Rosaryville State Park
Encyclopedia
Rosaryville State Park is a state park in Greater Upper Marlboro
, Prince George's County, Maryland
. It includes the restored Mount Airy Mansion, an event facility that Pineapple Alley Catering, Inc. operates. The park, which contains hiking, biking and equestrian trails, is three miles southeast of the Joint Base Andrews Naval Air Facility (formerly Andrews Air Force Base).
, (c.1730-1788), son of Charles Calvert, 5th Baron Baltimore
, lived at Mount Airy, and died there on January 9, 1788. Calvert was a politician and planter in colonial Maryland. Mount Airy was most likely a gift from his father, Lord Baltimore, who had ensured that Calvert would be provided with lands and revenues, and Mount Airy had originally been a hunting lodge for Charles Calvert, 3rd Baron Baltimore
. Calvert began construction of his house, which still survives, in 1751.
In 1774, Calvert's daughter Eleanor Calvert
(1758–1811), married John Parke Custis
, son of Martha Washington and the stepson of George Washington
. Washington himself did not approve of the match owing to the couple's youth, but eventually gave his consent, and was present at the wedding celebrations, which took place at Mount Airy. The couple's son, George Washington Parke Custis
, who was born at Mount Airy in 1781, built and named Arlington House
near the Potomac River
, married Mary Lee Fitzhugh, and became the father-in-law of Robert E. Lee
.
By the 1770s Benedict Swingate Calvert controlled a large and profitable estate of around 4000 acres (16.2 km²), with upwards of 150 slaves. He was also an enthusiastic horse breeder, training thoroughbreds and running them in competitions in Maryland and Virginia.
Benedict Swingate Calvert died at Mount Airy on January 9, 1788. He was buried beneath the chancel
of the church of St Thomas
in Croom
, Prince George's County, Maryland, a church which Calvert had helped to found and maintain. His wife died ten years later, in 1798.
Benedict Calvert's second son Edward Henry Calvert, who was born on November 7, 1766, then inherited the estate. He married on March 1, 1796, and died on July 12, 1846. He left the estate to his widow, who died on March 26, 1857. On her death the estate, by this time reduced to around 1000 acres (4 km²), was to be divided among her children. Two of her children were the last Calvert owners. After the death of "Old Miss Eleanor" the house and its contents were sold at auction.
, publisher of the Washington Times-Herald
and a prominent hostess of the era, purchased the ruins and restored them to their former glory. Ms. Patterson entertained presidents, ambassadors, authors and other prominent guests at Mt. Airy. At her death in 1948, "Cissy" Patterson bequeathed the property to Ann Bowie Smith. In 1973, the State of Maryland purchased Mt. Airy, with state and federal funds, from the Smith family and made it part of Rosaryville State Park.
Greater Upper Marlboro, Maryland
Greater Upper Marlboro is a census-designated place in Prince George's County, Maryland, United States that completely surrounds Upper Marlboro, the county seat...
, Prince George's County, Maryland
Prince George's County, Maryland
Prince George's County is a county located in the U.S. state of Maryland, immediately north, east, and south of Washington, DC. As of 2010, it has a population of 863,420 and is the wealthiest African-American majority county in the nation....
. It includes the restored Mount Airy Mansion, an event facility that Pineapple Alley Catering, Inc. operates. The park, which contains hiking, biking and equestrian trails, is three miles southeast of the Joint Base Andrews Naval Air Facility (formerly Andrews Air Force Base).
The Calvert family
Benedict Swingate CalvertBenedict Swingate Calvert
Benedict Swingate Calvert was a Maryland Loyalist during the American Revolution. He was the son of Charles Calvert, 5th Baron Baltimore, the third Proprietor Governor of Maryland , and may have been the grandson of King George I of Great Britain...
, (c.1730-1788), son of Charles Calvert, 5th Baron Baltimore
Charles Calvert, 5th Baron Baltimore
Charles Calvert, 5th Baron Baltimore, 3rd Proprietor and 17th Proprietary Governor of Maryland, FRS was a British nobleman and Proprietary Governor of the Province of Maryland...
, lived at Mount Airy, and died there on January 9, 1788. Calvert was a politician and planter in colonial Maryland. Mount Airy was most likely a gift from his father, Lord Baltimore, who had ensured that Calvert would be provided with lands and revenues, and Mount Airy had originally been a hunting lodge for Charles Calvert, 3rd Baron Baltimore
Charles Calvert, 3rd Baron Baltimore
Charles Calvert, 3rd Baron Baltimore, 2nd Proprietor and 6th and 9th Proprietary Governor of Maryland , inherited the colony in 1675 upon the death of his father, Cecilius Calvert, 2nd Baron Baltimore. He had been his father's Deputy Governor since 1661 when he arrived in the colony at the age of 24...
. Calvert began construction of his house, which still survives, in 1751.
In 1774, Calvert's daughter Eleanor Calvert
Eleanor Calvert
Eleanor Calvert Custis Stuart was a prominent member of the Calvert family of Maryland. Upon her marriage to John Parke Custis, she became the daughter-in-law of Martha Dandridge Custis Washington and the stepdaughter-in-law of George Washington...
(1758–1811), married John Parke Custis
John Parke Custis
John Parke Custis was a Virginia planter, the son of Martha Washington and stepson of George Washington.-Childhood:...
, son of Martha Washington and the stepson of George Washington
George Washington
George Washington was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, and presided over the writing of...
. Washington himself did not approve of the match owing to the couple's youth, but eventually gave his consent, and was present at the wedding celebrations, which took place at Mount Airy. The couple's son, George Washington Parke Custis
George Washington Parke Custis
George Washington Parke Custis , the step-grandson of United States President George Washington, was a nineteenth-century American writer, orator, and agricultural reformer.-Family:...
, who was born at Mount Airy in 1781, built and named Arlington House
Arlington House, The Robert E. Lee Memorial
Arlington House, The Robert E. Lee Memorial, formerly named the Custis-Lee Mansion, is a Greek revival style mansion located in Arlington, Virginia, USA that was once the home of Confederate General Robert E. Lee. It overlooks the Potomac River, directly across from the National Mall in Washington,...
near the Potomac River
Potomac River
The Potomac River flows into the Chesapeake Bay, located along the mid-Atlantic coast of the United States. The river is approximately long, with a drainage area of about 14,700 square miles...
, married Mary Lee Fitzhugh, and became the father-in-law of Robert E. Lee
Robert E. Lee
Robert Edward Lee was a career military officer who is best known for having commanded the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia in the American Civil War....
.
By the 1770s Benedict Swingate Calvert controlled a large and profitable estate of around 4000 acres (16.2 km²), with upwards of 150 slaves. He was also an enthusiastic horse breeder, training thoroughbreds and running them in competitions in Maryland and Virginia.
Benedict Swingate Calvert died at Mount Airy on January 9, 1788. He was buried beneath the chancel
Chancel
In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar in the sanctuary at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building...
of the church of St Thomas
St. Thomas' Church (Upper Marlboro, Maryland)
St. Thomas' Church is a historic brick church in a picturesque rural setting, located at Croom, Prince George's County, Maryland. The original church was constructed between 1742 and 1745, and is one of the earliest Episcopal churches in Southern Maryland....
in Croom
Croom, Maryland
Croom is an unincorporated community in Prince George's County, Maryland, United States. It consists of tobacco farms and forests with many narrow, winding roads, although the Marlton housing development is very nearby. St. Thomas Episcopal Church dates to colonial times....
, Prince George's County, Maryland, a church which Calvert had helped to found and maintain. His wife died ten years later, in 1798.
Benedict Calvert's second son Edward Henry Calvert, who was born on November 7, 1766, then inherited the estate. He married on March 1, 1796, and died on July 12, 1846. He left the estate to his widow, who died on March 26, 1857. On her death the estate, by this time reduced to around 1000 acres (4 km²), was to be divided among her children. Two of her children were the last Calvert owners. After the death of "Old Miss Eleanor" the house and its contents were sold at auction.
Twentieth century
In 1902, the property left the Calvert family, being purchased by Matilda ("Tilly") Duvall, who renamed it Dower House and operated a country inn here. Another fire in 1931 left only the masonry walls standing. Eleanor Medill ("Cissy") PattersonCissy Patterson
Eleanor Josephine Medill "Cissy" Patterson was an American journalist and newspaper editor, publisher and owner...
, publisher of the Washington Times-Herald
Washington Times-Herald
The Washington Times-Herald was an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C.. It was created by Cissy Patterson, when she bought the Herald and the Times from William Randolph Hearst, and merged them. The result was a '24 hour' newspaper, with 10 editions per day, from morning to...
and a prominent hostess of the era, purchased the ruins and restored them to their former glory. Ms. Patterson entertained presidents, ambassadors, authors and other prominent guests at Mt. Airy. At her death in 1948, "Cissy" Patterson bequeathed the property to Ann Bowie Smith. In 1973, the State of Maryland purchased Mt. Airy, with state and federal funds, from the Smith family and made it part of Rosaryville State Park.
External links
- Maryland Department of Natural Resources, Rosaryville State Park Retrieved August 10, 2010
- History of Mount Airy at genealogytrails.com Retrieved August 10, 2010
- Official website: