On October 4, 2013, the construction workers made an
exciting discovery in the chimney of the Old Senate Chamber. Lodged between the
bricks was an old piece of paper that turned out to be a union card from the
Bricklayer's Union of Maryland #5 dated April 1904. On the back of the card was a handwritten note that said, "Built by C. H. Obery Jr., Jos. Holland, July 29, 1906."
This card is almost certainly a remnant of the 1905
renovations of the State House under architects Baldwin and Pennington, which
notably included the addition of the New Annex. The State House Building Commission also worked on the restoration of the Old Senate Chamber. Among the extensive
renovations to take place in the chamber in 1905, the fireplace, which had been torn out in 1858, was
rebuilt.
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| Workers uncovered a piece of paper in the chimney breast of the Old Senate Chamber, 4 October 2013. |
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| Vicki Lee, Senior Conservator of the Maryland State Archives, inspects the union card in the chimney breast, 4 October 2013. |
