Mother Seton House facts for kids
|
Mother Seton House
|
|
Mother Seton House in 2011
|
|
| Location | 600 North Paca Street, Baltimore, Maryland |
|---|---|
| Area | 1 acre (0.40 ha) |
| Built | 1808 |
| NRHP reference No. | 72001496 |
Quick facts for kids Significant dates |
|
| Added to NRHP | June 13, 1972 |
The Mother Seton House is a special old home in Baltimore, Maryland, United States. It's a red brick house with two and a half stories. It looks like other small homes built in the early 1800s. Many French families lived in this area back then.
This house was built in 1808. It was the home of Elizabeth Ann Seton (1774–1821). She was the first woman born in America to become a saint in the Catholic Church. In the 1960s, the house was fixed up to look like it did when she lived there. Today, it's a museum. The Mother Seton House is right next to the St. Mary's Seminary Chapel. In 1972, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places.
Contents
Who Was Mother Seton?
This house on North Paca Street is famous because of its first owner, Elizabeth Seton. She moved into the home in Baltimore on June 16, 1808. She lived there for about a year, leaving on June 21, 1809. During her stay, she paid $250 in rent.
Elizabeth Seton really liked the house. She wrote a letter to her friend, Julia Scott. She called it a "neat, delightful mansion, entirely new." She also said it had a "new French style of folding windows and recesses." Even though she only lived there for a year, the house became an important part of her story.
What Does the House Look Like?
Before the house was built, French immigrants used the land. They mostly farmed tobacco and wheat there. The Mother Seton House was built around 1807. This was during a time called the Federal Period in American history.
We don't know for sure who designed the house. But many people think Maximilian Godefroy might have been the architect. He designed many buildings in the area. The house's style, called "Federal Architecture," was inspired by the French people living nearby.
Today, the house is a row-home inside St. Mary’s Park. It's very close to Downtown Baltimore. One cool thing about the house is its staircase. It's 26 feet wide and 42 feet deep, and you can see it right from the entrance. The house has at least three bedrooms upstairs.
Why Was the House Built?
Elizabeth Seton wanted to bring her children to Baltimore. She told Bishop Carroll about her wish. He agreed to help her sons enroll at St. Mary’s College. Bishop Carroll was the president of the college, so he could make sure they got in.
But there was one condition for Elizabeth Seton. She had to "establish a school for young girls." This school was meant to be a boarding school. It would welcome girls of all ages. The Daughters of Charity helped fund and develop this new school.
What Happened After Seton Left?
Elizabeth Seton moved to Emmitsburg, Maryland in the summer of 1809. After she left, the house was empty for a while. Later, in the late 1800s and early 1900s, the house was used for storage. It even became a place to store potatoes and do laundry.
The house started to look run down. A group of local women decided to help. They started a project to fix up the home. The Sulpician Order, which also owns St. Mary’s Seminary, owns the property. During the renovation, workers took many photos. They photographed both the inside and outside of the house. This helped them restore it to its original look. The house was then furnished with furniture from the Federal period.
