Hello Y'all,
If you are an avid Southern'spirations follower, you may have noticed we have been going on a lot of road trips this year. If you are a first-time reader because you are interested in Mount Harmon Plantation, welcome! But there is a little backstory for this blog post. As I said, we have been traveling a good bit this year, so when it came to our road trip from South Carolina to Pennsylvania, we decided to break up the journey by seeing new places instead of staying on 95. On the way home we went "the long way," stopping at Monticello which I spoke about in a blog post a couple of weeks ago but what I didn't mention was the adventure we went on to get to Pennsylvania.
We took our regular stop in DC to visit my brother and explore, but the next morning we had a late check-in and a short drive to Lancaster so we thought we would take a peek at Annapolis. Y'all I want to plan a full weekend trip there so bad! Leaving the Annapolis is where the rabbit trail began. We could get back on the highway and take the direct path to Lancaster OR take the Chesapeake Bay bridge to the other side of Maryland. I wanted to take the bridge, which led us to the beautiful countryside and a sign that side "Mount Harmon Plantation Next Left." I have a weakness for home tours, and my interest was peaked, so we took that left turn. Which turned into about a 10 to 15 mile drive deeper into the country and made the GPS super angry. Every time we were about to turn around, there was a sign that side "Mount Harmon Plantation" with an arrow, so we kept going.
Then we saw the entrance and the one-way mile-long driveway. It was breathtaking with old trees leaning and shading the drive, like stepping back in time. Then the trees broke to reveal a gorgeous house atop a hill looking over Foreman Creek. We walked up to the house, not knowing anything about it or if we could tour it. Luckily from May-October, they have tour guides there to give you a thorough tour of the house on the hour for a small fee (check their website for more tour information.) And y'all this tour is worth every penny, the story the house and land tells is an interesting one.
The brick home, originally built in the late 1700s, went through a massive renovation in the early 1960s. The renovation focused heavily on preserving the house with gorgeous Chippendale banisters and hand-painted wallpapers. Honestly, my favorite part was all of the antiques collected by the late owner Mrs. Harry Clark Boden, IV, hunting chairs, Chippendale tables, and all the old clocks! But the all-time show stopper was the bathrooms she put in for her and her daughter's suites. Talk about 60s glam! I love that the tour guide shows you every inch of the house, new and old. You get to hear and see the story of the home written over centuries. AND we were able to walk up to the widows' walk, which is a rare treat, plus the view from the roof was outstanding.
Have I piqued your interest? Head over to their website to learn more about the history, preservation, and upcoming events! If you ever find yourself on that side of Maryland, I highly recommend visiting Mount Harmon Plantation. Also, take this as a reminder to enjoy the journey as much as the destination!
Blessings from Hartsville!
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