Science and History Together

The National Colonial Farm presents everyday life in Prince George’s County two hundred fifty years ago through a depiction of a small tobacco farm in colonial Maryland. Created in 1958, it first emphasized preserving heirloom crops tied to colonial-era Maryland, and while that scientific focus remains important, its mission later expanded to include history, agriculture, and ecology. Because most farmers in colonial Maryland lived on small farms rather than large plantations such as the eight thousand-acre Mount Vernon, the farm centers on ordinary family life between 1760 and 1775. That family story is a composite based on the historical records of twelve local colonial families, including their daily labor, interactions, possessions, and crops. Laurel Branch, originally built around 1770 and occupied until 1950, reflects the small, comfortable, and easily expandable houses that suited such families; it was moved and reassembled in the 1990s using colonial methods. A tobacco barn listed in the National Register of Historic Places was moved from near Annapolis in 1981 and reassembled over two years using colonial methods, and its high roof reflects a feature of colonial Maryland barns. The farm also demonstrates colonial agriculture through heritage breeds such as Milking Devon Cows, Hog Island Sheep, Ossabaw Hogs, Dominique Chickens, and Black Spanish Turkeys, animals representative of those seen on farms in the 1700s.

Fort Hunt, Virginia · United States