Harmony Hall, located in

Fort Washington, Maryland Fort Washington is an unincorporated area and census-designated place in Prince George's County, Maryland, United States. It borders the Potomac River, situated 20 miles south of downtown Washington, D.C. As of the 2020 census, it had a popul ...

, is managed by the

United States National Park Service The National Park Service (NPS) is an agency of the United States federal government, within the US Department of the Interior. The service manages all national parks; most national monuments; and other natural, historical, and recreational ...

as part of the

National Capital Parks-East National Capital Parks-East (NACE) is an administrative grouping of multiple National Park Service sites east of the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C., and in the state of Maryland. These sites include:Those not noted as official units are ...

system. It has been a National Park Service site since 1966.Harmony Hall
, PackYourGear.com website Harmony Hall is a -story Georgian country house built of red brick during the eighteenth century. It is surrounded by of land on Broad Creek, a

Potomac River The Potomac River () is in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States and flows from the Potomac Highlands in West Virginia to Chesapeake Bay in Maryland. It is long,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography D ...

tributary. The house was built circa 1769 by Enoch Magruder. After his death, the estate was given to his daughter, Sarah and her husband, Col. William Lyles. The estate was originally called Battersea, but came to be called Harmony Hall some time after 1792, when it was rented to brothers John and

Walter Dulaney Addison Walter Dulany Addison (January 1, 1769 – January 31, 1848) was an Episcopal clergyman who served as Chaplain of the United States Senate (1810–1811). Early years Walter Dulany Addison was born at Annapolis, Maryland on January 1, 1769, the ...

and their wives. The name "Harmony Hall" commemorates the two couples' harmonious coexistence. Harmony Hall was sold by the Lyles family in 1850. After passing through other owners, the manor was purchased in about 1892 by Robert Stein, his brother Richard, and brother-in-law Joseph Adler. The three had emigrated from

Silesia Silesia (see names #Etymology, below) is a historical region of Central Europe that lies mostly within Poland, with small parts in the Czech Silesia, Czech Republic and Germany. Its area is approximately , and the population is estimated at 8, ...

, and engaged in

truck farming A market garden is the relatively small-scale production of fruits, vegetables and flowers as cash crops, frequently sold directly to consumers and restaurants. The diversity of crops grown on a small area of land, typically from under to so ...

nearby. They lost control of the manor house in 1929, selling it to Charles Collins, but continued to farm and operate a general store in the area. The home was extensively restored beginning in 1927 by Charles Wallace Collins (1879–1964), a lawyer, writer, and librarian who made his home in Harmony Hall and devoted himself to its restoration after he retired.Papers of Charles Wallace Collins
University of Maryland Libraries website Collins bequeathed the house to the National Park Service. Beginning in 1985, Frank Calhoun leased the mansion and lived there, investing more than $1 million into the house and its upkeep. After he fell behind on renovations in his early 60s, the Park Service asked Calhoun to leave in 1999. The property has been empty and in accelerating decline since then. Though the Park Service periodically sends in staff and enlists students to clean up the grounds, Harmony Hall competes with many other historic properties for attention and funding. The home has been listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

since 1980, at which time its condition was described as "excellent". , Harmony Hall is closed to the public.Harmony Hall Directions
National Park Service official website Harmony Hall is also the name given to a community center building, on adjacent property, owned by the

Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission (M-NCPPC) is a bi-county agency that administers parks and planning in Montgomery and Prince George's counties in Maryland. History The commission was formed in 1927 by the Maryland G ...

and used as their southern area headquarters office. The center includes a fitness center and hosts concerts, stage plays, art exhibits, arts classes, scout meetings, and other cultural programs. The building was originally an elementary school.

References

External links

Official site
*
Harmony Hall, 10500 Livingstone Road (10511 Livingstone Road), Friendly vicinity, Prince George's, MD
at the

Historic American Buildings Survey The asterisk ( ), from Late Latin , from Ancient Greek , , "little star", is a Typography, typographical symbol. It is so called because it resembles a conventional image of a star (heraldry), heraldic star. Computer scientists and Mathematici ...

(HABS)
Charles Wallace Collins papers
at the

University of Maryland libraries The University of Maryland Libraries is the largest university library system in the Washington D.C.–Baltimore area. The system includes eight libraries: six are located on the University of Maryland, College Park, College Park campus, while ...

. Collins was an owner of Harmony Hall and his papers contain materials from 1919 to 1970. {{authority control Parks in Prince George's County, Maryland Houses in Prince George's County, Maryland Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Maryland National Park Service areas in Maryland National Capital Parks-East Houses completed in 1723 Silesian-American history Historic American Buildings Survey in Maryland Protected areas established in 1966 1966 establishments in Maryland National Register of Historic Places in Prince George's County, Maryland 1723 establishments in the Thirteen Colonies