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{{short description|Historic house in Maryland, United States}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2023}}
{{Infobox NRHP
{{Infobox NRHP
| name = Montpelier
| name = Montpelier
| nrhp_type = nhl
| nrhp_type = nhl
| image = Montpellier_Maryland_2.jpg
| image = Montpellier Maryland 2.jpg
| caption = Montpelier in May 2007
| caption = Montpelier in May 2007
| nearest_city = [[Laurel, Maryland]]
| nearest_city = [[Laurel, Maryland]]
| coordinates = {{coord|39|3|54|N|76|50|42|W|display=inline,title}}
| coordinates = {{coord|39|3|54|N|76|50|42|W|display=inline,title}}
| locmapin = Maryland#USA
| locmapin = Maryland#USA
| area = {{convert|110|acre}}<ref name="nrhpinv2"/>
| area = {{convert|110|acre}}<ref name="nrhpinv2"/>
| built = 1748<ref name="nris"/> or 1783<ref name=History />
| built = 1748<ref name="nris"/> or 1783<ref name=History />
| architect = Unknown
| architect =
| architecture = [[Georgian architecture|Georgian]]
| architecture = [[Georgian architecture|Georgian]]
| designated_nrhp_type = April 15, 1970<ref name="nhlsum">{{cite web|url=http://tps.cr.nps.gov/nhl/detail.cfm?ResourceId=1030&ResourceType=Building |title=Montpelier |accessdate=2008-10-29|work=National Historic Landmark summary listing|publisher=National Park Service}}</ref>
| designated_nrhp_type = April 15, 1970<ref name="nhlsum">{{cite web |url=http://tps.cr.nps.gov/nhl/detail.cfm?ResourceId=1030&ResourceType=Building |title=Montpelier |access-date=2008-10-29 |work=National Historic Landmark summary listing |publisher=National Park Service |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090308070328/http://tps.cr.nps.gov/nhl/detail.cfm?ResourceId=1030&ResourceType=Building |archive-date=2009-03-08 }}</ref>
| added = April 17, 1970<ref name="nris">{{NRISref|2008a}}</ref>
| added = April 17, 1970<ref name="nris">{{NRISref|2008a}}</ref>
⚫
| refnum = 70000852
| governing_body = State ([[Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission]])
}}
⚫
| refnum = 70000852}}


Located [[South Laurel, Maryland|south]] of [[Laurel, Maryland|Laurel]] in [[Prince George's County, Maryland|Prince George's County]], [[Maryland]], [[United States]], '''Montpelier Mansion''' is a five-part, [[Georgian architecture|Georgian]] style [[Plantation house in the Southern United States|plantation house]] most likely constructed between 1781 and 1785.<ref name=History>{{cite web |url=http://www.pgparks.com/places/eleganthistoric/montpelier_history.html |title=Montpelier Mansion History |accessdate=2008-04-13 |publisher=[[Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission]] }}</ref> It has also been known as the '''Snowden-Long House''', '''New Birmingham''', or simply '''Montpelier'''.<ref name="nris"/> Built by Major Thomas Snowden and his wife Anne, the house is now a [[National Historic Landmark]] operated as a [[house museum]]. The home and {{convert|70|acre}} remain of what was once a [[slave]] [[plantations in the American South|plantation]] of about {{convert|9000|acre}}.<ref name=NWHM>{{cite web |url=http://www.nmwh.org/home/goodolddays_MD.htm |title=Historic Homes in Maryland |accessdate=2008-07-15 |work=Self Guided Walking Tours of Women's History Sites |publisher=National Museum of Women's History }}</ref>
'''Montpelier Mansion''', sometimes known as the '''Snowden-Long House''', '''New Birmingham''', or simply '''Montpelier''',<ref name="nris"/> is a five-part, [[Georgian architecture|Georgian]] style [[Plantation house in the Southern United States|plantation house]] located [[South Laurel, Maryland|south]] of [[Laurel, Maryland|Laurel]] in [[Prince George's County, Maryland]]. It was most likely constructed between 1781 and 1785.<ref name=History>{{cite web |url=http://www.pgparks.com/places/eleganthistoric/montpelier_history.html |title=Montpelier Mansion History |access-date=2008-04-13 |publisher=[[Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080512143816/http://www.pgparks.com/places/eleganthistoric/montpelier_history.html |archive-date=2008-05-12 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Built by Major Thomas Snowden and his wife Anne, the house is now a [[National Historic Landmark]] operated as a [[house museum]]. The home and {{convert|70|acre}} remain of what was once a [[slave]] [[plantations in the American South|plantation]] of about {{convert|9000|acre}}.<ref name=NWHM>{{cite web|url=http://www.nmwh.org/home/goodolddays_MD.htm |title=Historic Homes in Maryland |access-date=2008-07-15 |work=Self Guided Walking Tours of Women's History Sites |publisher=National Museum of Women's History |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090106164315/http://www.nmwh.org/home/goodolddays_MD.htm |archive-date=2009-01-06 }}</ref>


It was declared a [[National Historic Landmark]] in 1970.<ref name="nrhpinv2">{{Cite book|title=National Register of Historic Places Inventory-Nomination: Montpelier / Snowden-Long House, New Birmingham|url={{NHLS url|id=70000852}} |format=pdf|date=January 15, 1970 |publisher=National Park Service |author1=Mrs. Preston Parish}} and {{NHLS url|id=70000852|title=''Accompanying three photos, exterior, from 1970''|photos=y}}&nbsp;{{small|(32&nbsp;KB)}}</ref><ref name="nhlsum"/>
It was declared a [[National Historic Landmark]] in 1970, primarily for its architecture.<ref name="nrhpinv2">{{Cite book|title=National Register of Historic Places Inventory-Nomination: Montpelier / Snowden-Long House, New Birmingham|url={{NHLS url|id=70000852}} |format=pdf|date=January 15, 1970 |publisher=National Park Service |author1=Mrs. Preston Parish}} and {{NHLS url|id=70000852|title=''Accompanying three photos, exterior, from 1970''|photos=y}}&nbsp;{{small|(32&nbsp;KB)}}</ref><ref name="nhlsum"/>


==History==
==History==
Richard Snowden originally migrated to America in 1658 from [[Birmingham|Birmingham, England]],<ref>{{cite web |last=Morley |first=Dr. L.B. |url=http://www.pwrc.usgs.gov/history/cronhist/morley4.pdf |title=Early History of Patuxent Wildlife Research Center |accessdate=2008-07-15 |format=PDF |publisher=Patuxent Wildlife Research Center |year=c. 1948 |page=9 }}</ref> where his family had settled for many years after originating in [[Wales]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.snowden-warfield.com/index.htm |title=Snowden and Warfield Family Genealogy Website |accessdate=2008-07-15 |publisher=Dr. George A. Sheele, MD }}</ref> Richard the immigrant had a son, Richard Junior (1719–1753),<ref name=graves>{{cite book |title=Historic Graves of Maryland and the District of Columbia |last=Ridgely |first=Helen W. |year=1908 |publisher=The Grafton Press |location=New York |page=89 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=81odAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA89&lpg=PA89 |accessdate=2008-07-15 }}</ref> who had a son, Richard the "iron master"<ref name=Hammond>{{cite book |title=Colonial Mansions of Maryland and Delaware |last=Hammond |first=John Martin |year=1914 |publisher=J.B. Lippincott |location=Philadelphia |pages=91–95 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=I00AAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA91-IA2&lpg=PA93 |accessdate=2008-07-15 }}</ref> (d. 1763).<ref name=H101>Hammond 1914, p. 101</ref> Richard the iron master acquired much wealth through an iron forge, mining local iron.<ref name=H101 /> Richard then had a son, Thomas (1722–1770), who had a son Major Thomas (1751–1803),<ref name=descent>{{cite book |title=Americans of Royal Descent |author=Browning, C.H. (ed.) |year=1883 |publisher=Porter & Coates |location=Philadelphia |page=190 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2i0BAAAAQAAJ&pg=PA190&lpg=PA190 |accessdate=2008-07-15 }}</ref> so called because of his service in the [[American Revolution]].<ref name=Hammond /> Major Thomas married Anne Ridgely,<ref name=descent /> who was raised at an earlier estate named [[Montpelier Mansion (Fulton, Maryland)|Montpelier]] in [[Fulton, Maryland]], and built the Mansion circa 1783.<ref name=History />
Richard Snowden originally migrated to America in 1658 from [[Birmingham|Birmingham, England]],<ref>{{cite web |last=Morley |first=Dr. L.B. |url=http://www.pwrc.usgs.gov/history/cronhist/morley4.pdf |title=Early History of Patuxent Wildlife Research Center |access-date=2008-07-15 |publisher=Patuxent Wildlife Research Center |year=c. 1948 |page=9 }}</ref> where his family had settled for many years after originating in [[Wales]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.snowden-warfield.com/index.htm |title=Snowden and Warfield Family Genealogy Website |access-date=2008-07-15 |publisher=Dr. George A. Sheele, MD }}</ref> Richard the immigrant had a son, Richard (1719–1753),<ref name=graves>{{cite book |title=Historic Graves of Maryland and the District of Columbia |last=Ridgely |first=Helen W. |year=1908 |publisher=The Grafton Press |location=New York |page=[https://archive.org/details/historicgravesm00ridggoog/page/n123 89] |url=https://archive.org/details/historicgravesm00ridggoog |access-date=2008-07-15 }}</ref> who had a son, [[Richard Snowden (ironmaster)|Richard]] the "iron master"<ref name=Hammond>{{cite book |title=Colonial Mansions of Maryland and Delaware |last=Hammond |first=John Martin |year=1914 |publisher=J.B. Lippincott |location=Philadelphia |pages=[https://archive.org/details/colonialmansion00hammgoog/page/n147 91]–95 |url=https://archive.org/details/colonialmansion00hammgoog |access-date=2008-07-15 }}</ref> (d. 1763).<ref name=H101>Hammond 1914, p. 101</ref> Richard the iron master acquired much wealth through an iron forge, mining local iron.<ref name=H101 /> Richard then had a son, Thomas (1722–1770), who had a son Major Thomas (1751–1803),<ref name=descent>{{cite book |title=Americans of Royal Descent |editor=Browning, C.H. |year=1883 |publisher=Porter & Coates |location=Philadelphia |page=190 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2i0BAAAAQAAJ&pg=PA190 |access-date=2008-07-15 }}</ref> so called because of his service in the [[American Revolution]].<ref name=Hammond /> Major Thomas married Anne Ridgely,<ref name=descent /> who was raised at an earlier estate named [[Montpelier Mansion (Fulton, Maryland)|Montpelier]] in [[Fulton, Maryland]], and built the Mansion circa 1783.<ref name=History />


Their son Nicholas Snowden, who had been born at the mansion in 1786, was its next owner, until he died in 1831. (His son Nicholas N. Snowden, also born at the mansion, became a farmer next to [[Avondale Mill]], and died at [[First Battle of Bull Run|Manassas]] while serving in the [[1st Maryland Infantry, CSA]].)<ref>{{cite book|title=Maryland's Blue & Gray: A Border State's Union and Confederate Junior|first=Kevin Conley|last=Ruffner|page=326|isbn=978-0-8071-4182-3}}</ref> The home then passed to Nicholas' daughter Julianna Maria who married Dr. Theodore Jenkins there in 1835. Dr. Jenkins died in 1866 and upon Mrs. Jenkins' later death, the mansion passed to her children<ref name=Hammond /> who kept ownership in the family until 1890.<ref name=History /> The home was later owned by speculative investors W.P. Davis and Martin W. Chollar. In 1895, it was sold to Josephine D. Taylor of New York as a summer home. Its title went to Lewis H. Blakeman of New York in 1900, then to New York writer Edmund H. Pendleton who lived there from 1905 until his death in 1910,<ref name=Hammond /> having made it his winter home.<ref>{{cite book |title=The Founders of Anne Arundel and Howard Counties, Maryland |last=Warfield |first=Joshua Dorsey |year=1905 |publisher=Kohn & Pollock |location=Baltimore |page=363 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vgINAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA363&lpg=PA362 |accessdate=2008-07-15 }}</ref> Pendleton's estate sold the mansion to Otto V. von Schrader in 1911.<ref name=Hammond />
Their son Nicholas Snowden, who had been born at the mansion in 1786, was its next owner, until he died in 1831. (His son Nicholas N. Snowden, also born at the mansion, became a farmer next to [[Avondale Mill]], and died at [[First Battle of Bull Run|Manassas]] while serving in the [[1st Maryland Infantry, CSA]].)<ref>{{cite book|title=Maryland's Blue & Gray: A Border State's Union and Confederate Junior|first=Kevin Conley|last=Ruffner|year=1997|page=326|publisher=LSU Press |isbn=978-0-8071-4182-3}}</ref> The home then passed to Nicholas' daughter Julianna Maria who married Dr. Theodore Jenkins there in 1835. Dr. Jenkins died in 1866 and upon Mrs. Jenkins' later death, the mansion passed to her children<ref name=Hammond /> who kept ownership in the family until 1890.<ref name=History /> The home was later owned by speculative investors W.P. Davis and Martin W. Chollar. In 1895, it was sold to Josephine D. Taylor of New York as a summer home. Its title went to Lewis H. Blakeman of New York in 1900, then to New York writer Edmund H. Pendleton who lived there from 1905 until his death in 1910,<ref name=Hammond /> having made it his winter home.<ref>{{cite book |title=The Founders of Anne Arundel and Howard Counties, Maryland |last=Warfield |first=Joshua Dorsey |year=1905 |publisher=Kohn & Pollock |location=Baltimore |page=[https://archive.org/details/foundersofannear00warf_0/page/363 363] |url=https://archive.org/details/foundersofannear00warf_0 |access-date=2008-07-15 }}</ref> Pendleton's estate sold the mansion to Otto V. von Schrader in 1911.<ref name=Hammond />


After a succession of other owners, mansion ownership transferred in 1928<ref>{{cite web |url=http://lcweb2.loc.gov/pnp/habshaer/md/md0500/md0535/data/md0535data.pdf |title=Montpelier |last=Lavoie |first=Catherine C. |date=February 1991 |website=Historic American Buildings Survey |publisher=Library of Congress |location=Washington, D.C. |page=6 |accessdate=2008-07-16}}</ref> to [[Breckinridge Long]], [[undersecretary#United States|Undersecretary of State]]<ref>{{cite book |title=Images of America: Prince George's County Maryland |last=Bryant |first=Katherine D. |author2=Schneider, Donna L. |year=1999 |publisher=Arcadia |page=47 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=k5FhqFvMyykC&pg=PA47&lpg=PA47 |accessdate=2008-07-15 |isbn=0-7385-0265-0 }}</ref> under [[Franklin D. Roosevelt]] and [[United States Ambassador to Italy]] from 1933 to 1936.<ref name=Colbert>{{cite book |title=Maryland and Delaware: Off the Beaten Path |last=Colbert |first=Judy |year=2007 |publisher=Globe Pequot |location=[[Guilford, Connecticut]] |page=88 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lYny4tkhFgkC&pg=PA88&lpg=PA88 |accessdate=2008-07-15 |isbn=0-7627-4418-9 }}</ref> Long's daughter Christine L. Willcox, the mansion's last private owner,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.pghistory.org/Awards.html#1980 |title=St. George's Day Awards |accessdate=2008-07-15 |publisher=Prince George's County Historical Society }}</ref> donated the property to the [[Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission]] in 1961. It was shown to the public as part of the [[U.S. Bicentennial]] celebrations in 1976. The same year, a barn budgeted to become a public arts center was destroyed by arson.<ref>{{cite news|newspaper=The Washington Post|title=Two Girls Arrested In Laurel Barn Fire|date=18 December 1976}}</ref> The Mansion was renovated in the 1980s with funds from a state [[grant (money)|grant]]. The historic home was opened as a public tourist attraction in 1985,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.laurelartguild.org/montpelier.html |title=Montpelier |accessdate=2008-07-15 |publisher=Laurel Art Guild }}</ref> reflecting its ownership by Nicholas Snowden<ref name=NWHM /> in 1830. The mansion can be rented for conferences and weddings and the grounds serve as a cultural center, hosting special exhibitions and performances.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.greaterwash.org/AGW-Best-Practices-Nov2003.pdf |title=What Works: Best Practices for Sensible & Sustainable Growth |accessdate=2008-07-13 |format=PDF |publisher=A Greater Washington |date=November 2003 }}</ref>
After a succession of other owners, mansion ownership transferred in 1928<ref>{{cite web|url=http://lcweb2.loc.gov/pnp/habshaer/md/md0500/md0535/data/md0535data.pdf |title=Montpelier |last=Lavoie |first=Catherine C. |date=February 1991 |website=Historic American Buildings Survey |publisher=Library of Congress |location=Washington, D.C. |page=6 |access-date=2008-07-16 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121021212141/http://lcweb2.loc.gov/pnp/habshaer/md/md0500/md0535/data/md0535data.pdf |archive-date=2012-10-21 }}</ref> to [[Breckinridge Long]], [[undersecretary#United States|Undersecretary of State]]<ref>{{cite book |title=Images of America: Prince George's County Maryland |last=Bryant |first=Katherine D. |author2=Schneider, Donna L. |year=1999 |publisher=Arcadia |page=47 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=k5FhqFvMyykC&pg=PA47 |access-date=2008-07-15 |isbn=0-7385-0265-0 }}</ref> under [[Franklin D. Roosevelt]] and [[United States Ambassador to Italy]] from 1933 to 1936.<ref name=Colbert>{{cite book |title=Maryland and Delaware: Off the Beaten Path |last=Colbert |first=Judy |year=2007 |publisher=Globe Pequot |location=[[Guilford, Connecticut]] |page=88 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lYny4tkhFgkC&pg=PA88 |access-date=2008-07-15 |isbn=978-0-7627-4418-3 }}</ref> Long's daughter Christine L. Willcox, the mansion's last private owner,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.pghistory.org/Awards.html#1980 |title=St. George's Day Awards |access-date=2008-07-15 |publisher=Prince George's County Historical Society |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080516215509/http://www.pghistory.org/Awards.html |archive-date=2008-05-16 }}</ref> donated the property to the [[Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission]] in 1961. It was shown to the public as part of the [[U.S. Bicentennial]] celebrations in 1976. The same year, a barn budgeted to become a public arts center was destroyed by arson.<ref>{{cite news|newspaper=The Washington Post|title=Two Girls Arrested In Laurel Barn Fire|date=18 December 1976}}</ref> The Mansion was renovated in the 1980s with funds from a state [[grant (money)|grant]]. The historic home was opened as a public tourist attraction in 1985,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.laurelartguild.org/montpelier.html |title=Montpelier |access-date=2008-07-15 |publisher=Laurel Art Guild }}</ref> reflecting its ownership by Nicholas Snowden<ref name=NWHM /> in 1830. The mansion can be rented for conferences and weddings and the grounds serve as a cultural center, hosting special exhibitions and performances.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.greaterwash.org/AGW-Best-Practices-Nov2003.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060716232434/http://www.greaterwash.org/AGW-Best-Practices-Nov2003.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-date=2006-07-16 |title=What Works: Best Practices for Sensible & Sustainable Growth |access-date=2008-07-13 |publisher=A Greater Washington |date=November 2003 }}</ref>


==Famous Visitors==
==Famous visitors==
*[[Abigail Adams]]<ref name=Mansion>{{cite web |url=http://www.pgparks.com/places/eleganthistoric/montpelier_intro.html |title=Montpelier Mansion Introduction |accessdate=2008-04-13 |publisher=[[Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission]] }}</ref>
*[[Abigail Adams]]<ref name=Mansion>{{cite web |url=http://www.pgparks.com/places/eleganthistoric/montpelier_intro.html |title=Montpelier Mansion Introduction |access-date=2008-04-13 |publisher=[[Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080321135338/http://www.pgparks.com/places/eleganthistoric/montpelier_intro.html |archive-date=2008-03-21 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
*[[Franklin D. Roosevelt]]<ref name=Colbert />
*[[Franklin D. Roosevelt]]<ref name=Colbert />
*[[George Washington]], at least twice (May and September 1787) on his way to and from Philadelphia as a delegate to the [[Philadelphia Convention|Constitutional Convention]]<ref name=slept>{{cite web |url=http://www.mdisfun.org/pressroom/evergreenreleases/George_Washington_Really_Did_Sleep_Here_Interior_Page.html |title=George Washington Really Did Sleep Here |accessdate=2008-07-15 |work=Evergreen Press Releases |publisher=Maryland Office of Tourism |date=February 2004 }} {{Dead link|date=October 2010|bot=H3llBot}}</ref>
*[[George Washington]], at least twice (May and September 1787) on his way to and from Philadelphia as a delegate to the [[Philadelphia Convention|Constitutional Convention]]<ref name=slept>{{cite web |url=http://www.mdisfun.org/pressroom/evergreenreleases/George_Washington_Really_Did_Sleep_Here_Interior_Page.html |title=George Washington Really Did Sleep Here |access-date=2008-07-15 |work=Evergreen Press Releases |publisher=Maryland Office of Tourism |date=February 2004}} {{Dead link|date=October 2010|bot=H3llBot}}</ref>
*[[Martha Washington]], on the way to her husband's first presidential inauguration in 1789<ref name=slept />
*[[Martha Washington]], on the way to her husband's first presidential inauguration in 1789<ref name=slept />
*[[Woodrow Wilson]]<ref name=Colbert />
*[[Woodrow Wilson]]<ref name=Colbert />
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Montpelier is a five-part Georgian country house with a central block and flanking end pavilions connected to the main block by [[hyphen (architecture)|hyphens]]. The two-story central block has a five-bay elevation, with a projecting three-bay pavilion topped by a pediment. The hipped roof features large projecting chimneys emerging about halfway up the roofline. The front and rear doors are similar in character, with flanking pilasters and an open pediment The interior features carved woodwork. The paneling in the drawing room conceals a secret doorway leading to a set of stairs.<ref name="nrhpinv2"/>
Montpelier is a five-part Georgian country house with a central block and flanking end pavilions connected to the main block by [[hyphen (architecture)|hyphens]]. The two-story central block has a five-bay elevation, with a projecting three-bay pavilion topped by a pediment. The hipped roof features large projecting chimneys emerging about halfway up the roofline. The front and rear doors are similar in character, with flanking pilasters and an open pediment The interior features carved woodwork. The paneling in the drawing room conceals a secret doorway leading to a set of stairs.<ref name="nrhpinv2"/>


In 1970, the house was set in formal gardens. Three terraces were outlined in [[buxus|boxwood]] hedges and arranged as an [[allée]]. A boxwood maze near the south wing was stated to be more than 200 years old.<ref name="nrhpinv2"/> Most of the boxwood hedges have since been removed. A hexagonal eighteenth century [[Summer house|summerhouse]] is located at the end of the allée.<ref name="nrhpinv2"/>
In 1970, the house was set in formal gardens. Three terraces were outlined in [[buxus|boxwood]] hedges and arranged as an [[allée]]. A boxwood maze near the south wing was stated to be more than 200 years old.<ref name="nrhpinv2"/> Most of the boxwood hedges have since been removed. A hexagonal eighteenth-century [[Summer house|summerhouse]] is located at the end of the allée.<ref name="nrhpinv2"/>


== Gallery ==
==Gallery==
<gallery>
<gallery>
Image:Montpellier Mansion.jpg|Montpelier in May 2007
Montpellier Mansion.jpg|Montpelier in May 2007
Image:Montpellier_Summer_House.jpg|The Montpelier Summer House in May 2007
Montpellier_Summer_House.jpg|The Montpelier Summer House in May 2007
Image:Montpelier Gardens 13.jpg|The Gardens at Montpelier
Montpelier Gardens 13.jpg|The Gardens at Montpelier
Image:Montpelier Gardens 140.jpg|The Gardens at Montpelier
Montpelier Gardens 140.jpg|The Gardens at Montpelier
Image:Montpelier Gardens 15.jpg|The Gardens at Montpelier
Montpelier Gardens 15.jpg|The Gardens at Montpelier
</gallery>
</gallery>

==See also==
*[[List of National Historic Landmarks in Maryland]]
*[[National Register of Historic Places listings in Prince George's County, Maryland]]


==References==
==References==
{{reflist|2}}
{{reflist}}


==External links==
==External links==
{{Commons category|Montpellier Mansion}}
{{Commons category|Montpelier Mansion}}
*{{Official website |http://www.pgparks.com/places/eleganthistoric/montpelier_intro.html}}
*{{Official website |https://www.pgparks.com/facilities/montpelier-mansion-historic-site}}
*{{MHT url|id=34|title=Montpelier, Prince George's County}}, including undated photo, at Maryland Historical Trust
*{{MHT url|id=34|title=Montpelier, Prince George's County}}, including undated photo, at Maryland Historical Trust
*{{HABS |survey=MD-140 |id=md0535 |title=Montpelier, Montpelier Drive & State Route 197, Laurel vicinity, Prince George's County, MD |photos=50 |data=24 |cap=2}}
*{{HABS |survey=MD-140 |id=md0535 |title=Montpelier, Montpelier Drive & State Route 197, Laurel vicinity, Prince George's County, MD |photos=50 |data=24 |cap=2}}
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[[Category:Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Maryland]]
[[Category:Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Maryland]]
[[Category:Historic house museums in Maryland]]
[[Category:Historic house museums in Maryland]]
[[Category:History of Maryland]]
[[Category:Plantation houses in Maryland]]
[[Category:Plantation houses in Maryland]]
[[Category:Museums in Prince George's County, Maryland]]
[[Category:Museums in Prince George's County, Maryland]]

Latest revision as of 06:12, 14 September 2024

Montpelier
Montpelier in May 2007
Montpelier Mansion (Laurel, Maryland) is located in Maryland
Montpelier Mansion (Laurel, Maryland)
Montpelier Mansion (Laurel, Maryland) is located in the United States
Montpelier Mansion (Laurel, Maryland)
Nearest cityLaurel, Maryland
Coordinates39°3′54″N 76°50′42″W / 39.06500°N 76.84500°W / 39.06500; -76.84500
Area110 acres (45 ha)[1]
Built1748[2] or 1783[3]
Architectural styleGeorgian
NRHP reference No.70000852
Significant dates
Added to NRHPApril 17, 1970[2]
Designated NHLApril 15, 1970[4]

Montpelier Mansion, sometimes known as the Snowden-Long House, New Birmingham, or simply Montpelier,[2] is a five-part, Georgian style plantation house located south of Laurel in Prince George's County, Maryland. It was most likely constructed between 1781 and 1785.[3] Built by Major Thomas Snowden and his wife Anne, the house is now a National Historic Landmark operated as a house museum. The home and 70 acres (28 ha) remain of what was once a slave plantation of about 9,000 acres (3,600 ha).[5]

It was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1970, primarily for its architecture.[1][4]

History

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Richard Snowden originally migrated to America in 1658 from Birmingham, England,[6] where his family had settled for many years after originating in Wales.[7] Richard the immigrant had a son, Richard (1719–1753),[8] who had a son, Richard the "iron master"[9] (d. 1763).[10] Richard the iron master acquired much wealth through an iron forge, mining local iron.[10] Richard then had a son, Thomas (1722–1770), who had a son Major Thomas (1751–1803),[11] so called because of his service in the American Revolution.[9] Major Thomas married Anne Ridgely,[11] who was raised at an earlier estate named Montpelier in Fulton, Maryland, and built the Mansion circa 1783.[3]

Their son Nicholas Snowden, who had been born at the mansion in 1786, was its next owner, until he died in 1831. (His son Nicholas N. Snowden, also born at the mansion, became a farmer next to Avondale Mill, and died at Manassas while serving in the 1st Maryland Infantry, CSA.)[12] The home then passed to Nicholas' daughter Julianna Maria who married Dr. Theodore Jenkins there in 1835. Dr. Jenkins died in 1866 and upon Mrs. Jenkins' later death, the mansion passed to her children[9] who kept ownership in the family until 1890.[3] The home was later owned by speculative investors W.P. Davis and Martin W. Chollar. In 1895, it was sold to Josephine D. Taylor of New York as a summer home. Its title went to Lewis H. Blakeman of New York in 1900, then to New York writer Edmund H. Pendleton who lived there from 1905 until his death in 1910,[9] having made it his winter home.[13] Pendleton's estate sold the mansion to Otto V. von Schrader in 1911.[9]

After a succession of other owners, mansion ownership transferred in 1928[14] to Breckinridge Long, Undersecretary of State[15] under Franklin D. Roosevelt and United States Ambassador to Italy from 1933 to 1936.[16] Long's daughter Christine L. Willcox, the mansion's last private owner,[17] donated the property to the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission in 1961. It was shown to the public as part of the U.S. Bicentennial celebrations in 1976. The same year, a barn budgeted to become a public arts center was destroyed by arson.[18] The Mansion was renovated in the 1980s with funds from a state grant. The historic home was opened as a public tourist attraction in 1985,[19] reflecting its ownership by Nicholas Snowden[5] in 1830. The mansion can be rented for conferences and weddings and the grounds serve as a cultural center, hosting special exhibitions and performances.[20]

Famous visitors

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Description

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Montpelier is a five-part Georgian country house with a central block and flanking end pavilions connected to the main block by hyphens. The two-story central block has a five-bay elevation, with a projecting three-bay pavilion topped by a pediment. The hipped roof features large projecting chimneys emerging about halfway up the roofline. The front and rear doors are similar in character, with flanking pilasters and an open pediment The interior features carved woodwork. The paneling in the drawing room conceals a secret doorway leading to a set of stairs.[1]

In 1970, the house was set in formal gardens. Three terraces were outlined in boxwood hedges and arranged as an allée. A boxwood maze near the south wing was stated to be more than 200 years old.[1] Most of the boxwood hedges have since been removed. A hexagonal eighteenth-century summerhouse is located at the end of the allée.[1]

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  • Montpelier in May 2007
    Montpelier in May 2007
  • The Montpelier Summer House in May 2007
    The Montpelier Summer House in May 2007
  • The Gardens at Montpelier
    The Gardens at Montpelier
  • The Gardens at Montpelier
    The Gardens at Montpelier
  • The Gardens at Montpelier
    The Gardens at Montpelier

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d e Mrs. Preston Parish (January 15, 1970). National Register of Historic Places Inventory-Nomination: Montpelier / Snowden-Long House, New Birmingham (pdf). National Park Service. and Accompanying three photos, exterior, from 1970 (32 KB)
  2. ^ a b c "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. April 15, 2008.
  3. ^ a b c d "Montpelier Mansion History". Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission. Archived from the original on May 12, 2008. Retrieved April 13, 2008.
  4. ^ a b "Montpelier". National Historic Landmark summary listing. National Park Service. Archived from the original on March 8, 2009. Retrieved October 29, 2008.
  5. ^ a b "Historic Homes in Maryland". Self Guided Walking Tours of Women's History Sites. National Museum of Women's History. Archived from the original on January 6, 2009. Retrieved July 15, 2008.
  6. ^ Morley, Dr. L.B. (c. 1948). "Early History of Patuxent Wildlife Research Center" (PDF). Patuxent Wildlife Research Center. p. 9. Retrieved July 15, 2008.
  7. ^ "Snowden and Warfield Family Genealogy Website". Dr. George A. Sheele, MD. Retrieved July 15, 2008.
  8. ^ Ridgely, Helen W. (1908). Historic Graves of Maryland and the District of Columbia. New York: The Grafton Press. p. 89. Retrieved July 15, 2008.
  9. ^ a b c d e Hammond, John Martin (1914). Colonial Mansions of Maryland and Delaware. Philadelphia: J.B. Lippincott. pp. 91–95. Retrieved July 15, 2008.
  10. ^ a b Hammond 1914, p. 101
  11. ^ a b Browning, C.H., ed. (1883). Americans of Royal Descent. Philadelphia: Porter & Coates. p. 190. Retrieved July 15, 2008.
  12. ^ Ruffner, Kevin Conley (1997). Maryland's Blue & Gray: A Border State's Union and Confederate Junior. LSU Press. p. 326. ISBN 978-0-8071-4182-3.
  13. ^ Warfield, Joshua Dorsey (1905). The Founders of Anne Arundel and Howard Counties, Maryland. Baltimore: Kohn & Pollock. p. 363. Retrieved July 15, 2008.
  14. ^ Lavoie, Catherine C. (February 1991). "Montpelier" (PDF). Historic American Buildings Survey. Washington, D.C.: Library of Congress. p. 6. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 21, 2012. Retrieved July 16, 2008.
  15. ^ Bryant, Katherine D.; Schneider, Donna L. (1999). Images of America: Prince George's County Maryland. Arcadia. p. 47. ISBN 0-7385-0265-0. Retrieved July 15, 2008.
  16. ^ a b c Colbert, Judy (2007). Maryland and Delaware: Off the Beaten Path. Guilford, Connecticut: Globe Pequot. p. 88. ISBN 978-0-7627-4418-3. Retrieved July 15, 2008.
  17. ^ "St. George's Day Awards". Prince George's County Historical Society. Archived from the original on May 16, 2008. Retrieved July 15, 2008.
  18. ^ "Two Girls Arrested In Laurel Barn Fire". The Washington Post. December 18, 1976.
  19. ^ "Montpelier". Laurel Art Guild. Retrieved July 15, 2008.
  20. ^ "What Works: Best Practices for Sensible & Sustainable Growth" (PDF). A Greater Washington. November 2003. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 16, 2006. Retrieved July 13, 2008.
  21. ^ "Montpelier Mansion Introduction". Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission. Archived from the original on March 21, 2008. Retrieved April 13, 2008.
  22. ^ a b "George Washington Really Did Sleep Here". Evergreen Press Releases. Maryland Office of Tourism. February 2004. Retrieved July 15, 2008. [dead link‍]
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