Montpelier Mansion
Introduction
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Montpelier Mansion in Laurel, Maryland (not to be confused with Montpelier in Orange, Virginia, home of President James Madison) is the former house Major Thomas Snowden and his wife Anne and is an example of Georgian country architecture. The house sits on approximately 70 acres of beautiful parkland. Architectural and building construction details, as well as historical research, suggest that the house was constructed between 1781 and 1785. Major Thomas Snowden and his wife Anne, original owners of Montpelier Mansion, welcomed many distinguished guests into their home, including George Washington and Abigail Adams. The house is a US National Historic Landmark and is on the National Register for Historic Places.
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Montpelier Mansion of Laurel MD
Backstory and Context
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Montpelier Mansion, a National Historic Landmark, is operated as a house museum and rental facility. Select rooms have been researched and furnished as they would have appeared from the end of the 18th century until 1830. A boxwood-lined pathway runs through the garden to the original 18th-century summer house. In addition to the Snowdens, the house was home to a plantation, ironworks, and 169 enslaved people.
George Washington spent the night at the Snowden house on May 9, 1787, traveling from Mount Vernon to the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and again on September 21 of that year on his return journey. Martha Washington also stayed here on May 18, 1789, on her way up to New York City for the inauguration of George Washington.
The house after Snowden passed to his son Nicholas Snowden in 1803 and passed through various owners until 1961 when it was donated to the Maryland National Capital Park and Planning Commission. A state grant enabled the renovation of the house, and it opened to the public in 1985.
Sources
Montpelier House Museum, Parks & Recreation. Accessed August 19th, 2024. https://www.pgparks.com/facilities/montpelier-house-museum.
NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES INVENTORY - NOMINATION FORM, National Park Service. Accessed August 19th, 2024. https://npgallery.nps.gov/NRHP/GetAsset/5a61d7d1-df8c-44f6-b7ff-c112941486c5.
Laurel Art Guild. Accessed August 19th, 2024. https://www.laurelartguild.org/montpelier.html.