Editing Centreville, Maryland (section)

==Courthouse==
The oldest courthouse in continuous use, and one of two 18th century courthouses in Maryland, the Queen Anne's County Courthouse is located at 120 North Commerce Street.  The location for the courthouse, and for the town of Centreville, was a piece of land on which Judge Joseph Hopper Nicholson lived on at the time.<ref name="County 2008">"[http://www.courts.state.md.us/clerks/queenannes/histcthouse.html The Queen Anne’s County Court House]" Circuit Court for Queen Anne's County. April 18, 2008.</ref>  In 1792 the [[Flemish-bond]] brick building was completed.<ref name="Arnett, Earl p. 153-154" /> At the time it was composed of four rooms, two in the center and one on each side. The courthouse's use was increasing, so, in 1876 it was renovated and remodeled to add more space.<ref name="historicqac.org">"[http://www.historicqac.org/Centreville.htm Centreville] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081015172645/http://www.historicqac.org/Centreville.htm |date=2008-10-15 }}." Historic Sites Consortium of
Queen Anne's County. 18 April 2008
18 April 2008</ref>  An iron balcony was also added to the second story.<ref name="Arnett, Earl p. 153-154" />

A unique feature of the courthouse is a gold eagle on the main building's rooftop.  The eagle is thought to be symbolic of America's freedom from England and relays the idea of [[independence]].<ref name="County 2008" /> In Judge John W. Sause, Jr.'s essay, "Why the Eagle", he connects the idea of freedom and the importance of the United States’ seal to the courthouse's eagle.  Here, he writes, "Executed by an unknown hand, undoubtedly that of an artisan rather than an artist...our eagle looked down upon the comings and going of the courtyard, the tears and smiles of its citizens and the successes and failures of the political system which it was designed to represent".<ref>MacGlashan, Scott. "Re: Courthouse information." Judge John W. Sause, Jr. "Why the Eagle" E-mail to the author. April 22, 2008</ref>

A statue of Queen Anne of England, the county's namesake, sits in front of the courthouse.  Princess Anne, daughter of Queen Elizabeth II, attended the dedication (1977).<ref name="historicqac.org"/>

Today, the courthouse remains an important figure in Centreville, Queen Anne's County, and the state of Maryland.  Keeping true to its original form, the building's exterior is true to its original look.<ref name="County 2008" />