The Riversdale Dependency

Large estates such as Riversdale relied on outbuildings, or dependencies, that were essential to the operation of the property. Historians and archaeologists have documented that a kitchen, servant quarters, wash house, smokehouse, privy, and garden wall once stood in the yard east of the mansion, and this dependency is the last surviving outbuilding from the estate. Structural investigations indicate that it was likely built in the mid-nineteenth century, probably during the occupancy of Charles Benedict Calvert, although archaeological investigation of the dirt and clay floor revealed an earlier foundation, suggesting that a similar building may have stood on this site during the lifetimes of Rosalie and George Calvert. About 30 feet east of the main house, the structure is a simple two-story building with two entrances, built of brick and covered with stucco like the main house. A central chimney served a fireplace in each of the two side-by-side units, and a stair ladder provided access to the second story. Over the years the building had many uses: an 1849 fire insurance policy called it a "Servants House of Brick," a later document suggested it was used as a kitchen, and the 1860 census indicates that a family occupied it at that time.

Riverdale Park, Maryland · United States