Hammond-Harwood House

Hammond-Harwood House www.hammondharwoodhouse.org The Hammond-Harwood House (1774) is said to have the most beautiful doorway in Colonial America.
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The last project of the renowned architect, William Buckland, this National Historic Landmark contains an outstanding collection of John Shaw furniture and Charles Willson Peale paintings.

Yesterday was International Literacy Day! 📚 As fall blows in, the urge to curl up under a cozy blanket, sip warm tea, an...
09/09/2026

Yesterday was International Literacy Day! 📚

As fall blows in, the urge to curl up under a cozy blanket, sip warm tea, and drift off into the pages of a book grows stronger. In a world where the written word has become so ubiquitous, it is easy to forget what a privilege it is to connect with stories from across space and time.

The 18th and 19th centuries were a turning point in literature and literacy in America. Pamphleteers like Thomas Paine stirred up the revolutionary spirit that inspired Mattias Hammond. Young ladies would have gathered to chat about Jane Austen’s novels. The fare served at parties came from cookbooks like Kitchen Companion by Mrs. Eliza Ann Wheeler, a book on display in the house’s collection.

Today in the house, our staff are keeping the love of reading alive, enjoying books like:

💀 Dead Man’s Folly by Agatha Christie
💃 Persuasion by Jane Austen (for a special Jane Austen Tour!)
🏝️ Land by Maggie O’Farrell
🏺 Homer’s Iliad
🌺 Purple Hibiscus by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Happy World Letter Writing Day 💌 Use today as an excuse to communicate like we did back in the day. Pick up a pen and so...
09/01/2026

Happy World Letter Writing Day 💌 Use today as an excuse to communicate like we did back in the day. Pick up a pen and some paper and give your friends something to read about!

Writing a letter today is just as important and sentimental as it was two hundred years ago. Here's a letter from Frances Loockerman to her daughter Hester, written in 1842, begging her to move back home to the Hammond-Harwood House from Alabama where her husband had been teaching:

"The weather is so warm we are sitting without a fire. We are all very comfortable living in the same old house, and only want you and Mr. Harwood and my dear little grandchild to make us quite happy again...Now, my beloved Hester, if you will send me word what kind of money will do to bring you all home I will send it if I must send a check on Farmers Bank notes. I send you a pair of dressmits for my dear little F***y which I hope will please her..."

As a part of our current exhibition, "Framing and Finishing: Woodworking in the Colonial Age," the Hammond-Harwood House...
08/19/2026

As a part of our current exhibition, "Framing and Finishing: Woodworking in the Colonial Age," the Hammond-Harwood House was very pleased to have furniture maker Bob Van D**e come earlier this month for a demonstration on making dovetail joints.

While contemporary furniture makers may feel pride in highlighting this kind of joinery, 18th century cabinetmakers went to great lengths to conceal their work, making pieces like this almost invisible. Thanks to artisans like Van D**e, we are able to keep these traditions and knowledge of our collection alive for modern peoples to appreciate. Thank you to all who joined us.

📸 courtesy of Brooke Russell

“Ah! There is nothing like staying at home, for real comfort.”- Jane Austen, Emma, Chapter 14Join Hammond-Harwood for a ...
08/11/2026

“Ah! There is nothing like staying at home, for real comfort.”
- Jane Austen, Emma, Chapter 14

Join Hammond-Harwood for a special tour of the house. Learn what the comfort of a home was like for people living in the mid to late 1700s, comparing the day-to-day lives of the Loockermans and their counterparts across the pond in England as Austen describes in her books.

The tour starts tomorrow, August 8th, at 2 PM.

For more info, click here.

Take a Seat🪑The Hammond-Harwood House is thrilled to have received twelve chairs made by Annapolis cabinetmaker John Sha...
08/07/2026

Take a Seat🪑

The Hammond-Harwood House is thrilled to have received twelve chairs made by Annapolis cabinetmaker John Shaw. The lovely mahogany chairs are distinctive with their inlaid back splat featuring two carved eagle heads, a carved roundel, and shield. The use of eagles as a decorative motif on Federal furniture was popular during the early years of the new republic, as were the sunburst and shield motifs that were also found on the Great Seal of the United States.

These chairs were originally owned by Robert Bowie (1750-1818), the Governor of Maryland from 1803-1806 and from 1811-1812; they were most likely used in the Governor’s Mansion. The chairs, which are similar to two others in the Hammond-Harwood House collection, were included in an exhibition catalogue, John Shaw: Cabinetmaker of Annapolis, at the Baltimore Museum of Art in 1983. At Hammond-Harwood House, they line the wall in the dining room.

Did you know? August is Black Business Month, an annual opportunity to share the hard work of Black entrepreneurs🖤Moses ...
08/04/2026

Did you know? August is Black Business Month, an annual opportunity to share the hard work of Black entrepreneurs🖤

Moses Williams was an enslaved individual in the household of Charles Willson Peale, generally considered one of early America's most preeminent portrait painters. Moses, while not given the same artistic education as the Peale children, would become an artist in his own right, skillfully drawing and cutting silhouettes for visitors to the Peale Museum in Philadelphia. Through mastery of his craft and this small business, he was able to purchase his freedom a year early with his earnings; he was able to buy a house for his family in Philadelphia.

Want to learn more about the process Moses Williams used to create his silhouettes? Check out this video from the Peale Museum’s 2024 exhibition "Moses Williams: Cutter of Profiles" on the machine he used: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HrJESBelcaY&t=2s

🖼️ Silhouette, Unknown Woman, Pennsylvania, c.1805 by Moses Williams, (1777-1825), Hammond-Harwood House Museum Purchase, 2018 P87

See the tools that helped build America at our Framing and Finishing: Woodworking in the Colonial Age exhibition! Open u...
05/15/2026

See the tools that helped build America at our Framing and Finishing: Woodworking in the Colonial Age exhibition! Open until August 15th.

Well before America declared its independence in 1776, a building boom across the colonies meant that architects, carpenters, and artisans needed expertise, materials, and tools. Tools were specific to the role of carpenter, joiner, master, journeyman, apprentice, and the unskilled labor force, which would have included slave labor.

This exhibition represents more than 50 user-made and commercially produced house building tools utilized by 18th century woodworkers. Tools for framing a house, along with those for finishing the interior–floors, doors, cornices, windows, shutters, and chair rails-are represented. British and American wood planes, measuring devices, knives and saws, braces, and other implements are each a piece of art, each used for a specific purpose. We acknowledge the skill and resourcefulness of these craftsmen and their part in building a new nation.

For more information, please see our website: https://hammondharwoodhouse.org/exhibition/framing-and-finishing-woodworking-in-the-colonial-age/

See how much Annapolis has changed since the 18th century to now! Join us on May 16th for the Mansions and Merchants Tou...
05/13/2026

See how much Annapolis has changed since the 18th century to now! Join us on May 16th for the Mansions and Merchants Tour!

In 1811, Frances Loockerman moved into the Hammond-Harwood House with her husband and three children. Over the next 46 years, she witnessed the transformation of her neighborhood and the city of Annapolis. This walking tour with Hammond-Harwood House Curator, Lucinda Dukes Edinberg, will focus on the businesses, and the history of homes and their owners on Maryland Avenue between the late 18th century and mid-19th century.

Tour begins in front of the Hammond-Harwood House, 19 Maryland Avenue.

For more information, please see our website: https://hammondharwoodhouse.org/event/mansions-and-merchants-tour-2/

See the hidden gems of Annapolis on the Secret Garden Tour!This year’s tour showcases the secret gardens in the resident...
05/12/2026

See the hidden gems of Annapolis on the Secret Garden Tour!

This year’s tour showcases the secret gardens in the residential area on Spa Creek, just south of Annapolis City docks. This area of Annapolis is rich with history, varied architecture, and beautiful spring gardens.

Bring a friend or two for this self-guided tour and enjoy a day in Annapolis.

Saturday, June 6 from 12 to 5 pm

Sunday, June 7 from 12 to 5 pm

For more information, please see our website: https://hammondharwoodhouse.org/event/secret-garden-tour-2026/

See the beauty of the Hammond-Harwood House through the eyes of artist on May 16th!Jean Brinton Jaecks will inspire stud...
05/12/2026

See the beauty of the Hammond-Harwood House through the eyes of artist on May 16th!

Jean Brinton Jaecks will inspire students to paint the spring garden at the beautiful Hammond Harwood House. The garden surrounds the famous home, with large boxwoods from the early 18 century, urns filled with an abundance of flowers, a dogwood tree and the enclosed brick wall with stunning views of the Naval Academy Chapel. Jean will give a Plein air watercolor demonstration and guidance throughout the afternoon in expressing light and atmosphere in watercolor. A critique will complete the day.

For more information, please see our website: https://hammondharwoodhouse.org/event/painting-the-hammond-harwood-house-spring-garden-in-watercolor-2/

Address

19 Maryland Avenue
Annapolis, MD
21401

Opening Hours

Monday 12pm - 5pm
Wednesday 12pm - 5pm
Thursday 12pm - 5pm
Friday 12pm - 5pm
Saturday 12pm - 5pm
Sunday 12pm - 5pm

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