Riversdale House Museum

4811 Riverdale Road
Riverdale, Maryland 20737
301-864-0420

Pardon our dust!
Major restoration projects are underway here at Riversdale both inside and out. Master craftsmen are returning the grand salon to its original splendor with restoration of the pilasters and cornice, walls, and floor. In addition, the sandstone columns on the north and south porticos are undergoing long-needed repair. Follow our progress as this vital work continues and plan to join us when we celebrate its completion!

Hours of Operation:

Visitor Center:

Monday - Friday, 9 am - 5 pm

House Tours:

Friday and Sunday, 12 noon - 3:30 pm (Tours on the quarter hour starting at 12:15 pm) and by appointment

Riversdale House Museum

Riversdale, an elegant Federal style plantation house, was constructed between 1801 and 1807 for Henri Stier, a Flemish aristocrat, and completed by his daughter Rosalie and her husband George Calvert, grandson of the fifth Lord Baltimore. Today, this elegant architectural gem has been restored to reflect the lifestyle of the Calverts in the early 19th century. Archaeology, archival records, and oral histories are used to provide modern-day visitors with a better understanding of 19th century life. Rosalie Calvert's letters are used to piece together the life of a gentry-class woman living in rural Maryland. Adam Francis Plummer, an enslaved man owned by the Calverts, wrote a rare first-person account of slavery. Their stories have been preserved and are retold at Riversdale.

The museum is open to the public for docent-guided tours and for a variety of special events. It may also be rented for weddings, receptions, luncheons, and business meetings. The Riversdale Historical Society, a volunteer organization, works with M-NCPPC staff to preserve the cultural heritage of Riversdale and maintain the mansion as an historic house.

History

Wealthy Flemish émigré, financier and art collector, Henri Joseph Stier of Antwerp fled Europe with his family during the French Revolution. They lived in Philadelphia briefly before settling in Annapolis. In 1799, Stier's younger daughter, Rosalie Eugenie, married George Calvert, a planter, state legislator, and a descendant of the Lords Baltimore.

In 1800, Stier bought 729 acres near the port and spa town of Bladensburg and commissioned the building of Riversdale. As the manor house was constructed, the family resided at Bostwick in Bladensburg. They moved into their partially built house in 1802.

Meanwhile, conditions in Europe changed as Napoleon Bonaparte declared an amnesty for the émigrés. Mr. and Mrs. Stier and their older children returned to Antwerp, and George and Rosalie Calvert moved into Riversdale completing its construction in 1807. The correspondence between Rosalie Calvert and her family survives and is the basis for Mistress of Riversdale: the Plantation Letters of Rosalie Stier Calvert, edited by Margaret Law Callcott (Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1991). These letters provide a rich source for the restoration and interpretation of the house. Mrs. Calvert never returned to Europe as she hoped. She died at Riversdale in 1821 at age 42 having borne nine children, five of whom lived to maturity. George Calvert did not remarry and died in 1838.

Charles Benedict Calvert, their son, continued living at Riversdale. A "scientific" farmer, he founded the Maryland Agricultural College (now the University of Maryland, College Park) and, as a U.S. congressman, sponsored legislation establishing the U.S. Department of Agriculture. He died in 1864, and eventually his widow, Charlotte, moved to Baltimore.

As a plantation, Riversdale's success was dependent on the labor of enslaved African-Americans. One such person was Adam Francis Plummer. Born into slavery in 1819 on a plantation owned by the Calvert family, Plummer was moved to Riversdale at the age of ten. Unlike most slaves, he could read and write, and in 1841, shortly after his marriage to Emily Saunders Arnold, he began keeping a diary. He continued to write until his death in 1905. His daughter Nellie Arnold Plummer edited his writings and wrote additional narratives about the family. His diary is one of the few first-hand accounts of slavery and emancipation in Maryland.

Following the Civil War, Riversdale began to decline without a slave labor force. In 1887, the estate was sold to developers who used the house as their headquarters as they planned and constructed the commuter suburb of Riverdale Park. The mansion served as a boarding house and a country club before passing into the hands of William Pickford. He modernized the house but, when he wife refused to live "out in the country," he leased it to U.S. Senator Hiram Johnson, former governor of California. In the late 1920s, U.S. Senator Thaddeus Caraway of Arkansas bought the house. Caraway died in office; his widow, Hattie, completed his term and then ran for the seat, becoming the first woman elected to the Senate. She could not afford to continue living in the house, however, so it was sold to Abraham Lafferty, a former congressman from Oregon, who lived there until the late 1940s.

In 1949, Lafferty sold the property to the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission, and Riversdale was used as office space. Restoration of the house began in 1988. Following the discovery of Rosalie Calvert's letters in the family archives in Belgium, the decision was made to restore the house to its appearance during the period of Rosalie and George Calvert's occupancy, 1801-1838. Riversdale was opened to the public in 1993, and may be seen year-round on Fridays and Sundays from noon to 3:30 pm.

Rental Information

Riversdale was one of the most distinctive homes in the region during the early Federal period. Today, the central portion of the house serves as a museum interpreting the lifestyle of an affluent family. The rental areas include a large carpeted ballroom in late 19th century decor as well as a smaller meeting/banquet room and catering kitchen. The entire estate offers a glimpse of elegant plantation life in the early 1800s.

Availability

Daily year round, except Sundays and Holidays

Capacity

(indoor or outdoor)
75 people maximum (theater-style)
50 seated
Please call for details.

Rates

Saturday Rates: $1,150/7 hours
For fees and availability, and to view contracts, please call 301-864-0420 for more information.

Visitor Information

Riversdale House Museum and the Museum Shop are open year round on Friday and Sunday afternoons. Tours begin on the quarter hour: 12:15, 12:45, 1:15, 1:45, 2:15, 2:45, and 3:15. Purchase tickets at the Visitor Center, where an exhibit highlights the history and archaeology of the estate. Weekday group tours for 10 or more are available by appointment. Riversdale is available for weddings, receptions, and meetings. Browse our Rental Details for more information.

Admission:

$3/adults, $2/seniors/groups, $1/ages 5-18, FREE/ages 4 & under

Office / Visitor Center

The Visitor Center is open Monday-Friday, 9 am-5pm and during regular Sunday tour hours.

Get Involved

The Riversdale Historical Society is the volunteer support organization for Riversdale. The Society has worked diligently and successfully to obtain political support for funding of the restoration of the house and continues to raise funds for a variety of restoration and interpretive projects. The Society also trains docents who conduct tours of the house and operates the Riversdale Museum Shop, with its inventory of distinctive books, gifts, and toys. Your membership in the Society will ensure that this historic site will continue to be a source of pride and education for the people of Prince George's County, the state of Maryland, and our nation.

2008 Membership Riversdale Historical Society
To join the Riversdale Historical Society, please send your check to:

Treasurer, Riversdale Historical Society
6005 48th Avenue
Riversdale Park, MD 20737

Please include your name and address.
Basic Membership: $25, Supporting Membership: $50

Location/Directions

Located on Riverdale Road, 2 blocks south of East-West Highway, between Route 1 and Kenilworth Avenue.

From I-95 & I-495/Capital Beltway go to Exit 23, Rte. 201/Kenilworth Avenue South. Go about 3 miles to the intersection to the intersection of Kenilworth and MD Rte. 410/East-West Highway. Turn right (west on MD 410) and go to the first stop light; turn left onto Taylor Rd. Go 2 short blocks. Turn right onto Riverdale Rd.; proceed 11/2 blocks to Riversdale on the left.

From US 50 East go past the Capital Beltway, proceed right at Exit 5, MD 410 West, turning left where it meets and combines with Riverdale Rd. Stay on MD 410 through the light at Rte. 201/Kenilworth Ave. Go 1/2 mile to the next light and turn left onto Taylor Rd.. Go 2 short blocks. Turn right on Riverdale Rd.; proceed 1 1/2 blocks to Riversdale on the left.

From US Route 1 (From University of Maryland, Follow South Directions). Turn East Queensbury Rd. (left if heading South, right if heading North). Proceed to 49th Ave. and turn right. You will be facing Riversdale after 2 short blocks, when you come to the stop sign on Riverdale Rd. Turn right on Riverdale Rd. and take the next left, 48th Ave., to get to the parking lot.

From I-295/Baltimore-Washington Parkway take EXIT at MD 410 West towards Hyattsville/Riverdale Park and proceed through the light at Rte. 201/ Kenilworth Ave. Go 1/2 mile to the next light and turn left onto Taylor Rd. Go 2 short blocks. Turn right onto Riverdale Rd; proceed 1 1/2 blocks to Riversdale on the left.

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