…Adjourn to the Arbour at Vansweringens

…Adjourn to the Arbour at Vansweringens. . , One of the unique offerings of Garrett Van Sweringen's lodging house was an arbor. It is the only known arbor in 17th-century Maryland or Virginia. Van Sweringen was probably following a popular Dutch practice when he built it. As a shaded outdoor space, the arbor offered a cool, comfortable place to sit. The scene depicted before you is the afternoon of May 10, 1692, with the councilors relaxing and Van Sweringen checking on his guests., [Captions:] , The large graphic you see here is done in the "trompe l'oeil" style that seeks to create the illusion of a three-dimensional space on a flat surface. ,

1 David Brown , 2 George Robotham , 3 John Addison , 4 Garrett Van Sweringen,

Records from the Maryland Council Proceedings tell us that the council adjourned to Van Sweringen's arbor. With no air conditioning available in the 17th century, the arbor must have been especially attractive during the hot summer months. Fell free to sit and relax under the arbor like the Marylanders of three centuries ago.