Thomas Stone National Historic Site

Visitors to the Thomas Stone Historic Site, located just 30 miles south of Washington, D.C., in Charles County, Maryland, will feel transported 200 years into the past.

Often called the Thomas Stone House, the house's official name is Habre de Venture, which means "a dwelling in the winds." It was the home of one of Maryland's four signers of the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Stone, who built the plantation home in 1770. The uniquely shaped five-part house has been open to the public as a National Historic Site since 1997.

The restored two-story house sits on 322 acres of the plantation's original 1,300 acres. Stone originally built just the main house and a detached kitchen. However, following his father's death in 1773, he added two wings to Habre de Venture's main Georgian section to accommodate the five siblings who came to live with Stone.

Within, visitors will find the house furnished with Stone's own law desk in the parlor and period décor. Without, visitors will find a tobacco barn, stables, the family cemetery, paths and a pond.

Thomas Stone was born into a wealthy and prominent Charles County family. His great-great grandfather, William Stone, was Maryland's first Protestant governor. Thomas' younger brothers, Michael and John, became a U.S. congressman and a Maryland governor, respectively. An uncle signed the U.S. Constitution.

A pacifist and a conservative, Stone was initially reluctant to support a war with Great Britain. However, by 1776, Stone had changed his mind, and, as a member of the Continental Congress, he signed the Declaration of Independence. Stone later served in the Maryland Senate from 1779 to 1785 and helped draft the Articles of Confederation. Stone died in 1787, just four months after his ailing wife. They're both buried at the site.

Habre de Venture remained in Stone's family until 1936. Habre de Venture was authorized as a National Historic Site in 1978. In the 1990s, the National Park Service later restored the house's exterior to its 1902 appearance.

The Thomas Stone National Historic Site also tells the stories of Native Americans who predated Stone by thousands of years and of the struggle with slavery that tore this country into two 80 years after Stone's death.

From Memorial Day to Labor Day, the house is open to the public for free tours daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The house is open just from Wednesday through Sunday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. through the winter. The last of the 30-minute tours begins at 4:30 p.m. The house is closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day. For parties of 16 or more, please make reservations online or by calling the park at (301) 392–1776.

Teachers wishing to make a field trip to the Thomas Stone National Historic Site are urged to make reservations early, as this national park site is very popular. No more than 60 students can attend the programs, which range from three-and-a-half to four hours. Click here for more details.

- by Ivonne Rovira, Washington Reporter for HelloMetro  (Click to leave a message)

Ivonne Rovira

A graduate of the prestigious Columbia University School of Journalism in New York City, Ivonne Rovira worked as a reporter for the Miami News, The Miami Herald and The Associated Press. She has written articles for The National Catholic Reporter and The Courier-Journal. For more than 15 years, Ivonne wrote and edited articles aimed at middle-school children.