ECC Visitor Guide 2026 - Flipbook - Page 26
Thomas Stone
NATIONAL HISTORIC SITE
Here, you can hike through a National
Park, tour the home of a signer of the
Declaration of Independence, and explore
a 19th-century tobacco barn.
Begin your free visit to Thomas Stone National
Historic Site at the Visitor Center, where passionate
National Park Service rangers will add great depth
to your experience. Watch a short 昀椀lm about Thomas
Stone, one of Maryland’s signers of the Declaration of
Independence, and browse exhibits to get a sense of the
man who built his country retreat here. The house and
grounds are part of the Star-Spangled Banner National
Historic Trail and Byway, connecting key places tied to
early American history.
The name
Haberdeventure
is a loose translation of the Latin
phrase “havitatio de ventus,” which
means “to dwell in or of the wind.”
Stand on the lawn in front of the
house during your visit—you may
feel a soft breeze drift past!
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Charles County Of昀椀cial Travel Magazine
From the Visitor Center, follow the path to Haberdeventure,
the home Stone designed as a quiet refuge from his
busy political life that often kept him in Annapolis and
Philadelphia. The house is uniquely built with 昀椀ve connected
structures arranged in an arc, a style that re昀氀ects both
function and family life. Imagine Stone writing letters to
his friend George Washington, who lived just across the
Potomac, or hurrying home to care for his wife.
To fully experience the landscape, walk the 1.5-mile
Outbuildings Trail, where you’ll pass the horse barn,
tobacco barn, corn crib, and tenant house that supported
daily life on the historic farmstead.
Continue your learning of the family with a visit to nearby
Rich Hill, the childhood home of Margaret Brown (Thomas
Stone’s wife) and her brother Gustavus. Dr. Gustavus Brown
went on to be one of George Washington’s physicians and
cared for the President on his deathbed.
