THE DOORWAY
The tall Ionic columns of the doorway, often called the most beautiful in America, support an entablature with architrave, pediment and frieze of ribboned laurel. Exquisitely carved roses ornament the spandrels and egg and dart moldings outline the door and fan-light.
THE INTERIOR
The handsome doorway is but a prelude to the elaboration of detail within the house. Acanthus and tobacco leaves, reminiscent of Hammond’s extensive tobacco plantations, ornament the broken pediment and frame over-mantels. The dining room acclaims the woodcarver at his best, with moldings, shutters, doors, chair-rail and fireplace decorated with beauty and restraint. The great charm of the ballroom, considered to be one of the most beautiful colonial rooms ever built, lies in its fine proportions, high ceiling, and atmosphere of grace and dignity. It was a setting to add lustre to the many brilliant social gatherings which were reflected in its mirrors.
THE FURNISHINGS
The house has been decorated and furnished with strict adherence to the period of the eighteenth century. There are many pieces which were originally in the house, as well as an outstanding collection of furniture made by Maryland cabinetmakers including the famous John Shaw of Annapolis and by cabinetmakers of Philadelphia and New England. Maryland’s own Charles Willson Peale is represented by a number of portraits and there is such refinement of detail as the very doll which is pictured in the portrait of little Miss Proctor which hangs in a bedroom. The house looks much as it must have, when the flower of colonial society passed through its elegant doors.
THE OCCUPANTS
Lafayette visited the Hammond-Harwood House, and it was a favorite meeting place of the planter society of Maryland. Through the years it has been lived in and loved by the prominent Maryland families of Pinkney, Chase, Loockerman and Harwood. The Harwoods owned and lived in the house for some 75 years before it became a museum, thus the hyphenated name Hammond-Harwood explains and completes the beginning and end of its private ownership.