hammond-harwood house

We had this house on our schedule of things that we might want to see during our December visit to Annapolis, but the owner of the B & B where we were staying told us that it was a "must-do". Yep, he was right!We were lucky in that we toured the home on the last day of their "A Very Maryland Christmas" tour, so this beautiful home was decorated for the holidays by local garden clubs...........not that the beauty of the home needed the holiday decorations, but it was a special added touch.Don, our tour guide, was great. His area of interest was architecture, so he emphasized all the unique aspects of this wonderful American colonial home. The historical homes that we have toured in the past have had changes made in them, but not this one! What you see is what it had been in the past, as none of the families who lived here made any changes in it.......mind boggling! Totally worth the time to take the one-hour tour of this magnificent home!

The Hammond Harwood house was an unexpectedly pleasant find in "downtown"Annapolis. Located two blocks from Gate 3 to the U.S. naval Academy, it is the rare historical house that still has the integrity of the original construction. The house was designed by a leading residential British architect of the times for a wealthy landowner according to an "academic" architectural model based on the Palladian tradition. The house, which has a nice collection of Charles Wilson Peale portraits, was occupied by several families that had not altered the building before it was obtained by the trust that runs it to this day. The guide was quite knowledgeable, the hour tour was enjoyable.

The docent wad full of local history and gave a lovely type. The house is full of antiques and beautiful hams carving.

Earlier in the year, we toured the William Paca house and wanted to come back to Annapolis to tour the Hammond-Harwood House. We took the tour of Hammond-Harwood on 8/14/14 in the afternoon. The elderly lady at the register turned out to be our tour guide. Now I have to say this and I am not being mean here, but it needs to be mentioned. This lady was on oxygen and when she indicated she was going to give the tour, I simply though "Oh Gosh." This is a classic example of don't judge a book by it's cover as she did an outstanding job and made the tour fun. She was very informative and kept soliciting questions from all of us that took the tour. I wish I knew our docent's name to give her a personal shout out, but unfortunately, I don't. However, she did an excellent job, had a great sense of humor and made the tour quite informative and enjoyable.

They are only open for a couple of hours a day on weekdays, but if you are in the area, drop in and see the old wealthy man's home.

This is a strange museum/tour. The architecture, based on a Palladian drawing, is very balanced and represents the good times when Annapolis was a major trading port. There are excellent examples of furniture and art from the period.However, the house also has an eclectic mix of stuff acquired and installed by the group that took ownership of the place in order to open it for tours. Definitely worth a visit for the architecture and history.

The Hammond-Harwood house is a great example of Palladian architecture and supposedly inspired Thomas Jefferson when he was remodeling Monticello. The house also has a good collection of Charles Wilson Peale paintings and John Shaw furniture.

Definitely worthwhile. Apparently this is the only historical home in Annapolis that is mostly preserved (90% according to our docent). This is because the families that owned it didn't have the money to renovate through the years. They offer AAA and senior discounts. We paid $6 apiece.

it is poorly advertised, doesn't open until 12 and nothing to tell you. Once you get in the docents are quite good and an interesting tour

We visited in May and enjoyed a fabulous tour led by a super knowledgeable docent (Carol). This is a piece of American History preserved in time. We loved the original furnishings and artwork. If you love architecture or American History, you'll love this place. A must see in Annapolis!

The tour was wonderful, Thanks to Our dedicated guide BOBBYShe was very Informative and a pure delight. It felt like we were in the 1700 era with her sincere approach to this must do activity in Annapolis

This is a beautiful mansion of one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence. It gives one an excellent understanding of just how much the signers were putting on the line for all we now cherish: life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Very nicely furnished and decorated, the tour is quite informative.

We took an interesting tour of home and grounds. The docent did an excellent job, including commentary on architecture, art work, furniture of the period. The home is in amazing shape. That alone is impressive. There are a few others I would like to visit as well, but will have to save that for another time.

I managed to get a personal tour as I was the last of the day.It's a nice historic home and when coupled with William Paca House gives you a good overview of early Annapolis life.

The house itself is ok. It will not blow you out of the water. The kitchen is the most interesting room in the house. It is best visited when it is decorated for Christmas.