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4811 Riverdale Road, Riverdale Park, MD 20737
301-864-0420; TTY 301-454-1472; Fax 301-927-3498
riversdale@pgparks.com
PROGRAMS & EVENTS
Learn about and experience the rich history of Riversdale by participating in a variety of events, educational programs, and tours that are offered. To register for events at Riversdale, call 301-864-0420.
2008 EVENT CALENDAR
Wednesdays, July, 30, August 27, 7 pm
Jazz on the Portico
July 30 - Sandy Asirvatham
August 27 - Bruce Ewan
Bring your blanket or lawn chair and relax on the grass for these free summer concerts featuring some of the area's finest jazz musicians. Dinner is available for purchase before the show, or bring your own picnic basket. In case of rain, the concerts move inside. These concerts are supported by a grant from the Maryland State Arts Council, an agency funded by the State of Maryland and the National Endowment for the Arts.
FREE
Saturday, August 9, 12 noon
13th Annual Battle of Bladensburg
Join British and American War of 1812 troops as they camp on the lawn to prepare for battle.
FREE; Regular fee for house tours. Refreshments for sale.
Saturday, September 7, TBA
Plummer Family Celebration
After manumission, Riversdale's African-American Plummer family settled in nearby Edmonston. Join us as we unveil a sign near their old homestead, followed by a reception and entertain at Riversdale.
FREE
Wednesday, September 17, 10 am
Hands on History - To Arms!
Visiting North American War of 1812 living history troops will interpret the events of 1814 to groups of local school children.
Fee: $2 per child or adults; capacity is limited and advance group registrations are required by September 12.
Saturday, September 27, 10 am
Open Hearth Cooking Class
Members of the Riversdale Kitchen Guild will teach basic techniques using a variety of equipment and seasonal ingredients.
Fee: Resident $32; Non-resident $40; capacity is limited, advance payment required by September 19.
Saturday, October 4, noon
Mr. Stier's Bulb Sale
Visit the Riversdale Historical Society's booth at Riverdale Park Day to buy bulbs for fall planting.
Friday, October 24, 7:30 pm
Gothick Evening
We present an evening candlelight performance of an eerie 19th century tale, along with funereal refreshments. Costumes optional.
Fee: $20; advance purchase required.
Tuesday, November 4, 10 am
Hands on History
School children, who have the day off for Election Day, can participate in a day of games and crafts at Riversdale.
Fee: Resident $15; Non-resident $18; advance registration required by October 28.
Saturday, November 15, 10 am
Regency Ladies' Day in the Country
fans of the early 19th century will choose from a variety of pastimes and amusements and enjoy lunch and later afternoon tea. Period costume is optional.
Fee: Resident $50; Non-residents $60; advance registration required by November 7.
Saturday, December 6, 2:30 pm
Sint Niklaas Day: A Winter Afternoon for Children
Children will receive a gift bag from Sint Niklaas, the forerunner of our modern Santa Claus, make a craft to take home, and enjoy refreshments with their parents.
Fee: Child $6; Adult $2; advance registration required by December 1.
Saturday, December 27, 6 pm
The Calverts by Candlelight
Pay an evening call on the Calverts and enjoy refreshments, live music, and children's activities in the decorated house.
Fee: Adult $5; FREE children 12 & under
Saturday, January 10, 7:30 pm
Twelfth Night Ball
Come in period attire or black tie to celebrate the traditional end of the holiday season at this Regency-style ball.
Fee: $25; capacity is limited, advance registration required by January 2.
EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS
The Keys in Her Pocket: Household Management of an Early American Estate
This program will highlight the inner economic workings of an early 19th century Maryland estate and working farm. The central role as mistress of the household was to oversee all domestic tasks. Riversdale's early 19th century mistress, Rosalie Stier Calvert, approached this job with skill, efficiency, and pride. Students will be given a special tour of the house designed to highlight the types of economic resources that were purchased compared to the many items that were produced at Riversdale by Mrs. Calvert and her servants, enslaved or free. Students will also participate in a hands-on workshop where they will grind spices, card wool, and see and touch items that were common in early 19th century households.
Tour Length: 60-90 minutes
Level: Grades 3-6
Cost: $2 per person (Adult and Student)
NOTE: Fulfills 4th Grade Content Standard of Voluntary Curriculum: Economics: Explain how limited economic resources are used to produce goods and services to satisfy economic wants in Maryland.
WORKSHOP ADD-ON
Rosalie's Helpers: A Hands On Workshop
Textile Production: Processing & Spinning Wool
Butter-Making in the Dairy
Workshop Length: 90 minutes
Workshop will follow The Keys in Her Pocket Tour
Workshops can only be offered to one class per day.
Students need to bring a bag-lunch (Students may eat lunch on the grounds or inside the mansion depending on weather.)
Pinch, No Smiles: Early Nineteenth Century Play at Riversdale
This tour is designed to introduce students to Riversdale by using the perspective of a child. George and Rosalie Calvert had nine children, five of whom lived to adulthood. Students on this tour will move from room to room and discover the ways in which an early nineteenth-century child would have played, worked, and lived in each room. In addition, slave children also resided at Riversdale. Students will compare and contrast their living, working, and playing conditions with that of the Calvert children. Students will also participate in a hands on workshop where they will learn a traditional English country dance and play the game, Pinch, No Smiles.
Tour Length: 60-90 minutes
Level: Grades 1-4
Cost: $2 per person (Adult and Student)
Note: This tour fulfills the Content Standard for 3rd Grade: Individuals and Society Change Over Time
WORKSHOP ADD-ON
Riversdale Amusements: A Hands On Workshop
Make an optical illusion toy such as a Thaumatrope
Play early American games such as Pinch, No Smiles
Workshop Length: 60 minutes
Workshop will follow Pinch, No Smiles Tour
Workshops can only be offered to one class per day.
Students need to bring a bag-lunch (Students may eat lunch on the grounds or inside the mansion depending on weather.)
Open Hearth Cooking Workshops
Choose A Cooking Workshop:
Maryland Beaten Biscuits
1-2-3-4 Cake
Pudding Boiled in a Bag
Shrewsbury Cakes
Ice Cream
Macaroni & Cheese, Early American Style
Or, Specially Design Your Own Workshop
Because the Riversdale kitchen is small, these workshops are available to groups consisting of no more than ten people (including teachers and chaperones).
Perfect for History Clubs, Scout Groups, and Home-school Groups.
Advance registration required at least 2 weeks in advance.
$50 Flat Fee
GIRL SCOUT PROGRAMS
Brownie Try-Its
Colors and Shapes
Colors and shapes will come alive as Brownies tour the Riversdale mansion looking for colors and shapes in the historic artwork, fabrics, and furniture contained within its doors. Scouts will make stamps, weave a placemat, and design their own quilt square.
Fee: $10 per scout, $2 per adult (Try-It not included)
Write Away
(Recommended for 3rd Graders, or those with strong reading and writing skills)
The Mistress of Riversdale, Rosalie Calvert, is the perfect role-model for how important letters can be to the study of the past. The extensive collection of letters still in existence between Rosalie Stier Calvert and her family in Belgium provides a remarkable narrative window into the past. Scouts will tour of the house, make marbleized journals, play games, and become reporters to help them build an appreciation for the written word.
Fee: $10 per scout, $2 per adult (Try-It not included)
Listening to the Past
Riversdale House Museum is the perfect environment for scouts to complete the Listening to the Past Try-It. Scouts will tour the house, cook in the open hearth, read wallpaper, and make and play with early American games and toys.
Fee: $10 per scout, $2 per adult (Try-It not included)
Junior Badges
Folk Arts
Folk traditions are those that are passed down from generation to generation and learned by observation and imitation. The products of folk art are aesthetically embellished objects that have a utilitarian purpose and do not necessarily need the decoration to carry out that purpose. In this program, scouts will compare and contrast fine art with folk art, make theorem paintings, learn an English country dance, and learn about quilts.
Fee: $10 per scout, $2 per adult (Badge not included)
Architecture Adventures
Riversdale, completed in 1807, is unique to the area in that it includes elements of both traditional American Federal and European architecture. While touring the house, Scouts will gain an understanding of the main components of these types of architecture. Scouts will also learn about modern design, form, and function when they tour Riversdale's new Visitor Center building. Afterwards, Scouts will redesign a room and create a three dimensional garden.
Fee: $10 per scout, $2 per adult (Badge not included)
A Stitch in Time
Fabric arts were as varied 200 years ago as they are today. Rosalie Stier Calvert dressed her family and decorated her home in a wide variety of European and American fabrics and cloths. Scouts will learn about decorative and functional fabrics, experiment with natural dyes, weave on a loom, and create their own fabric project.
Fee: $10 per scout, $2 per adult (Badge not included)
Toymaker
200 years ago, toys and games were quite different than they are today. Riversdale was home to nine of Rosalie and George Calvert's children, as well as the children of their enslaved servants. While touring the house, Scouts will learn about how these children lived and played. They will try their hand at some nineteenth century games, make their own period toy, and create a board game about Riversdale.
Fee: $10 per scout, $2 per adult (Badge not included)
Local Lore
The town of Riverdale has a rich history with a great deal of importance placed on the Calvert family and their home, Riversdale. Scouts will discover how the Calverts would have lived and why they were so important. After a tour of the house, Scouts will use primary sources to make a poster about the local Battle of Bladensburg, perform a short play about an important event in the history of Riversdale, and become stewards of Riversdale by learning about how important it is to have volunteers work with the paid staff (scouts will lend a hand in a small project to assist the staff).
Fee: $10 per scout, $2 per adult (Badge not included)
Patch Programs
House Tour
Explore c. 1801 Federal style house and kitchen dependency. As scouts tour the house they will learn about art, architecture, and the Calvert family, particularly about Rosalie Stier Calvert, the empowered Mistress of Riversdale.
Fee: $1 per person, additional fee of $2.50 per Riversdale custom patch.
Open Hearth Cooking Workshop
Give your troop the unique experience of cooking on an early 19th century hearth using period correct recipes and receipts. This workshop is limited to groups of no more than 10 (including adults).
Fee: $50 per 2 hour session, additional fee of $2.50 per Riversdale custom patch.
TOURS & ADMISSION
Walk-in tours:
Fridays & Sundays, 12 noon-3:30 pm
Group tours by appointment.
Admission:
$3/adults, $2/seniors/groups, $1/ages 5-18, FREE/ages 4 & under
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