Last updated: September 20, 2021
Place
The Terraces
NPS Photo/Girimont
Quick Facts
Location:
6655 Rose Hill Road Port Tobacco, MD 20677
Designation:
National Historic Site
The three levels of the Terraces on the south side of the Thomas Stone House may have been used as a display to showcase the family's wealth and status. Next door to Haberdeventure is Rose Hill, which was the estate of Dr. Gustavus Richard Brown, Thomas Stone’s brother-in-law. Dr. Brown’s interest in botany and garden design is well documented. According to a friend, in 1784, Brown constructed “...the most extensive and artistic garden in Maryland.” Since Brown’s garden design also included three levels of terraces which resembles the Terraces at Haberdeventure, it is possible that the construction of one influenced the other.
It is possible that the upper level Terrace, if not all three levels, were used for ornamental gardens. An inventory made at the death of Thomas Stone in 1787 lists a “Wooden Garden Roller, Iron Frame” at his second house in Annapolis. Rollers were used to maintain “bowling greens,” which were large areas of exceptionally well-trimmed grass. When Stone moved to Annapolis in 1783, he downsized his possessions at Haberdeventure. Stone may have taken the roller to Annapolis after it was previously used to maintain an ornamental garden on the Terraces.
It is unclear if the Terraces were enclosed by either a fence or boxwoods. Archeologists have found evidence of post holes on the perimeter of the Terraces, but these holes might be from after Thomas Stone’s residency.
It is possible that the upper level Terrace, if not all three levels, were used for ornamental gardens. An inventory made at the death of Thomas Stone in 1787 lists a “Wooden Garden Roller, Iron Frame” at his second house in Annapolis. Rollers were used to maintain “bowling greens,” which were large areas of exceptionally well-trimmed grass. When Stone moved to Annapolis in 1783, he downsized his possessions at Haberdeventure. Stone may have taken the roller to Annapolis after it was previously used to maintain an ornamental garden on the Terraces.
It is unclear if the Terraces were enclosed by either a fence or boxwoods. Archeologists have found evidence of post holes on the perimeter of the Terraces, but these holes might be from after Thomas Stone’s residency.