Queen Anne's County Maryland House & Garden Pilgrimage 2019

Enjoy a Spring Saturday on May 4 with friends or family in beautiful Queen Anne’s County touring eight significant historic homes and properties, each offering a unique perspective on the county’s rich and diverse history and each enhanced with beautiful floral arrangements courtesy of the Queen Anne’s County Garden Club. Take advantage of this rare opportunity to step back in time and get a sampling of the many facets of Queen Anne’s County life in a bygone era in what is one of the oldest and what was one of the most prosperous communities in North America.

Be a guest in a number of privately-owned homes in the area—some dating back to the 1700’s—including a working farm still held by the direct descendants of its first English settler. See preserved ice and meat houses, slave quarters, and other structures typical to the times. Witness for yourself the way families kept their deceased loved ones close to their hearts by creating adjacent burial grounds. Get a real glimpse into the lives of prominent families on the rural Eastern Shore of Maryland at the turn of the 20th century, including where they shopped!

Get a first-hand look at what school was like for segregated African Americans at the only comprehensive high school for them in the county, dating back to the 1930‘s and open to you following years of attentive renovations. Visit one of the first churches in the Maryland colony, that partially raised funds for its expansion by holding jousting tournaments within the community, and view relics and mementos rarely seen by the public. Tour the once private home in which a school was founded by parents of a child with polio so that she might have as good an education as her peers, today fully restored and part of the school’s 35-acre waterfront campus.

The properties featured in this one-day-only event are conveniently clustered in the Kent Island, Queenstown, and Centreville areas. Together they reflect the colorful and varied history of Queen Anne’s County from its earliest settlers to its more modern residents.

This tour is part of the 2019 Maryland House & Garden Pilgrimage (MHGP), held across Maryland since 1937. MHGP, a non-profit organization, is dedicated to the preservation and restoration of architecturally and historically significant properties in the State of Maryland. It is the only statewide house and garden tour organization and the oldest tour in Maryland.

The tour is from 10 am to 5 pm. For advance ticket sales and information, contact Diana Pietrowiak, 443-223-1699 or Dot Abbott, 410-758-2071; or email 2019qachousetour@gmail.com. Ticket prices range from $30 to $40 depending on date purchased. Beginning in March, tickets are available online at www.mhgp.org. Tickets will also be available at any of the eight sites on the day of the tour (cash or check only). A delicious box lunch is available at the third site on tour until sold out, with advanced reservations encouraged by April 26, 2019; contact Michele Shultz, 410-979-2673. Tour proceeds benefit historic preservation projects in Queen Anne’s County. No strollers or high heels, please. Properties are generally not wheelchair accessible.