Museums
The Whitehorne House Museum is a museum of Newport furniture that celebrates the craftsman (and woman)- ship, artistry, and industry of 18th-century Newport furniture and related decorative arts. It was built for Samuel Whitehorne Jr. in 1811 and the exterior feature elegant brick constructionm a hipped roof, decorative entry portico, and a formal garden, which are typical of the Federal style. It is notable as one of the rare houses to be built in Newport in the Federal Style as the period after the Revolutionary War was a period of slow economic recovery for the city. Interior highlights include a grand central hallway, hand carved details, and a significant collection of early American furniture.
The collection at Whitehorne House Museum comprises furniture and related decorative arts made or used in Newport and elsewhere in Rhode Island in the 18th and early 19th centuries. Included are pieces by the renowned Townsend and Goddard families, other well known artisans, such as Benjamin Baker and Samuel Vernon, and many unnamed, equally skilled craftsmen. Newport cabinetmakers made some of the most highly regarded furniture in the British colonies of North America, with richly grained mahogany, distinctly formed ball-and-claw feet, and characteristically “Newport” block-and-shell carving.
Much of their collection is available for online viewing.
Established over a period of 1801 to 1807, Riversdale House Museum was built by Henri Stier and its construction was further taken up by his daughter Rosalie Calvert and her husband. Spread out over two storeys, the white structure stands proud and its extensive ground adds to its magnificence. Scriptures, detailed records of slavery, and Rosalie Calvert's letters shed light on the way of life in the 19th century. The house museum is open to the public and also hosts events and lets out the property for private functions. Guided tours are also provided on request.
This is a living history and archelogy museum which displays exhibits across the St. Mary’s area. It includes the beautiful Maryland Dove, a 17th-century trading ship floating on the city’s shore, the town center, the Woodland Indian Hamlet, the Godiah Spray Tobacco Plantation, an historic church, and the St. John’s site museum. Visitors are taken through these fascinating sites full of information about the various aspects of the Chesapeake frontier during their visit to this impressive facility.
Journey through Maryland history across 23,000 square feet of gallery space. Our thought-provoking exhibitions bring history to life using objects, artwork, and documents that engage visitors in the stories of events and people who have shaped Maryland and America over time.
A National Historic Landmark, Homewood is one of the best-surviving examples of Federal-period Palladian architecture in the nation. Built circa 1801 for members of Maryland’s prominent Carroll family, the house also was home to at least 25 enslaved individuals, including William and Rebecca Ross and their two children and Izadod and Cis Conner and six of their 13 children. Homewood is best experienced via our award-winning guided tour, which winds through the house’s 11 elaborately furnished rooms and tells the intertwined narratives of the Carroll, Conner, and Ross families.
The Baltimore Museum of Art connects art to Baltimore and Baltimore to the world, embodying a commitment to artistic excellence and social equity in every decision from art presentation, interpretation, and collecting, to the composition of our Board of Trustees, staff, and volunteers—creating a museum welcoming to all.
Search the online collection of furniture here: https://collection.artbma.org/collections/3201/american/objects?filter=classifications%3AFURNITURE#filters
Historic London Town and Gardens is a twenty-three acre park featuring history, archaeology, and horticulture on the South River in Edgewater, Maryland (just south of Annapolis). The park is owned by Anne Arundel County and managed by the London Town Foundation, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization (EIN: 52-1396159). Created in 1993, the Foundation is responsible for developing and conducting interpretive, recreational, and educational programs that allow visitors to learn about our historical, archaeological, and horticultural offerings. Our mission is "To inspire a deeper understanding of our region’s history, environment, culture, and arts through living history, historical artifacts, experiential public gardens, and collaborative cultural & arts programs."
The James Brice House is one of the largest and most elegant of Annapolis's historic homes, and one of the most important surviving structures from colonial America. Recognizing the importance of the architectural gem, the State of Maryland purchased the James Brice House in 2014 and arranged for Historic Annapolis, Inc. (HA) to maintain and manage the National Historic Landmark property. In 2016, HA embarked on a multi-year, multi-million dollar restoration of the James Brice House. The experts HA has assembled for this project are highly respected in their fields, are known world-wide and have worked on the nation's most important historic structures including Mount Vernon, Monticello, Montpelier, Drayton Hall, and the Maryland State House.
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This five-part Georgian mansion was built in the 1760s by William Paca, one of Maryland’s four Signers of the Declaration of Independence and the state’s third Governor.
Winterthur, the Delaware country estate of the late Henry Francis DuPont, houses what is arguably the most impressive collection of early American decorative arts to be found anywhere. The mansion contains period rooms furnished floor to ceiling with masterpieces of American furniture. Located near the mansion is the Winterthur Library which serves scholars of antique American decorative arts. Winterthur is a must see for any furniture enthusiast.
