We at Hammond-Harwood House think that old buildings are pretty special, and try to convince other people of that fact too. We appreciate it when someone else who feels the same way makes a clear, cogent argument for saving old houses. The Preservation Journey blog recently shared a short but sweet list of 6 reasons […]
Read MoreIt’s official: I’ve fallen down the rabbit hole. Like Alice in Wonderland, I am lost in a swirling mass of information, unsure of where it will all end. Unlike Alice, however, I love every second of it. You see, I have spent the past few days madly researching the Harwood family, trying to find information […]
Read MoreTomorrow we are having a Pride and Prejudice-themed tea at Hammond-Harwood House, so my brain has been all Austen, all the time. And I’m not the only one; since this year is the 200th anniversary of Jane Austen’s best-known work, people all over the world are celebrating. The most impressive commemoration was put together by […]
Read MoreThis year, the Hammond-Harwood House will be issuing the 50th Anniversary Edition of the Maryland’s Way Cookbook, which was compiled in 1963 by Hope Andrews and Francis Kelly as a fundraiser to support the House. This classic of Chesapeake cooking has inspired cooks ever since, and we’re thrilled that it will once again be available […]
Read MoreBy Tara Owens This Monday the Hammond-Harwood House hosted the event “Collector’s Corner Workshop: Silver Cleaning & Care.” Cohosted by our very own Allison Titman and the wonderful Samantha Dorsey from The City of Bowie Museums, the event welcomed other museum professionals and interested members of the community. The workshop discussed the differences between sheet, […]
Read MoreOn snowy Friday afternoons my thoughts can’t help but turn to hibernation. Or at least a long nap in a cozy bed. If I wasn’t such a rule-abiding curator, I could curl up in the high-post bed in the Northeast Bedchamber and put my doll (or cat!) in the miniature bed at its foot. But […]
Read MoreIt is usually impossible to take this particular picture of the Best Bedchamber at the Hammond-Harwood House. Like most historical house museums, we use stanchions and ropes to keep our visitors at a distance from the objects in the rooms. By doing this, we hope to avoid any damage to the furniture or, even worse, […]
Read MoreAs you read this, I am on a jaunt to Orange, Virginia to visit Montpelier, the home of James and Dolley Madison. Over the past several years, the staff there has been conducting exhaustive research to determine how the Madisons decorated the house and using the research to install appropriate finishes, wallpaper, and furnishings. Since […]
Read MoreWhen I’m having trouble focusing on cataloging our collection, promoting our special events, or pondering how to keep historic house museums relevant in the 21st century, I like to take my mind off such these weighty topics by doing some reading. And as if I needed any more encouragement, recently the Metropolitan Museum of Art […]
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