Montpelier 2014 flip book spreads

Montpelier

N AT I O N A L H I S T O R I C L A N D M A R K

Montpelier Mansion

Calendar of Events January–December 2014

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Montpelier History

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MONTPELIER’S CONSTRUCTION BEGAN IN 1781

by Ann Ridgely and Major Thomas Snowden, both members of prominent Maryland families. Two firebacks in the house inscribed “TSA 1783” indicate the owners and probable completion year of the mansion.

Seventy acres and the house itself remain of what was once a land holding of approximately 9,000 acres.

Enslaved workers and indentured servants provided the labor as field hands and skilled craftsmen at the plantation and the Patuxent Ironworks.

The Snowdens’ reputation for hospitality and the proximity of their home to the main road to northern cities made Montpelier host to many famous people.

George and Martha Washington, as well as Abigail Adams, all stayed at Montpelier.

Montpelier remained in the Snowden family until 1890. The house was restored in the 1980s to reflect the occupation of Nicholas Snowden, who inherited the house and owned it until his death in 1831. Now a National Historic Landmark, Montpelier is one of the finest examples of 18th c. Georgian architecture in the state. The landscape features a rare surviving 18th c. summer house.

Also located on the grounds is the Montpelier Arts Center, a multi-faceted, community-oriented facility that offers art exhibitions, classes, performances and professional artist studios. Gallery Hours: Seven days a week, 10 am–5 pm (closed major holidays).

Entrance to the galleries is free. For class and performance schedules, please call 301-377-7800; TTY 301-490-2329.

There are few hours in life more agreeable than the hour dedicated to the ceremony known as afternoon tea.

– Henry James –

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oin us for authentic English afternoon tea in Montpelier’s elegant South Wing. Treat yourself and someone special to an afternoon of tasteful indulgence. Enjoy fine finger

sandwiches, scrumptious cakes and pastries, buttery scones and your choice of two quality loose leaf teas.

For dates and reservations, please call 301-377-7817, TTY 301-699-2544.

Volunteer at Montpelier!

Many positions are available, from giving tours to office work to gardening.

Learn, make friends and have fun!

THE FRIENDS OF MONTPELIER, a volunteer organization, works with M-NCPPC staff to preserve the site’s heritage and assist in maintaining the mansion as an historic house museum.

Both Snowden and Long (Montpelier’s last owners) descendants have joined the Friends and continue to support the museum. Members of the group serve as docents and assist in presenting programs throughout the year. For more information, or to join the Friends of Montpelier, call 301-377-7817.

Docents at holiday candlelight tours.

Explore Montpelier’s Historic Landscape Explore the garden and tell time by the sun.

Historical Kitchen Exhibit–Enslaved Workers

Tour the house.

See the Summer House Montpelier Arts Center

Walk in the woods

M ontpelier African American Scientists in Colonial Maryland Tuesdays, February 4, 11, 18 & 25 Open to the public. See locations below.

TEACHERS! Bring Maryland’s history to your classroom! Our staff does history outreach programs that include many STEM and reading components, and support Core Curriculum standards. You can also come to us! Call for details.

Montpelier staff will take black history on the road.

Programs explore the science contributions of African Americans in Maryland history and include hands-on experiments, researching primary documents and more. Teachers are encouraged to attend! Great source for STEM and Black History Month activities!

Weathering Racism: The Benjamin Banneker Almanacs n n

Tuesday, February 4, 2:45 pm & 3:45 Deerfield Run Community Center Tuesday, February 18, 3:30 pm & 4:30 pm Vansville Community Center

Metal Heads—The Iron Industry in Laurel, Before and After Emancipation n n

FREE FIRST FRIDAYS! March–October

Tuesday, February 11, 2:45 pm & 3:45 pm Deerfield Run Community Center Tuesday, February 25, 3:30 pm & 4:30 pm Vansville Community Center

10 am: Pocketful of Stories – Story time & activities for pre-schoolers

LOCATIONS: Deerfield Run Community Center 13000 Laurel-Bowie Road, Laurel 20708 Vansville Community Center 6813 Ammendale Road, Beltsville 20705

11 am–3 pm: Free self-guided tours

Friendship Tea

3– 6 pm: Games, free tours & more!

Saturday, February 15, 1:30 pm Reservations and advance payment required.

Fee: $29/person; $25/ Friends of Montpelier member Bring your best friend, sweetheart or buddy for tea in our elegant South Wing. Enjoy a prix fixe menu of fine finger sandwiches, scrumptious cakes and pastries, buttery scones and your choice of two quality, loose leaf teas, all served on china and tiered stands. In honor of Black History Month, we’ll feature treats inspired by foods from Africa. Guests are encouraged to wear clothing or accessories inspired by African culture.

Price includes gratuity and self-guided tour of the house.

2014 Calendar of Events 301-377-7817; TTY 301-699-2544; history.pgparks.com Please call to verify dates.

George Washington Musicale Sunday, February 16, 2 pm (snow date February 23) Reservations required. Ages 12 & up Fee: $15/person; $10/Friends of Montpelier member Enjoy live period music played in our beautiful library wing.

Chesapeake Woodturners Exhibit Saturday, March 1 – Monday, 31 11 am – 4 pm, daily All ages; FREE See the mansion filled with beautiful turned, wood objects, all handmade by members of the Chesapeake Woodturners. Weather permitting, demonstrations will be given on Saturdays and Sundays from 1–4 pm. Please call to verify.

Chesapeake Woodturners Opening Day Festivities Saturday, March 1 11 am – 1 pm: Kids can be a wood turner’s apprentice! Learn how wood is turned on a lathe, and then help master wood turners make a chair the old-fashioned way! You’ll even sign an apprentice contract with a real quill pen! Fee: $5/participant 1– 4 pm: Come to the opening reception and enjoy light refreshments while you chat with the artists. FREE

History Through a Drinking Vessel: Montpelier’s Spring History Lecture Series Learn about the beverages, libations and social culture of 18th century life at this popular lecture series. FREE

Wednesday, March 19, 7:30 pm Rod Cofield, Executive Director of Historic London Town and Gardens, will speak on taverns and travel in the 18th century. Refreshments served.

Wednesday, April 16, 7:30 pm Mike Olmert, film writer, professor of English at University of Maryland & author, will speak on colonial coffee house culture. Refreshments served.

Wednesday, May 21, 7:30 pm Maureen O’Prey will speak on the history of beer in the colonies and the U.S. Refreshments served.

Suffragette Tea Saturday, March 22, 1:30 pm Reservations and advance payment required.

Fee: $29/person; $25/ Friends of Montpelier member

Home-School Day: The Wisdom of Old Houses Tuesday, May 13, 1– 4 pm. Reservations required.

Fee: $6/Prince George’s and Montgomery County residents; $7 for all others Blast-in-the-Past Playground only fee: Resident $2/person; Non-Resident $3/person

In honor of Women’s History Month, we celebrate our suffragette sisters who fought for women’s right to vote. If you like, wear white, like the suffragettes. See Friendship Tea on February 15 for menu. Price includes self-guided tour of the house and gratuity.

Home-schooled students of all ages and their educators will do science, math and writing activities to learn about Georgian architecture, climate control before modern technology, historical preservation and more. Blast-in-thePast, the hands-on history playground, will also be open!

Spring Bonnet Tea

Chocolate Lovers Tea

Saturday, April 12, 1:30 pm Reservations and advance payment required.

Fee: $29/person; $25/Friends of Montpelier member Don your favorite bonnet, chapeau, sombrero or topper, and join the springtime festivities. Prizes awarded in several categories. See Friendship Tea on March 22 for menu. Price includes self-guided tour of the house and gratuity.

Montpelier Festival of Herbs, Tea and the Arts Saturday, April 26, 10 am – 4 pm All ages; FREE Join us for the 18th year of this family-oriented festival. Montpelier brings you a day that will delight your senses, with tea and scones in the mansion, over 30 vendors of handmade arts and crafts, live music, and 70 acres of beautiful grounds to explore. We’ll also have tours of the historic house, gardening talks, nature walks, art demos and more. Visit the Art Center’s galleries and studios. This is a great place to find the perfect Mothers’ Day gift. Kids can play in the popular hands-on history playground, dress up in colonial costume, see a live animal exhibit and more.

Saturday, May 17, 1:30 pm Reservations and advance payment required.

Fee: $29/person; $25/Friends of Montpelier member Along with our usual delectable fare (see February 15 tea menu for details), we’ll have chocolate, chocolate, chocolate! Book early, this tea is going to fill up fast!

Price includes self-guided tour of the house and gratuity.

Research Café: African American Genealogy Saturday, June 28, 11 am – 1 pm Reservations recommended; space is limited.

Fee: Resident/$3 person; Non-Resident/$5 person Coffee and other refreshments sold separately.

Bring your laptop! A member of the speakers bureau of the Afro-American Historical and Genealogical Society, Prince George’s Co. Maryland Chapter, will introduce you to the best sites for researching your African American heritage. She can also help you to overcome roadblocks in on-going research.

Blast-in-the-Past: A Hands-On History Playground Wednesdays – Saturdays, July 16 – August 9, 11 am – 4 pm Drop-in, no reservations required.

Fee: Resident $2/day; Non-Resident $3/day The Montpelier grounds will be transformed into a history playground! Have fun while you learn about life in 18th century Maryland. A variety of activities will be available daily. Come for an hour or stay for the day. Story times weekly. Call for details.

Home-School Day: Metal Heads—The Iron Industry in Laurel, Before and After Emancipation Tuesday, September 16, 1 – 4 pm Reservations required.

Fee: $6/Prince George’s and Montgomery County residents; $7 for all others Blast-in-the-Past Playground only fee: Resident $2/person; Non-Resident $3/person Home-schooled students of all ages will learn about the iron industry that employed generations of African Americans in Laurel, both during slavery and after emancipation. They’ll do science experiments to learn about the properties of iron, examine primary documents to learn about the work and the workers and learn about the communities that formed around the industry. Blast-in-the-Past, the hands-on history playground, will also be open!

Montpelier’s’ Fall History Lecture Series Refreshments served. Speakers and topics to be announced. FREE. Wednesday, September 17, 7:30 pm Wednesday, October 15, 7:30 pm Wednesday, November 19, 7:30 pm

Research Café: Getting Started with Genealogy

Ornament Emporium Monday, December 8 –Tuesday, December 23, 11 am – 3 pm (closed Wednesdays) See original ornaments in a traditional holiday setting at this juried show of ornaments by area artists.

Great place to shop for unique gifts & support local artists. Find books, tea items, old-fashioned toys, Montpelier memorabilia and more!

Holiday Candlelight Tours Friday, December 12 & Saturday, December 13, 6 – 9 pm Fee: $3/19 & up; $1/ages 6–18; FREE/ages 5 & under Warm up a winter evening with festive music, lovely candlelight and traditional holiday greens. Local garden clubs decorate the rooms. Area performers entertain nightly. Light refreshments served. Kids can learn about the history of Christmas by doing crafts and other hands-on activities.

Special for South Laurel residents!

If your zip code is 20708, get one free adult or child admission with the purchase of two adult tickets!

Saturday, October 25, 11 am – 1 pm Reservations recommended; space is limited.

Fee: Residents $3; Non-Residents $5.

Coffee and other refreshments sold separately.

Bring your laptop and get expert advice on beginning your genealogy research. Mike Boivin, president of the Genealogy Club at the Laurel Historical Society, will lead this beginner’s genealogy workshop. Mike will introduce you to a myriad of free web resources, including www.familysearch.org and many other great research tools.

Needleart 2014 Saturday, November 1–Sunday, November 30, 11 am– 4 pm (closed Wednesdays) Fee: $6/adult; $5/ages 60 & better; $3/ages 17 & under Sponsored by Stitching Pretty of Laurel Montpelier hosts the 19th Annual Needleart Show. See the rooms of Montpelier filled with a dazzling array of stitched art, from needlepoint to ribbon work. Judges choose winners in several categories, and visitors are invited to vote for the “People’s Choice” award.

Reproduction Quaker Sampler from New Castle Co., Delaware, chart available courtesy Patty Yergey, Samplers Revisited.

Girl Scouts & Boy Scouts A variety of scout programs available.

Call for details.

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Montpelier Mansion

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9650 Muirkirk Road, Laurel, Maryland 20708 LOCATION: Muirkirk Rd., just off Route 197, Laurel, Maryland. 1/4 mile west of the Baltimore-Washington Parkway. Also located on the grounds are the Montpelier Arts Center offering art exhibits, concerts and classes.

DIRECTIONS: From the Baltimore-Washington Parkway (Route 295), exit at Route 197. Turn west onto Route 197 (toward Laurel) and continue 1/4 mile to Muirkirk Rd. Turn left, then make the first right into the Montpelier grounds.

OFFICE HOURS: Thursday–Tuesday, 9 am – 5 pm (closed Wednesday) TOURS: A modest admission fee is charged. Partially accessible.

Guided Tours: March – November only, Sundays, 12 noon, 1 pm, 2 pm and 3 pm, on the hour Self-Guided Tours: Year-round, Thursday–Tuesday, any time between 11 am–3 pm.

Group Tours: Available for groups of 10 or more. Reservations required.

RENTALS: The mansion is available for small gatherings, luncheons and meeting rentals. Call for details.

GIFT SHOP: Thursday–Tuesday, 11 am–3 pm.

INFORMATION: 301-377-7817 TTY 301-699-2544 history.pgparks.com The Department of Parks and Recreation encourages and supports the participation of individuals with disabilities. Register at least a minimum of two weeks in advance of the program start date to request and receive a disability accommodation.

Produced by The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission, Department of Parks and Recreation, Prince George’s County, Natural and Historical Resources Division PPC PR PA 1/14