The Annapolis sky lights up with a drone show on Saturday

The evening sky around the Annapolis City Dock will be illuminated on Saturday, October 19, at 7 p.m. with a drone show coordinated by the Peggy Stewart 250 Committee to commemorate a revolutionary act that became a monumental moment for Maryland’s involvement at the founding of the United States became the States of America. Two heritage groups, the John Paul Jones Chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution and the Peggy Stewart Tea Party Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution, organized this living reenactment of history. The show is free to the public and visually tells the story of what the harbor’s waters looked like when colonists rebelled against British tyranny and taxation, exactly 250 years to the day. Members of Children of the American Revolution will share background information at City Dock.

On October 19, 1774, shipping merchant and British loyalist Anthony Stewart was forced to burn his brig to the waterline after colonists discovered he had paid British taxes on tea smuggled aboard Peggy Stewart and brought to Annapolis. “Vile weed tea” was a major point of contention between Britain and colonial America, culminating in uprisings such as the well-known Boston Tea Party. An angry group of colonists saw the arrival of tea and the payment of taxes imposed by the British as an opportunity to revolt.

“The discontent of an angry mob erupted into a heated scene when Anthony Stewart made the fateful decision to pay taxes on contraband tea from England,” said Scott Devanny, chairman of Peggy Stewart 250. “Although not everyone approved of the threats and violence , it was clear that Maryland colonists wanted independence from the crown.”

The Peggy Stewart 250 Committee publicly commemorates the Annapolis Tea Party, also known as the “Burning of the Brig.” Peggy Stewartas part of America 250 events across the country that will commemorate our nation’s founding over the next few years. The drone show will surround an anchored replica of a colonial-era brig. The brig, a schooner named Sultanais scheduled to arrive from its home port of Chestertown, Maryland to provide a realistic reenactment. The drones will simulate flames around the brig, which will sit in the waters at the confluence of Spa Creek and Ego Alley and should be visible to viewers from Eastport and City Dock. The location of the drone show is near the now sunken Peggy Stewart which lies beneath Luce Hall at the Naval Academy.

Formed in early 2023, the Committee of Two Ancestry Associations began an effort to bring an engaging commemorative event to Annapolis to share local history with residents and visitors. The committee works to educate, preserve history and promote patriotism. Event sponsors include the Hammond-Harwood House and the Eastport Yacht Club. The effort was supported by the Maryland Office of Tourism.

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