Permit #1083 Riverdale, MD
Montpelier
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N AT I O N A L H I S T O R I C L A N D M A R K
A Little Bit of 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.
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.
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. PPC PR PA 12/15
INFORMATION: 301-377-7817 TTY 301-699-2544
GIFT SHOP: Thurs–Tue, 11 am–3 pm. Visit our online shop! Go to www.pgparks.com, click on “About Parks & Recreation” then click on e-store.
RENTALS: The mansion is available for small gatherings, luncheons and meetings.
TOURS: A modest admission fee is charged. Partially accessible. Guided Tours: Monthly (except December), 2nd Sat & 4th Sun, 1 & 2:30 pm Self-Guided Tours: Year-round, Thurs–Tue, 11 am– 3 pm. Group Tours: Reservations required for groups of 10 or more.
OFFICE HOURS: Thurs –Tue, 9 am – 5 pm (closed Wednesday and major holidays except where noted)
DIRECTIONS: From the Baltimore-Washington Parkway (Rt 295), exit at Rt 197. Turn west onto Rt 197 (toward Laurel) and continue 1/4 mile to Muirkirk Rd. Turn left, then make the first right into Montpelier.
LOCATION: Muirkirk Rd., just off Rt. 197, 1/4 mile west of the BaltimoreWashington Parkway. Also located on the grounds is the Montpelier Arts Center.
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Volunteer at Montpelier! Many positions are available, from giving tours to office work to hands-on-history.
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
CALENDAR OF EVENTS 2016
museum. Members of the group serve
history.pgparks.com
as docents and assist in presenting programs throughout the year. For more Docent John Tarafas welcomes visitors during Candlelight Tours.
information, or to join the Friends of Montpelier, call 301-377-7817.
Walk in the woods
Holiday Teas Saturday, December 10, 12 pm & 3 pm Sunday, December 11, 1:30 pm Beyond Needleart Tea Saturday, November 12, 1:30 pm Saturday, October 15, 5 pm Tea with the Dearly Departed NEW! Children’s Butterfly Tea Saturday, May 21, 2 pm FEE for Butterfly Tea: $29/adult, $20/child. Please call for menu.
Montpelier Arts Center
Mothers’ Day Tea Saturday, May 7, 1:30 pm Blue Stockings Tea Saturday, March 26, 1:30 pm
See the Summer House
Chocolate Lovers’ Tea Saturday, February 13, 1:30 pm FEE: $29 per person; $25 for members of Friends of Montpelier (except for Children’s Butterfly Tea — see below). Price includes self-guided tour of the house and gratuity. Reservations and advance payment required by the Wednesday before the date. Tour the house.
Historical Kitchen Exhibit–Enslaved Workers Explore the garden and tell time by the sun.
Explore Montpelier’s Historic Landscape
fternoon tea at Montpelier includes fine finger sandwiches, scrumptious cakes and pastries, buttery scones, and your choice of two quality loose leaf teas.
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There are few hours in life more agreeable than the hour dedicated to the ceremony known as afternoon tea. – H e n r y J a m e s
Teas!
Montpelier Mansion
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 301-3777800; TTY 301-490-2329.
MAP COURTESY OF CARISSA DEMORE
9650 Muirkirk Road, Laurel, Maryland 20708
Bring
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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.
M ontpelier 2016 2016 Calendar of Events
301-377-7817
| TTY 301-699-2544 | history.pgparks.com |
Please call to verify dates.
MONTPELIER IN THE CLASSROOM!
HOME SCHOOLERS! Check out our Home School Days on May 10 and September 13!
GIRL SCOUTS & CUB SCOUTS
A variety of scout programs available. Call for details.
Teachers! From history programs with S.T.E.M. components, to the popular History Field Days—let us bring history to you! Call for details.
Young visitor smells cinnamon stick while making sachets.
Brownies examine old clock during Family Stories badge program
Students act out making charcoal at Metal Heads, a hands-on program about the iron industry in Laurel.
Blue Stocking Tea Saturday, March 26, 1:30 pm
What Is It? Exhibit Monday, January 11–Sunday, March 13 11 am– 4 pm (closed Wednesdays) Opening Reception: Sunday, January 10, 2– 4 pm All ages. Regular tour prices apply. Back by popular demand! See Montpelier filled with all kinds of gizmos, gadgets, thingamajigs and whatchamacallits. Your job is to guess, “What is it?” Parents and grandparents will see things they haven’t seen in years! Kids will be amazed at the nifty items of bygone eras. A fun adventure for the whole family!
Celebrate Women’s History Month by honoring the ladies in the Blue Stockings Society, an 18th century English literary group for women. Come as you are, or as your favorite female author or character, from modern times or the past. For more information, see tea schedule on the back.
Chesapeake Woodturners Exhibit Saturday, March 19–Sunday, May 1, 11 am– 4 pm (closed Wednesdays) Opening Reception: Saturday, March 19, 1– 3 pm All ages; FREE The Chesapeake Woodturners display their beautiful turned wood items throughout the mansion. Demonstrations on some weekends. Please call ahead to confirm. Pueblo Vase by Gene Adcock
Hidden Spaces Tour
Ironworkers in Laurel.
Black History Month Programs at PGCMLS Branches Wednesday, February 3, 4 pm Metal Heads at South Bowie Branch Saturday, February 6, 12 noon Metal Heads at Laurel Branch Wednesday, February 17, 4:30 pm Weathering Racism at Hillcrest Heights Branch Saturday, February 20, 12 noon Weathering Racism at Beltsville Branch All ages; FREE
Sundays: April 3, June 5, September 4 & November 13, 4 pm—Must arrive by 4 pm to go on tour. Adults only. Fee: $15/adult; $10/Friends of Montpelier and Active Military. Reservations required. Limited space. Ever wonder what’s behind the doors that say “Staff Only” and “Do Not Enter”? We’ll show you areas that are seldom open to the public, including cellars, the attic, the walk-in vault, the Summer House and the Carriage House. You’ll learn about the construction of and changes to Montpelier over its 230 year history, including 20th century modernizations such as electricity and HVAC. Tour includes narrow winding staircases and optional step ladders. Older clothes and comfortable shoes recommended.
We’re taking the show on the road! Montpelier staff will do our popular Black History Month programs at four county libraries. Metal Heads delves into the history of Laurel’s African American ironworkers. Weathering Racism explores 18th century Maryland scientist Benjamin Banneker.
Montpelier Festival of Herbs, Tea and the Arts—20th Annual! Saturday, April 30, 10 am–4 pm (no rain date) All ages; FREE (Fees apply for tea.) For the 20th year, we bring you a festival that will delight your senses. With over 30 vendors of herbs and plants, handmade arts and crafts, live music, tea and scones in the mansion food vendors and beer from Franklin’s Brewery on the grounds, gardening lectures, art activities, demos and open studios in the Montpelier Arts Center, the popular Blast-in-the-Past hands-on history playground for the kids, and plenty of surprises in store to celebrate the festival’s 20th anniversary— there’s something for everyone!
Mothers’ Day Tea Saturday, May 7, 1:30 pm
Chocolate Lovers’ Tea Saturday, February 13, 1:30 pm See tea schedule on back for details.
BLACK HISTORY MONTH FAMILY PROGRAM
Meet the Woman Who Plays the Woman: Harriett Tubman Saturday, February 27, 2–3 pm All ages; $4/Prince George’s and Montgomery Co. residents; $5/non-residents Gwendolyn Briley-Strand, scholar and portrayer of Harriett Tubman, will show segments from her film, “Harriett Tubman, The Chosen One,” share photos of Tubman’s family and funeral, and take questions from the audience. Gwendolyn Briley-Strand
Friends of Montpelier History Lecture Saturday, April 16, 3 – 4 pm Adults only; FREE. No reservations required. Troy Beall, Dean of Woodworking at The School at Annapolis Woodworks, will show and discuss tools from his antique woodworking tools collection.
Friends of Montpelier History Lecture
Thursdays–Saturdays, July 7–August 6, 11 am–4 pm All ages. Fee: $2/ Prince George’s and Montgomery County residents; $3/Non-Residents Self-guided tours of the mansion available for an extra fee.
Date, speaker and topic to be announced.
Montpelier’s grounds will be transformed into a kid-sized colonial village! Young visitors can camp out on the frontier, design a hat at the milliners, harvest crops at the farm, and much, much more. Come for an hour or stay for the day. Drop-in, no reservations required.
Exhibit: Monday, November 7– Friday, December 2, 11 am– 4 pm (closed Wednesdays) Boutique: Monday, November 7– Friday, December 30 Regular tour prices apply for exhibit. Boutique is FREE to enter.
Silence those cell phones and take out those earbuds! We’re going to practice a vanishing art: socializing! Early Marylanders knew just how to do it: dances, teas, and parlor games were some of the ways they got acquainted. Come a little hungry and wear your dancing shoes!
See April 3 for details.
The Needleart Exhibit has branched out to include all fiber arts. In our boutique, original ornaments, fiber art creations and other crafts will be for sale.
Sunday, September 4, 4 pm See April 3 for details.
Home-School Day: Winter on the Plantation
Beadwork by Michelle Arsenault.
Tuesday, September 13, 1– 4 pm Fee: $6/Prince George’s and Montgomery County residents; $7/Non-Residents; Reservation and advance payment required.
Beyond Needleart Tea
While squirrels gathered nuts and frogs burrowed into the mud, 18th century Marylanders were busy making their own preparations for the colder days to come. You’ll do some of the chores they did to get ready for the long, cold winter. Blast-in-the-Past playground not available.
Saturday, November 12, 1:30 pm Please see the tea schedule on back for details.
Opening Reception, Beyond Needleart Exhibit & Artists’ Boutique Saturday, November 12, 5 –7 pm Experience the holidays in our fiber arts and ornament boutique.
Hidden Spaces Tour Sunday, November 13, 4 pm See April 3 for details.
Making candles.
Tea with the Dearly Departed Saturday, October 15, 5 pm Special for “Dearly Departed” tea goers! Stay after tea for the Tales from the Dearly Departed Talk and Tour, and get a discounted price of $6 (members and non-members) for the talk and tour. Please see schedule on back for details.
Holiday Tours Tuesday, December 6 – Saturday, December 31, 11 am – 4 pm (closed Wednesdays) Regular tour prices apply. See Montpelier dressed up for the holidays on these self-guided tours. Rooms decorated in greens by local garden clubs.
Holiday Teas Saturday, December 10, 12 pm & 3 pm Sunday, December 11, 1:30 pm Please see tea schedule on back for details.
Soirée at the Snowdens Saturday, December 17, 5 – 8 pm Adults only; Fee. Reservations required.
Hidden Spaces Tour Sunday, June 5, 4 pm
Beyond Needleart Exhibit and Artists’ Boutique
Hidden Spaces Tour
Home-School Day: Social Media, 18th Century Style
*Sorry, children under 5 will not be permitted to the tea (infants are permitted), but they are invited to play at BITP, our hands-on history playground.
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Blast-in-the-Past: A Hands-On History Playground
See tea schedule on back for details.
Tuesday, May 10, 1–4 pm Ages 5 and up for etiquette program.* Program Fee: $15/child; $10/adult Blast-in-the-Past Playground (BITP) Only Fee: $3/child; FREE/adult (Children attending the Social Media program will have time at the end to play at BITP at no extra cost.) Reservations and advance payment required. Space is limited!
Shop
Tales from the Dearly Departed, Talk and Tour Saturday, October 15, 7:30 pm Adults only; Fee: Advance–$7/members, $12/non-members; Door–$10/members, $15/non-members. Limited seating. Hear ghostly tales, and then take a candlelit tour of Montpelier, if you dare! Other surprises in store.
The Snowdens were famous far and wide for their hospitality. We honor them with an evening of holiday cheer and merriment. A variety of hors d’oeuvres will be served.