This circle holds Annapolis' first church, St. Anne's, founded in 1692. This is the first church in Annapolis: it was founded in 1692 to serve as the parish church for the newly created Middle Neck Parish, one of the original 30 Anglican parishes in the Province of Maryland. It remains in use by the Parish of St. Anne, part of the Episcopal Diocese of Maryland.
The Establishment Act provided for the construction of the State House, King William's School, and St. Anne's, although limited work force and insufficient funds meant those projects were finished much later than expected. In 1694 the capital of Maryland was moved to Annapolis and the royal governor, Francis Nicholson, laid out a street plan centered on two circles: the larger for the State House and the smaller for the church — the very circle you stand in today. Work on St. Anne's proceeded slowly; the General Assembly did not allocate funds until 1695 and 1696.
By 1699 the dimensions of the church were specified as 65 ft wide and 30 ft long, with a porch and a tower. Picture Francis Nicholson tracing this circle onto empty ground, one half of his deliberate plan for a capital city.