Mission

Goals

• Develop Historic London Town and Gardens as an educational and heritage tourism destination and continue the research of tidewater history and archaeology.
• Preserve the historic, archaeological, and natural resources located at Historic London Town and Gardens to the maximum extent possible.
• Contribute to the education of the citizens of Maryland, Anne Arundel County, and beyond by means of exhibits, historic interpretation, reconstructions, research, and programming that is compatible with the site’s history.
• Establish Historic London Town and Gardens as a source of community pride in the Edgewater Beach neighborhood and as a positive contributor to the local economy.

Modern History

Historic London Town and Gardens is a twenty-three acre park featuring history, archaeology, and horticulture on the South River in Edgewater, Maryland. The park is owned by Anne Arundel County and managed by the London Town Foundation, a 501(c)(3) non-profit foundation. London Town has within its boundaries part of the late seventeenth and early eighteenth century town of London, which is currently being excavated by archaeologists from the Lost Towns Project.

Established in 1683 as a 100-acre town, it became an important Chesapeake tobacco port and a key player in the transatlantic trade network. Strategically located on the major north-south route along the Atlantic seaboard, London Town served as a central transportation hub in the Chesapeake region. The town and its associated ferry landings was a bustling commercial center.

By the early nineteenth century, London Town was little more than a memory. Anne Arundel County purchased the William Brown House in the 1820s and turned it into the County Almshouse; housing and feeding the poor and homeless. Because the house was being used, it survived as a relic of the once vibrant community. When the 1965 National Welfare Act caused the county to close the Almshouse, the site started its current life as a history, horticulture, and archaeology museum.

After the county closed the Almshouse, a local, dedicated group of preservationists and gardeners convinced government officials to save the property and the William Brown House. In 1970 the house was designated a National Historic Landmark. An active group of volunteers, working with Anne Arundel County, worked to return the William Brown House to its 18th-century appearance while also furnishing it as a period inn and residence.

The Woodland Garden was also developed during this time as a collaborative effort between local garden clubs, the University of Maryland, county officials, and interested individuals. The garden was created as a showcase for unusual plants and as one of the finest botanical collections in the area. Windsor Great Park in the United Kingdom served as the inspiration for the Woodland Garden. Since the 1990s Anne Arundel County’s Lost Towns Project has focused much of its attention on learning more about the site’s history. Evidence of several buildings dating back to the late 17th and 18th centuries has been found. Through their work, the London Town Foundation has been able to reconstruct the Lord Mayor’s Tenement on its original location and the Foundation is in the process of reconstructing the Carpenter Shop and eventually the Rumney-West Tavern.

In July 2007, the new Visitor Center, Lost Towns Project Archaeology Lab, and Horticultural Complex were opened to the public. The 12,000 ft2 Visitor Center has a 3,500 ft2 exhibition space, the largest in Anne Arundel County. The Archaeology Lab houses various artifacts found by the Lost Towns Project. And the Horticultural Complex includes a Green House, Cold Frame, and Lathe House for plant sales, propagation, and research.

Today, visitors may take a self-guided tour of the site or a guided tour of the Historic Area and William Brown House. Thousands of school children enjoy a wide variety of historical and horticultural programs. Wedding parties, families, and businesses use the Ornamental Gardens and the Pavilion as the setting for their special day or corporate needs.

Within the next ten years Historic London Town and Gardens hopes to complete its three reconstruction projects in the Historic Area (Lord Mayor’s Tenement, Carpenter Shop, and Rumney-West Tavern), utilize the Horticultural Complex to sustain London Town-grown plants, and continue its archaeological and historical research of the tidewater Chespeake.

The Mermaid

Historic London Town and Gardens logo is based on a mermaid design found on three English delft plates excavated by archaeologists from the Rumney-West Tavern’s cellar. The nearly identical set of plates, dating to circa 1725, is a tantalizing hint that the tavern may have been known as the Sign of the Mermaid. The logo reflects London Town’s history as a thriving seaport. Today that seaport is coming back to life through historical, horticultural, and archaeological programs offered by the London Town Foundation.