"A Signer's Home" by NPS Photo , public domain
Thomas StoneNational Historic Site - Maryland |
The Thomas Stone National Historic Site, also known as Haberdeventure or the Thomas Stone House, is a United States National Historic Site located about 25 miles (40 km) south of Washington D.C. in Charles County, Maryland. The site was established to protect the home and property of Thomas Stone, one of the 56 signers of the United States Declaration of Independence. His home and estate were owned by the Stone family until 1936.
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Official Visitor Map of Thomas Stone National Historic Site (NHS) in Maryland. Published by the National Park Service (NPS).
Map of the U.S. National Park System. Published by the National Park Service (NPS).
Map of the U.S. National Park System with Unified Regions. Published by the National Park Service (NPS).
Map of the U.S. National Heritage Areas. Published by the National Park Service (NPS).
https://www.nps.gov/thst/index.htm
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Stone_National_Historic_Site
The Thomas Stone National Historic Site, also known as Haberdeventure or the Thomas Stone House, is a United States National Historic Site located about 25 miles (40 km) south of Washington D.C. in Charles County, Maryland. The site was established to protect the home and property of Thomas Stone, one of the 56 signers of the United States Declaration of Independence. His home and estate were owned by the Stone family until 1936.
Choosing revolution, as Thomas Stone and many others eventually did, was not an easy or inevitable decision for most American colonists. The outcome of a war with England was far from certain and regardless of who won, the lives of the colonists would never be the same. With safety, security, family and fortune at stake, courage and personal sacrifice were tested no matter what side was chosen.
Thomas Stone NHS is located on Rose Hill Road, between U.S. Highways 225 and 6, four miles west of LaPlata, MD.
Visitor Center Hours
Open April - December.
From LaPlata- Take Maryland Route 6 (From the South) or 225 (From the North) for three miles. Turn left (From the North) or right (from the South) onto Rose Hill Road.
Mansion at Haberdeventure
5 part Mansion at Haberdeventure
Mansion at Haberdeventure
Stone Family Cemetery
Small family cemetery with grave markers
Stone Family Cemetery
Outbuildings
Roof of horse barn with tobacco barn and corn crib in background
Outbuildings
Nature Trail System
Leaf covered nature trail
Nature Trail System
Tenet House
Tenet House with shadow of tree limbs
Tenet House
NPS Geodiversity Atlas—Thomas Stone National Historic Site
Each park-specific page in the NPS Geodiversity Atlas provides basic information on the significant geologic features and processes occurring in the park. Links to products from Baseline Geologic and Soil Resources Inventories provide access to maps and reports. [Site Under Development]
historic farm buildings
An Unpopular Case
Learn how the Harrison vs. Lee trial established Thomas Stone as one of the major trial lawyers in Maryland. Despite suffering defeat in the unpopular case, Stone's skill as a lawyer led Maryland to select him to represent the colony in the Continental Congress and ultimately led him to become one of 56 signers of the Declaration of Independence in 1776.
Port Tobacco Courthouse
Scouting with Colonel Stone
It is 1776 and you have joined the First Maryland Regiment with Captain John Hoskins Stone, brother of a signer of the Declaration of Independence! Stone has given you a horse to go on reconnaissance. (This means you are searching the area for threats or problems.) Decide what you will name your horse and what you will take with you!
Colonel John Stone
Riddle Me This
In the 18th-century, riddles were seen as both entertainment and as a way of proving that you were smart. Thomas Stone, as a lawyer trained in studying clues and facts, probably could have solved the following animals riddles. Can you?
Fox writing a riddle with a quill pen
Haber…de…What?
Thomas Stone National Historic Site was commonly referred to as Haberdeventure. What does that mean? Read on to uncover the meaning of the unique name of Thomas Stone's home.
Mansion at Haberdeventure
A Reluctant Revolutionary?
Was Thomas Stone a "reluctant revolutionary?" Since Thomas Stone was a moderate and was more cautious than others, he has often been labelled with this description. Read on to find out how this term does not accurately describe Thomas Stone.
Painting Thomas Stone sitting at desk in the East Room from Harpers Ferry Center
A Commemorative Engraving
Benjamin Owen Tyler's engraving was considered the "first correct copy," enabling individual Americans to possess a reproduction of the Declaration of Independence. This copy was designed to look like the famous handwritten version with the signature of Thomas Stone and the 55 other signers.
1818 Tyler Engraving of Declaration of Independence
The Maryland 400
With their gallant sacrifice to save the rest of the Continental Army, the Maryland 400 earned a reputation for themselves, and saved a revolution.
Lord Stirling and the Maryland 400
Series: National Park Service Geodiversity Atlas
The servicewide Geodiversity Atlas provides information on <a href="https://www.nps.gov/subjects/geology/geoheritage-conservation.htm">geoheritage</a> and <a href="https://www.nps.gov/subjects/geology/geodiversity.htm">geodiversity</a> resources and values all across the National Park System to support science-based management and education. The <a href="https://www.nps.gov/orgs/1088/index.htm">NPS Geologic Resources Division</a> and many parks work with National and International <a href="https://www.nps.gov/subjects/geology/park-geology.htm">geoconservation</a> communities to ensure that NPS abiotic resources are managed using the highest standards and best practices available.
park scene mountains
Thomas Stone's Haberdeventure
On December 13, 1770, Thomas Stone purchased a 442 acre plantation with an unique name. This would be his home until he moved to Annapolis in the mid-1780s.
Daffodils in field by the Thomas Stone House
A Labor Intensive Crop
Planting, curing and drying tobacco was a labor intensive task for those who had to tend to the crop. Discover how the tobacco plant played such an important role in 18th-century Maryland.
Illustration of two people holding a tobacco leaf
The Early Owners of Haberdeventure
Learn about the people who owned the land prior to Thomas Stone, signer of the Declaration of Independence.
A old field colored with golden plants
William Stone Arrives in the New World
William Stone came to Virginia from England in 1628. He was appointed as governor of Maryland in 1648 due to his Protestantism. Stone served during a time of religious conflict in the colony, leading to his removal from office, defeat in battle and imprisonment. Upon his release, Stone was awarded property in Charles County, where he built Poynton Manor. Stone's descendants included a Maryland governor, a U.S. Congressman, and a signer of the Declaration of Independence.
First page of the Religious Toleration Act
From Potapaco to Port Tobacco
While exploring the area around modern Charles County, Captain John Smith encountered an Native American village, which he listed as “Potopaco.” The natural resources, the strategic position, and farming potential, led Europeans including Catholics, Anglicans, and Puritans to settle in the area. The mixture of Native American and European, as well as the different religious and cultural value systems led to tensions and conflict that raged for more than a century.
Father White Baptizes Indian King Stained Glass, St Ignatius Church Interior
The Mob and the Peggy Stewart
Growing tensions between the colony of Maryland and Britain over British treatment of the American colonists, turned violent in October, 1774 with the burning of the Peggy Stewart, a ship carrying tea and other items that Maryland's officials banned from the colony. The burning of the Peggy Stewart and its cargo of tea was one of a series of colonial actions against the British government. Within six months of the destruction of the Peggy Stewart, warfare began.
Burning of the Peggy Stewart with seven men in a boat beside it
The Peggy Stewart House
The Peggy Stewart House has had numerous owners with different ties to the American Revolution. On October 7, 1973, the property was listed by the National Park Service as a National Historic Landmark.
Postcard illustration of the two story brick house with a white porch and windows and black shutters
The March of Maryland’s Macaroni
Early in the Revolutionary War, the British taunted the Americans by singing a version of the song, "Yankee Doodle" with the lyrics of “Stuck a feather in his cap And called it macaroni.” The British suggested that the Americans were fools (or doodles) to think that the addition of feathers to the attire of unsophisticated Americans made them special. Learn what a "macaroni" was, and how Americans took an insulting song and made it their own.
Yankee Doodle a fifer and two dummers
John Hoskins Stone and the Revolutionary War
While forgotten by most people today, John Hoskins Stone is one of Maryland's great Founding Fathers. Stone helped establish the famed First Maryland Regiment, which turned the tide in many battles in the Revolutionary War. As Maryland's governor in the 1790s, he established standards in policy that modern governors still follow today.
American Revolution Minute Men
Daniel of St. Thomas Jenifer
Daniel of St. Thomas Jenifer, Thomas Stone's uncle, was one of Maryland's most important Revolutionary figures. A member of the Maryland Senate, Jenifer was appointed to the Continental Congress and ensured Maryland's troops were well supplied during the Revolutionary War. His best-known contribution to American History came in 1787 when he became one of 39 men to sign the United States Constitution.
a gentleman in colonial clothing
Resilient Forests Initiative - Managing Deer Impacts
A healthy forest needs to have enough tree seedlings and saplings to regenerate the forest canopy after a disturbance. Analysis of NPS I&M and other long-term datasets makes it clear that many eastern national parks lack adequate tree regeneration due to decades of over browsing by white-tailed deer.
Deer impacts
I&M Networks Support Resilient Forest Management
NPS Inventory and Monitoring Networks have been tracking forest health in eastern national parks since 2006. This monitoring information can guide resilient forest management and support parks in adapting to changing conditions through the actions described below.
Forest health monitoring
Managing Resilient Forests. A Regional Initiative
Forests cover tens of thousands of acres in eastern national parks and these critical resources face a range of interacting stressors: over-abundant white-tailed deer populations, invasive plant dominance, novel pests and pathogens, among other threats. The Resilient Forests Initiative will help parks address these issue collectively.
Forest health monitoring
Series: Managing Resilient Forests Initiative for Eastern National Parks
Forests in the northeastern U.S. are in peril. Over-abundant deer, invasive plants, and insect pests are impacting park forests, threatening to degrade the scenic vistas and forested landscapes that parks are renowned for. With regional collaboration, parks can manage these impacts and help forests be resilient. This article series explores tools available to park managers to achieve their goals.
Healthy forests have many native seedlings and saplings.
Resilient Forests Initiative - Managing Invasive Plants & Pests
Park forests are threatened by invasive plants and pests. Strategically tackling invasive plants to protect park’s highest priority natural resources and planning around forest pests and pathogens are important actions in managing resilient forests.
Forest Regeneration
2022 Freeman Tilden Award Recipients
View regional recipients of the National Park Service Freeman Tilden Award, which recognizes outstanding contributions to the practice of interpretation and education by a NPS employee.
Two women work with a tree while a young man records audio.