Riversdale, Federal and Georgian mansion in Riverdale Park, Maryland, US.
Riversdale is a Federal and Georgian mansion in Riverdale Park, Maryland, made up of a central block flanked by two symmetrical side wings. The exterior is stucco-covered brick with tall windows across the front, giving the building a balanced, open appearance.
Henri Stier, a Belgian aristocrat, began building the mansion in 1801 on land he used as a plantation. His daughter Rosalie and her husband George Calvert completed the project after him, shaping the house into what stands today.
The kitchen shows how meals were prepared in the early 19th century, with original tools and methods still in place. Walking through the room gives a clear sense of daily life on a country estate of that period.
The mansion is generally open for guided tours, which give access to interior rooms that are otherwise closed to visitors. It is worth checking tour availability in advance, as times can change depending on the season.
Among the objects inside, European pieces brought by the Stier family sit alongside early American furniture from the Calvert period. This side-by-side presence of two very different worlds is visible throughout the house and makes it an unusual record of a family moving between continents.
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