Stories

While exploring the area around modern Charles County, Captain John Smith encountered an Native American village, which he listed as “Potopaco.” The natural resources, the strategic position, and farming potential, led Europeans including Catholics, Anglicans, and Puritans to settle in the area. The mixture of Native American and European, as well as the different religious and cultural value systems led to tensions and conflict that raged for more than a century.

Was Thomas Stone a "reluctant revolutionary?" Since Thomas Stone was a moderate and was more cautious than others, he has often been labelled with this description. Read on to find out how this term does not accurately describe Thomas Stone.

With their gallant sacrifice to save the rest of the Continental Army, the Maryland 400 earned a reputation for themselves, and saved a revolution.

On December 13, 1770, Thomas Stone purchased a 442 acre plantation with an unique name. This would be his home until he moved to Annapolis in the mid-1780s.

Thomas Stone National Historic Site was commonly referred to as Haberdeventure. What does that mean? Read on to uncover the meaning of the unique name of Thomas Stone's home.

Benjamin Owen Tyler's engraving was considered the "first correct copy," enabling individual Americans to possess a reproduction of the Declaration of Independence. This copy was designed to look like the famous handwritten version with the signature of Thomas Stone and the 55 other signers.

Learn how the Harrison vs. Lee trial established Thomas Stone as one of the major trial lawyers in Maryland. Despite suffering defeat in the unpopular case, Stone's skill as a lawyer led Maryland to select him to represent the colony in the Continental Congress and ultimately led him to become one of 56 signers of the Declaration of Independence in 1776.

Planting, curing and drying tobacco was a labor intensive task for those who had to tend to the crop. Discover how the tobacco plant played such an important role in 18th-century Maryland.

The Peggy Stewart House has had numerous owners with different ties to the American Revolution. On October 7, 1973, the property was listed by the National Park Service as a National Historic Landmark.

Growing tensions between the colony of Maryland and Britain over British treatment of the American colonists, turned violent in October, 1774 with the burning of the Peggy Stewart, a ship carrying tea and other items that Maryland's officials banned from the colony. The burning of the Peggy Stewart and its cargo of tea was one of a series of colonial actions against the British government. Within six months of the destruction of the Peggy Stewart, warfare began.