Riverdale Park in Prince George's County, Maryland — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
MacAlpine Farm
Town of Riverdale Park
Photographed By Allen C. Browne, May 28, 2018
1. MacAlpine Farm Marker
Inscription.
MacAlpine Farm. Town of Riverdale Park. Three years after the death of his father, Charles Baltimore Calvert married Eleanor Mackubin (November 11, 1867). On the 203-acre portion of Riversdale that Charles inherited, the young couple built a farm they called MacAlpine, after the Mackubin family home in Scotland. In contrast to Riversdale plantation - a large farm staffed by enslaved labor growing tobacco for export – MacAlpine was a general farm that raised a variety of crops and livestock for home use and sale, and was staffed by hired labor. Although the house was large, it was smaller and more modest than Riversdale Mansion, where Charles grew up. The farmstead included a carriage barn, livestock barn, corncrib, and icehouse. , , Charles Baltimore Calvert was a gentleman farmer supported by family wealth and professional pursuits. Although the farm supplied the family and its servants with a wide range of foodstuffs and services, by the time of Charles Calvert's death in 1906, the modern world was already encroaching on the property. Calvert's daughter Charlotte and her husband Thomas H. Spence, a dean at the nearby University of Maryland (the institution cofounded by her father), lived on this property from 1917 to 1934. In 1934 the Spence's leased MacAlpine to the Longfellow School for Boys. By then, most of the outbuildings, including the carriage barn, icehouse, and water tower, had become obsolete and were removed.
Three years after the death of his father, Charles Baltimore Calvert married Eleanor Mackubin (November 11, 1867). On the 203-acre portion of Riversdale that Charles inherited, the young couple built a farm they called MacAlpine, after the Mackubin family home in Scotland. In contrast to Riversdale plantation - a large farm staffed by enslaved labor growing tobacco for export – MacAlpine was a general farm that raised a variety of crops and livestock for home use and sale, and was staffed by hired labor. Although the house was large, it was smaller and more modest than Riversdale Mansion, where Charles grew up. The farmstead included a carriage barn, livestock barn, corncrib, and icehouse.
Charles Baltimore Calvert was a gentleman farmer supported by family wealth and professional pursuits. Although the farm supplied the family and its servants with a wide range of foodstuffs and services, by the time of Charles Calvert's death in 1906, the modern world was already encroaching on the property. Calvert's daughter Charlotte and her husband Thomas H. Spence, a dean at the nearby University of Maryland (the institution cofounded by her father), lived on this property from 1917 to 1934. In 1934 the Spence's leased MacAlpine to the Longfellow School for Boys. By then, most of the outbuildings, including the carriage barn,
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icehouse, and water tower, had become obsolete and were removed.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Agriculture.
Location. 38° 58.171′ N, 76° 56.252′ W. Marker is in Riverdale Park, Maryland, in Prince George's County. Marker can be reached from the intersection of Van Buren Street and Baltimore Avenue (U.S. 1). Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 4439 Van Buren Street, Hyattsville MD 20782, United States of America. Touch for directions.
3. MacAlpine House Administration Building for Calvert Houses, 1943
Internet Archive
4. MacAlpine House
From The History and Construction of Mac Alpine at College Park, Maryland by Jack W. Phillips, Tau Beta Pi thesis, Dec. 13, 1934.
Photographed By Allen C. Browne
5. Pumphouse and Railroad Tracks at MacAlpine
From The History and Construction of Mac Alpine at College Park, Maryland by Jack W. Phillips, Tau Beta Pi thesis, Dec. 13, 1934.
Internet Archive
6. First Floor Plan - MacAlpine House
From The History and Construction of Mac Alpine at College Park, Maryland by Jack W. Phillips, Tau Beta Pi thesis, Dec. 13, 1934.
Photographed By Allen C. Browne, May 28, 2018
7. MacAlpine Gate Posts at Baltimore Avenue & Albion Road
Photographed By Allen C. Browne, May 28, 2018
8. Calvert on one gate post
Photographed By Allen C. Browne, May 28, 2018
9. MacAlpine on the other gate post
Credits. This page was last revised on August 3, 2018. It was originally submitted on May 30, 2018, by Allen C. Browne of Silver Spring, Maryland. This page has been viewed 423 times since then and 51 times this year. Photos:1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. submitted on May 30, 2018, by Allen C. Browne of Silver Spring, Maryland. 7, 8, 9. submitted on June 2, 2018, by Allen C. Browne of Silver Spring, Maryland. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.