featured a delicious pancake and sausage brunch.
As the Union Mills Homestead kicked off its commemorations of our Nation’s semiquincentennial, the guest speaker was Dr. Edward C. Papenfuse, Maryland’s retired Maryland State Archivist and Commissioner of Land Patents. For several decades before his retirement, Dr. Papenfuse was responsible for the Maryland Archives’ vast collection of government and private materials. He is the author of numerous articles and books and has extensively researched Maryland’s early history, including the founding era.
Dr. Papenfuse discussed Maryland’s 1776 Constitutional Convention, held in the wake of our Nation’s independence that July, and the role of David Shriver in this key milestone in Maryland history. The presentation provided a fascinating insight into Maryland’s early adoption of guarantees of freedom of religion and freedom of the press, as well as other rights adopted by the State before the federal Bill of Rights. Dr. Papenfuse also discussed politics of the founding era and the Shriver family’s involvement in the head debates of that era.
Dr. Edward C. Papenfuse, retired Maryland State Archivist, speaking at the Homestead Foundation’s annual meeting on the importance of Maryland’s first constitution and the role of David Shriver, Sr. as a member of the state’s 1776 Constitutional Convention.