Benson–Hammond House

Originally built around 1820 and enlarged around 1870, the Benson–Hammond House is the last farmhouse remaining on the tract of land that is occupied by the Baltimore/Washington Thurgood Marshall Airport. It is now a museum operated by Ann Arrundell County Historical Society and features numerous artifacts on display including antique artifacts, furniture and textiles. The Society also operates the Kuethe Library Historical & Research Center located nearby in Glen Burnie, which houses the Society's collection of photographs, books, documents, artifacts and other items. The house was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1990.

According to historical records, a farmer named Thomas Benson originally built the house around 1820. He bought two tracts of land in 1809 and then a third in 1815. He and his family apparently lived in a log house before building the house. His son, Joseph, acquired the property as an adult and built an addition on the house after the Civil War in ca.1870. He and his wife, Mary, had eleven children. He died in 1882 and five years later the farm, which was 152 acres in size, was purchased by John T. Hammond and his father, Rezin Hammond. It appears the Hammond family owned the property until the city acquired it in 1947 to build the airport, which was first called Friendship Airport.

The Ann Arrundell County Historical Society was founded in 1962 to preserve and promote the county's history. It's first location and museum was a former power station building in Severna Park. The Society acquired the house in 1972 and leased it from the Maryland Department of Transportation to restore and operate it as a museum. It opened in May 1981 and then merged its collection with that of the Anne Arundel Genealogical Society. The Ann Arrundell County Historical Society acquired the Kuethe Library in 1991 after the county library closed its branch there. As a result, the two collections were moved to the former library.

"About Us." Ann Arrundell County Historical Society. Accessed August 17, 2022. http://www.aachs.org/about.

Ware, Donna. "Benson-Hammond House." National Park Service - National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form. April 5, 1990. https://mht.maryland.gov/secure/medusa/PDF/NR_PDFs/NR-1050.pdf.