Riversdale House Museum Historic Site
4811 Riverdale Road
Riverdale Park, MD
Tel: (301) 864-0420
Email: riversdale@pgparks.com
Hours:
Visitor Center :
Mon-Fri: 10am-4pm
Sat & Sun: 11:30am-3:30pm
Tours :
Fri & Sun, Noon & 2 pm
Grounds & Gardens :
Sun-Sat, Dawn-dusk
About the Site
This former 19th-century Maryland plantation site offers over 200 years of diverse stories to tell. The interpretation of this National Historic Landmark is shaped by the private and public records that give a glimpse into the lives of the enslaved individuals, such as Adam Francis Plummer, who were forced to labor at Riversdale, as well as the Stier and Calvert families. We invite you to visit the historic structures, gardens, and grounds to discover all the ways history lives at Riversdale!
Tours
Join us for a guided tour of the historic house as we interpret the history of the people who lived and worked at this former plantation from the house’s construction in 1801 through Emancipation in 1864. Visitors engage in facilitated dialogue with Tour Guides while being led through rooms of the historic house and dependency buildings.
This is a one-hour guided tour. We ask that visitors arrive at the Visitor Center 5-10 minutes ahead of time to get registered. Pre-reservation or walk-ins are welcome.
Tour Admission
- Adults: $5/person
- Seniors and Groups of 10 or more: $4/person
- Ages 5-18 and Students with ID: $2/person
- Ages 4 & under: Free
Group Tours
Group tours can be scheduled outside of normal tour hours and should be reserved one month in advance. Contact the office for scheduling, group tour rates, and additional details.
Guidelines
- Photography permitted, with no flash, inside the museum. Filming not permitted without a written request; please email the museum to inquire.
- Food and drink are not allowed in the historic house museum. Please enjoy all refreshments at our picnic tables.
- All children must be accompanied by an adult at all times while at the museum and on the grounds.
Accessibility
- Spanish language tours available upon advanced request.
- An elevator is available for mobility-challenged visitors to access the museum’s first floor and basement. The second floor requires the use of stairs to access.
- Sensory-friendly kits are available at the Visitor Center.
- Both parking lots are accessible for mobility-challenged visitors.
Visiting Gardens & Grounds
Guidelines
- Help us keep the garden thriving and looking beautiful by staying on the grass and pathways. Please do not walk in the garden beds. Seedlings and plants need to be treated with care.
- We kindly ask that you please do not harvest or pick any of the vegetables or flowers; if we have extra to share, you will find it in the bin located by the boxwood hedge.
Pets
- Guests are welcome to explore Riversdale’s grounds with their pets and are asked to follow the PAWS guidelines during their visit.
- Pick up after your pet: Trash receptacles are located next to the shed in the Visitor Center parking lot.
- Always leash your pet: Pets visiting the public grounds are required to be leashed at all times.
- Walk on the grass or pathways: Please keep pets from digging in or running through the garden beds.
- Stay safe: Be aware of others in your vicinity and help us keep Riversdale a safe and enjoyable space for all!
If you are looking for a space where your pets can explore, play, and train off-leash, visit Waggertail Dog Park in Riverdale Park.
Become a Member
Your Riversdale Historical Society membership makes it possible to continue to raise funds for the restoration of the house, new interpretive projects, and support the care and preservation of the museum’s collection. Your membership is a vital source of support for Riversdale House Museum!
The Riversdale Historical Society is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that is dedicated to supporting the preservation, the protection, and the presentation of the Riversdale House Museum and Gardens, in cooperation with the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission.
Getting Here & Parking
- Tickets and information can be found at the Visitor Center prior to entry to the historic house.
- Visitor Center Address: 6005 48th Avenue Riverdale, MD 20737
- The Visitor Center parking lot is located at the corner of Riverdale Road and 48th Avenue.
- Our other parking lot is located at the corner of Riverdale Road and Oliver Street just inside the double gates.
Stay in Touch
- Check back regularly for upcoming events and programs!
- To sign up for Riversdale House Museum’s monthly newsletter email riversdale@pgparks.com
- Follow us on Facebook for the latest news on events, programs, and activities.
Upcoming Programs
Interpretive Gardens
Riversdale’s kitchen garden and orchard feature a variety of fruits and vegetables that are representative of the food grown to support the early 19th century Riversdale community. A fraction of its original 4.5-acre size, today’s garden highlights original stewards of the land through an Indigenous People’s Garden, a Native Plant Garden, a Children’s Garden, and an Enslaved Laborers Garden featuring plants traditionally grown by African Americans enslaved in Maryland.
Dedicated to long-time volunteer and Riverdale Park resident Betty Gossett, the kitchen and ornamental gardens are maintained today by volunteers who work with Riversdale’s Historic Site Gardener. Learn more about volunteering in the garden.
Riversdale Kitchen Guild & Period Cooking
Using produce harvested from the garden, Riversdale Kitchen Guild members demonstrate open-hearth cooking of historic recipes and foodways techniques on selected Sunday afternoons. Viewing the demonstrations is FREE and held during the museum’s operating hours from noon to 3:30 pm, February through December.
Check out our Events page to find the Kitchen Guild’s next 19th century cooking demonstration. Learn more about volunteering with the Kitchen Guild.
More information coming soon! Feel free to contact the museum to inquire more about educational programs at riversdale@pgparks.com or 301-864-0420.
Riversdale House Museum has a variety of volunteering opportunities, from transcribing Calvert Family Papers to working in the Riversdale gardens. Since each volunteer serves as a representative of Riversdale and M-NCPPC, volunteers are expected to follow the commission’s policies and standards. Training for each position is provided, only a willingness to learn is required!
All volunteers 15 and older must be fingerprinted and background checked.
Contact anna.schauermann@pgparks.com for more information.
Para Informacion en Español contacte hilda.ZepedaEsquina@pgparks.com.
Garden Aide
Garden Aides assist with the many tasks related to maintaining the gardens and grounds surrounding Riversdale. Garden Aides plant, water, weed, and harvest in the beautiful gardens surrounding the Riversdale House, under the supervision of the Historic Site Gardener. Garden Aide opportunities are available April-November.
Tour Guide
Tour guides engage visitors in discussions on the history of Riversdale through guided house tours. Together with visitors, guides explore the diverse history and culture of the people who lived and worked on the Riversdale plantation as well as facilitate access to the historic house, including managing visitor flow and ensuring the safety of collections. Tour Guide opportunities are available year round.
Kitchen Guild Assistant
Kitchen Guild Assistants conduct live cooking demonstrations over an open hearth in our Dependency Kitchen on select Sundays each month and during special events throughout the year. The Kitchen Guild interacts with visitors by answering questions and serving as representatives of Riversdale. Kitchen Guild opportunities are available late February-December.
Collections Aide
Collections Aides transcribe the Calvert Family Papers currently on loan to the museum. Collections Aides may also conduct research projects; contact museum staff to inquire about projects. This work is essential to preserving the history of Riversdale. Collections Aides are trained by the Riversdale Historical Society Curator of Collections. Collections Aide opportunities are available year-round. This position is remote.
Special Events Aide
Special Events Aides engage with visitors at a variety of special events and programs at Riversdale House Museum throughout the year. Assignments are varied and may include greeting visitors, setting up tables/chairs, assisting with ticket sales, providing information, or serving refreshments. Special Event Aide opportunities are available year-round.
