National Historic Landmark

Riversdale

Riverdale, Prince George's County, Maryland
Listed
April 10, 1973
Type
Building
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
73002166

About this property

Riversdale, is a five-part, large-scale late Georgian mansion with superior Federal interior, built between 1801 and 1807. Also known as Baltimore House, Calvert Mansion or Riversdale Mansion, it is located at 4811 Riverdale Road in Riverdale Park, Maryland, and is open to the public as a museum. Once the manor house and centerpiece of a 739-acre (2.99 km2) slave plantation, Riversdale was built for Belgian émigré Henri Joseph Stier, who lived in the William Paca House in Annapolis, Maryland immediately prior to building Riversdale. Stier planned the house in 1801 to resemble his Belgian residence, the Chateau du Mick. Four years later, Stier returned to Belgium, leaving the unfinished Riversdale to be completed by his daughter, Rosalie Stier Calvert and her husband, George Calvert, the son of Benedict Swingate Calvert, who was a natural son of The 5th Baron Baltimore. Rosalie and George Calvert's son, Charles Benedict Calvert, established the Maryland Agricultural College, now the University of Maryland, College Park, on part of the Riversdale property. While its design has been attributed to William Thornton, this is not supported by available evidence on Thornton's career. The house is architecturally significant as a well-preserved five-part Federal mansion, and historically important for its association with the Calverts, an important Maryland family. It was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1997.

Location

Riverdale, Prince George's County, Maryland
38.96068, -76.93180

Categories

SOCIAL HISTORYARCHITECTUREAGRICULTURE
National Register nomination ›
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Overview
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The Land
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Geology
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Conflict & War
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The Civil War
The Civil War on this ground, 1861 to 1865: who held it, and the battles, camps and regiments nearby.
The Soldiers
The men who marched from here in the Civil War, named and traced where the record allows.
Native Heritage
The Native nations who held this land, mapped across time from before European contact to today.
Settlement
Who claimed and held this ground, from Indigenous homelands through the colonial powers to the United States.
The Community
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Rivers & Rail
The rivers, canals and railroads that connected this place between 1830 and 1911.
Notable People
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Historical Maps
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Finds & Access
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Literature
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Nearby Historic Sites

Smith, Harry, House
Industrial
0.1 mi
West Riverdale Historic District
Listed
0.6 mi
Riverdale Park Historic District
Colonial
0.6 mi
Hyattsville Armory
Industrial
0.6 mi
US Post Office-Hyattsville Main
Industrial
0.7 mi

Nearby Battles

Battle of Bladensburg (Burning of Washington)
1814Early Republic
1.4 mi
Burning of Washington DC — Battle of Bladensburg
1814Early Republic
1.5 mi

Questions about this property

When was Riversdale listed on the National Register?

Riversdale was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on April 10, 1973.

What type of historic resource is Riversdale?

Riversdale is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

Is Riversdale a National Historic Landmark?

Yes. Riversdale has been designated a National Historic Landmark (NHL), the highest level of federal recognition for historic properties in the United States.

What is the period of significance for Riversdale?

The period of significance for Riversdale is recorded as the industrial era.

Can I research the history near Riversdale?

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