Listening to the land: history and interpretation of Montpelier’s cultural landscape
Listening to the land: history and interpretation of Montpelier’s cultural landscape
Loading...
Files
Publication or External Link
Date
2012-05
Authors
Demore, Carissa Holly
Advisor
Linebaugh, Donald W.
Citation
DRUM DOI
Abstract
The field of historic preservation has undergone dramatic changes since the early
1960s, when Montpelier Mansion, in Laurel, Maryland, became a public resource. One such change is the incorporation of cultural landscapes as significant, protected resources and keys to more fully understanding our history. Not only do cultural landscapes encompass the broader physical and temporal context of historic places,they also provide opportunities to examine previously untold stories. Prince George’s County boasts one of the country’s largest collections of 18th- and 19th-century
plantation homes, but only a handful of these offer the public an interpretation of their broader landscape. Montpelier has been owned and interpreted by the Maryland-National Capitol Park
and Planning Commission (M-NCPPC) since 1961. Although 75 acres of the original
10,000-acre plantation continue to be owned along with the house, little is known
about the development of Montpelier’s early landscape and no interpretation is
provided for visitors to the site. The landscape at Montpelier has undergone a
multitude of typological changes, evolving from the relative wilderness inhabited by
Native Americans, to its development as a formal plantation, undergoing Colonial
Revival adaptation during the early 20th century, and ultimately becoming a house
museum and interpreted site. Furthermore, a cultural landscape approach provides a
rich context through which to discuss the history of diverse and often
underrepresented groups within the landscape of Montpelier and the wider Chesapeake region. This study investigates and interprets the history of Montpelier’s landscape, including
its grounds and outbuildings. As an account of Montpelier’s broad cultural landscape,
the report also illuminates connections between the environmental and cultural
evolution of the site, considers Montpelier’s involvement in the development of the
City of Laurel and the surrounding area, and examines the transition of everyday
lifeways over a period of several hundred years. The report also forms the basis of a
self-guided walking-tour for Montpelier visitors. More than simply providing a
brochure for Montpelier’s visitors to reference, the integration of the history of
Montpelier’s landscape into the site’s interpretive strategy provides M-NCPPC an opportunity to present a view of Chesapeake plantation development, use, and evolution that is, at this time, largely unavailable to the public.
Notes
Masters final project submitted to the Faculty of the Historic Preservation Program, School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation, University of Maryland, College Park, in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Historic Preservation. HISP 710/711 final project, May 2012.