Mother Seton House is a historic home located on the grounds of

St. Mary’s Seminary St. Mary's Seminary and University is a Catholic seminary located within the Archdiocese of Baltimore in Baltimore, Maryland; it was the first seminary founded in the United States after the Revolution and has been run since its founding by th ...

Baltimore Baltimore is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the 30th-most populous U.S. city. The Baltimore metropolitan area is the 20th-large ...

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It borders the states of Virginia to its south, West Virginia to its west, Pennsylvania to its north, and Delaware to its east ...

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. It is a -story red brick house, similar to other small homes built in the early 19th century for the predominantly

French community The French Community () was the constitutional organization set up in October 1958 between France and its remaining African colonies, then in the process of decolonization. It replaced the French Union, which had reorganized the colonial em ...

nearby. It was built in 1808 as the home of

Elizabeth Ann Seton Elizabeth Ann Bayley Seton (August 28, 1774 – January 4, 1821) was an American Catholic Church, Catholic religious and educator, known as a founder of the country's parochial school system. Born in New York and reared as an Episcopalian, she ...

(1774–1821), the first American-born woman beatified and canonized by the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

. In the 1960s it was restored to its original appearance through the efforts of a committee, which continues to operate the home as a museum. Mother Seton House is located adjacent to the

St. Mary's Seminary Chapel St. Mary's Seminary Chapel is a Catholic church located at 600 North Paca Street (off Druid Hill Avenue and modern Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard) in the Seton Hill neighborhood of Baltimore, Maryland. It was built in the Neo-Gothic styl ...

. In 1972, Mother Seton House was 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 ...

Mother Seton’s connection

This home on North Paca Street is most well known for its first owner, Mother Seton. She would arrive to the home in Baltimore on June 16, 1808, and stay until June 21, 1809. During her brief year in Baltimore, Seton would pay rent totaling at $250.00. Upon her arrival to the home, Elizabeth Seton was more than pleased with the house. In fact, she penned a letter to a friend, Julia Scott, describing it as a "‘neat, delightful mansion, entirely new...in the new French style of folding windows and recesses.’" Despite the fact that Elizabeth Seton only inhabited the home for a year, a long-lasting bond between the two was formed.

House description

Prior to the home’s existence, the land was occupied by French immigrants. They used the land mainly for tobacco and wheat farming. The house was constructed during the Federal Period roughly around 1807. Although the architect of the original home is unknown, it is believed that

Maximilian Godefroy J. Maximilian M. Godefroy (1765 – 7 April 1848) was a French-American architect. Godefroy was born in France and educated as a geographical/civil engineer. During the French Revolution he fought briefly on the Royalist side. Later, as an ant ...

was the mastermind behind the project. He was responsible for much of the designs in the surrounding buildings. Inspiration for the home was drawn from the French immigrants in what is to be known as "

Federal Architecture Federal-style architecture is the name for the classical architecture built in the United States following the American Revolution between 1780 and 1830, and particularly from 1785 to 1815, which was influenced heavily by the works of And ...

." As it stands, the row-home is located within St. Mary’s Park, just minutes from Downtown Baltimore. The most notable feature about the home is the 26’ wide and 42’ deep staircase that can be seen from the entrance. The house contains at least three bedrooms on the second floor, but there is no total room count for the entire property.

Reason it was built

Elizabeth Seton told Bishop Carroll she wanted to reunite with her children. He agreed to send her sons down to Baltimore, suggesting that they enroll in school at St. Mary’s College. He himself was the president of the college; therefore he could see that her sons were admitted. The only condition that Seton had to follow was to "establish a school for young girls." This was to be a boarding school which welcomed girls of all ages.. The school was funded and developed through the Daughters of Charity.

After Seton

After Seton’s departure to

Emmitsburg, Maryland Emmitsburg is a town in Frederick County, Maryland, United States, south of the Mason-Dixon line separating Maryland from Pennsylvania. Founded in 1785, Emmitsburg is the home of Mount St. Mary's University. The town has two Catholic pilgrim ...

in the summer of 1809 the house was left vacant for some time. In the late 19th century and early 20th century the home was used as a potato bin. and a place of storage and laundry services. After it received negative attention for its lack of upkeep, a local women’s group initiated the restoration of the home. The property is owned by the

Sulpician Order The Society of Priests of Saint-Sulpice (; PSS), also known as the Sulpicians, is a society of apostolic life of Pontifical Right for men, named after the Church of Saint-Sulpice, Paris, where it was founded. The members of the Society add t ...

, which also controls of

. In the process of renovation, the house was thoroughly documented by taking photos of both the interior and exterior in order to restore the home to its original condition. It was furnished with Federal decor.

References

External links

Mother Seton House and St. Mary's Chapel in Baltimore, Maryland: Official website
*, including undated photo, at Maryland Historical Trust
Mother Seton House and the St. Mary's Seminary Chapel – Explore Baltimore Heritage
{{National Register of Historic Places in Maryland 1808 establishments in Maryland 1800s in Baltimore French-American culture in Baltimore Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Baltimore Houses in Baltimore Houses completed in 1808 Seton Museums in Baltimore Historic house museums in Maryland Religious museums in Maryland Women's museums in Maryland Seton Hill, Baltimore Baltimore City Landmarks Brick buildings and structures in Maryland