The Hermitage (La Plata, Maryland)
Encyclopedia
The Hermitage is a historic home located at La Plata
, Charles County
, Maryland
, United States
. It is a two story, three bay
frame dwelling with a dormer
ed gable
roof. The home was built about 1847 in the Federal
style, and has a pair of brick, exterior chimneys at one end and a deep wraparound veranda on Tuscan
columns. It was built by Major George W. Matthews, a farmer and attorney, whose descendents, beginning in 1870 and continuing through the 1940s, promoted the founding and development of La Plata and the relocation of the seat of Charles County government there from Port Tobacco.
The Hermitage was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
in 1998.
La Plata, Maryland
La Plata is a town in Charles County, Maryland, United States. The population was 6,551 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Charles County.-History:...
, Charles County
Charles County, Maryland
Charles County is a county in the south central portion of the U.S. state of Maryland.As of 2010, the population was 146,551. Its county seat is La Plata. This county was named for Charles Calvert , third Baron Baltimore....
, Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It is a two story, three bay
Bay (architecture)
A bay is a unit of form in architecture. This unit is defined as the zone between the outer edges of an engaged column, pilaster, or post; or within a window frame, doorframe, or vertical 'bas relief' wall form.-Defining elements:...
frame dwelling with a dormer
Dormer
A dormer is a structural element of a building that protrudes from the plane of a sloping roof surface. Dormers are used, either in original construction or as later additions, to create usable space in the roof of a building by adding headroom and usually also by enabling addition of windows.Often...
ed gable
Gable
A gable is the generally triangular portion of a wall between the edges of a sloping roof. The shape of the gable and how it is detailed depends on the structural system being used and aesthetic concerns. Thus the type of roof enclosing the volume dictates the shape of the gable...
roof. The home was built about 1847 in the Federal
Federal architecture
Federal-style architecture is the name for the classicizing architecture built in the United States between c. 1780 and 1830, and particularly from 1785 to 1815. This style shares its name with its era, the Federal Period. The name Federal style is also used in association with furniture design...
style, and has a pair of brick, exterior chimneys at one end and a deep wraparound veranda on Tuscan
Tuscan order
Among canon of classical orders of classical architecture, the Tuscan order's place is due to the influence of the Italian Sebastiano Serlio, who meticulously described the five orders including a "Tuscan order", "the solidest and least ornate", in his fourth book of Regole generalii di...
columns. It was built by Major George W. Matthews, a farmer and attorney, whose descendents, beginning in 1870 and continuing through the 1940s, promoted the founding and development of La Plata and the relocation of the seat of Charles County government there from Port Tobacco.
The Hermitage was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 1998.
External links
- The Hermitage, including photo from 1978, at Maryland Historical Trust