The Lower Susquehanna River has both an impressive natural history and a rich cultural history. From Port Deposit, explorer John Smith traveled only a little farther up the river in his schooner. The town was home to people ranging from the Susquehannock to European settlers, who formed part of the foundation of the country. Jacob Tome arrived in Port Deposit penniless from York County, Pennsylvania, became one of the richest men in the United States, and left a huge legacy to the town. The last two remaining buildings of that legacy are the Carriage House on Main Street and the Gas House. The Gas House has been restored to the Secretary of the Interior's Standards for Revitalization for historic properties and converted into a Visitor Center and Research and Education Center for continued studies on endangered Northern Map Turtles and other Lower Susquehanna River wildlife. The Port Deposit Historic District is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Adams Hall, built about 1905, once served as a gymnasium for the Jacob Tome Institute and now functions as Town Hall and municipal offices, while the Tome Steps were used by students from the Tome School for Boys and later by sailors from the Bainbridge Naval Base on the granite cliff to visit the town. The Carriage House, built about 1850, once housed Jacob Tome's carriages, and its first-floor room, no longer containing horse stalls, is now used for meetings and social gatherings. The Gerry House, built about 1813 in late Georgian style with Greek Revival porches, hosted Lafayette during his 1824 visit as guest of the nation and is now a private residence and bed and breakfast.