The Thomas Stone National Historic Site, also known as Haberdeventure or the Thomas Stone House, is a

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

National Historic Site located about south of

Washington D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, Na ...

Charles County Charles County is a county in Southern Maryland. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the population was 166,617. The county seat is La Plata, Maryland, La Plata. The county was named for Charles Calvert, 3rd Baron Baltimore, Charle ...

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...

. The site was established to protect the home and property of

Founding Father The following list of national founding figures is a record, by country, of people who were credited with establishing a state. National founders are typically those who played an influential role in setting up the systems of governance, (i.e. ...

Thomas Stone Thomas Stone (1743 – October 5, 1787) was an American Founding Father, planter, politician, and lawyer who signed the United States Declaration of Independence as a delegate for Maryland. He later worked on the committee that formed the Artic ...

, one of the 56 signers of the

United States Declaration of Independence The United States Declaration of Independence, formally The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen States of America, is the pronouncement and founding document adopted by the Second Continental Congress meeting at Pennsylvania State House ...

. His home and estate were owned by the Stone family until 1936.

History

Stone purchased Haberdeventure in 1770 and began construction of a new home in 1771. Stone's original plan was to build a small, modest home for him, his wife Margaret, and their two daughters but before the house was completed, his father died and five of his younger brothers and sisters came to live with him at Haberdeventure creating the need for larger living quarters. During the 1780s, the Haberdeventure plantation probably supported about 25 to 35 people, including a number of

slaves Slavery and enslavement are both the state and the condition of being a slave—someone forbidden to quit one's service for an enslaver, and who is treated by the enslaver as property. Slavery typically involves slaves being made to perf ...

. By the time of Stone's death in 1787, Haberdeventure had increased in size from to . Stone was buried in the family cemetery adjacent to his home. Descendants of Thomas Stone continued to own Haberdeventure until 1936 when the land was sold. The house was declared a

National Historic Landmark A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the United States government for its outstanding historical significance. Only some 2,500 (~3%) of over 90,000 places listed ...

in 1971. and The property was privately owned until 1977 when a fire severely damaged the central section of the house. Haberdeventure was authorized as a National Historic Site a year later in 1978 and was purchased by the

National Park Service The National Park Service (NPS) is an agency of the United States federal government within the U.S. Department of the Interior that manages all national parks, most national monuments, and other natural, historical, and recreational propertie ...

in 1981. Restoration efforts on the historic structures began at this time but the house was not opened to the public until 1997. Today, a

visitor center A visitor center or centre (see American and British English spelling differences), visitor information center, tourist information center, is a physical location that provides tourist information to visitors. Types of visitor center A visit ...

located at the site has exhibits on the Declaration of Independence and the life of Thomas Stone. Guided tours of Haberdeventure are also offered. In 2008, the Thomas Stone National Historic Site ranked 344th among 360 sites where the National Park Service tracks attendance with 5,720 visitors."Humble Md. Park Typifies Shift From Scenic to Cerebral: National System 'Uniquely American,' Unevenly Attended," By David A. Fahrenthold, ''The Washington Post'', September 26, 2009.
/ref>

Gallery

Thomas Stone House.jpg, Haberdeventure, front, winter view Habre de Venture Rear Sept 09.JPG, Haberdeventure, rear view, September 2009 Habre de Venture Original Sept 09.JPG, Haberdeventure, detail of original home, September 2009 Thomas Stone Grave Sept 09.JPG, Grave of Thomas Stone, September 2009 HdV FrontDetail 20110626.jpg, Haberdeventure, detail of main house and dependencies, from the north, 26 June 2011 HdV Corncrib 20110626.jpg, Haberdeventure, corn crib, 26 June 2011 Thomas Stone NHS - desk, chair, and clock.jpg, Artifacts on display in the parlor of the home, July 2016 Thomas Stone NHS - parlor.jpg, Parlor. Portrait of Margaret Stone is replica of one by

Robert Edge Pine Robert Edge Pine (1730, London – November 18, 1788, Philadelphia) was an English people, English portrait and historical painter, born in London. He was the son of John Pine, the engraver and designer. He painted portraits, such as those of Geor ...

. July 2016 Thomas Stone NHS - view through rooms.jpg, A view through the bedroom into the parlor, July 2016 Thomas Stone NHS - bed.jpg, Bed in bedroom, July 2016 Thomas Stone NHS - artifact display.jpg, Artifacts relating to the life of Thomas Stone, July 2016 Thomas Stone NHS - burned underpinnings of house.jpg, Pieces of the building's original fabric, burned in the 1977 fire, July 2016 Thomas Stone National Historic Site - panoramio.jpg, The house and outbuildings, June 2009 Thomas Stone NHS - visitors center.jpg, Visitors center, July 2016

References

External links

National Park Service: Thomas Stone National Historic Site
*, including undated photo, at Maryland Historical Trust * * * * * {{authority control National Historic Sites in Maryland Maryland in the American Revolution National Historic Landmarks in Maryland Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Maryland African-American history of Maryland History of slavery in Maryland Historic house museums in Maryland Museums in Charles County, Maryland Houses completed in 1771 Plantations in Maryland Protected areas established in 1978 Houses in Charles County, Maryland Historic American Buildings Survey in Maryland Stone family residences National Register of Historic Places in Charles County, Maryland Jenifer family Homes of United States Founding Fathers

History

Gallery

See also

References

External links