On a rise in the center of Carroll Park in southwest Baltimore stands Maryland's first museum house and one of the oldest and finest examples of colonial Georgian architecture in the city.
Mount Clare is a 1760 colonial Georgian home built by one of Maryland’s leading patriots and one of our first state senators, Charles Carroll, Barrister. Mount Clare was the center of Georgia Plantation, a self-sufficient plantation with a diverse community. Because of its exceptional value in interpreting our rich national heritage, Mount Clare was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1971.
The National Society of the Colonial Dames in America in the State of Maryland has been the steward of Mount Clare since 1917, and owns the museum's collection of nearly 3,000 objects from the 18th and 19th century which includes paintings, furniture, and decorative arts, a majority of which are on display at Mount Clare. Today, Mount Clare Museum House educates the public about all aspects of life on an 18th century plantation including the lives of enslaved Africans and indentured servants.
The museum has one of the finest privately owned decorative arts collections in the country, most of which belonged to the Carroll family. It is renowned amongst scholars and collectors alike. The collection consists of English and Chinese export objects as well as many regional objects and furnishings from Maryland, Virginia and Pennsylvania. On exhibit are 16 family portraits by notable artists such as Charles Willson Peale and Robert Edge Pine. This exceptional collection allows us to provide a remarkably personal interpretation of life at Mount Clare – a rare treat for historic house visitors.
