Thomas Stone National Historic Site: A Port Tobacco Landmark

Who was Thomas Stone, and why does Port Tobacco matter?

The National Park Service (NPS) lists Thomas Stone as a “Maryland Signer of the Declaration of Independence.” Its quick facts give Port Tobacco, Maryland as his place of birth and 1743 as his birth year. The article on the same page says he was born at Poynton Manor in Charles County.

NPS says Stone and 55 others signed the Declaration of Independence. Stone signed on August 2, 1776. He later served in the Maryland Senate and died on October 5, 1787, at age 44.

What is Thomas Stone National Historic Site?

It is an NPS site in Port Tobacco. The NPS page for the site mentions the Stone house, called Haberdeventure, and a Stone family cemetery where Thomas Stone is buried.

This post does not give hours. NPS keeps them on its Plan Your Visit page, and they can change. Check that page before you go or before you print hours anywhere.

How can an owner write about a landmark without steering?

Write about the place. Do not write about the people you hope to attract. The fair housing rule is simple: a listing describes the home and what is near it, never who should live there. The Fair Housing Act entry gives the background.

Here is a short checklist for a Charles County listing.

1. Use the official name: Thomas Stone National Historic Site.
2. Give a distance you measured on a map, not a drive time.
3. Say what NPS says, such as “a National Park Service site”.
4. Do not add claims about schools, crime or quiet.
5. Link to the NPS page so readers get current hours.

What rental rules apply near Port Tobacco?

The Maryland People’s Law Library table, last updated September 22, 2026, shows no long-term rental license for Port Tobacco or for Charles County. The towns of La Plata and Indian Head do require a license. The county has posted a proposal for a countywide license that is anticipated to begin July 1, 2027 and is subject to final adoption.

Read our post on the proposal for the dates and fee. The rental license glossary entry defines the term. The Southern Maryland rental license guide compares the counties. Our Charles County page lists the towns we serve there. The days on market entry explains one number owners watch when they list.

What does NPS say about Thomas Stone’s life?

NPS says Stone finished his legal education by 1765 and practiced by riding a circuit between Port Tobacco, Frederick and Annapolis. At 31 he joined the Charles County Committee of Correspondence. The next year he was chosen for the Second Continental Congress. NPS says he gained a reputation as a cautious, deliberate man who wanted peace, and that he joined other delegates in pushing for the Olive Branch Petition to King George III.

In 1777 he left Congress for the Maryland Senate in Annapolis, partly because of his wife Margaret’s health. His family left Haberdeventure in 1783. Margaret died in June 1787, and Stone died four months later.

NPS also states plainly that Stone held as many as 30 enslaved African Americans who performed the labor that supplied his wealth. A local history post should not skip that fact.

What else does the NPS site offer?

The NPS home page for the site lists these items.

1. A Plan Your Visit page with hours, directions and a park map.
2. An interpretive audio tour called Winds of Revolution.
3. A Junior Ranger program.
4. A historic resource study of the people who lived at Haberdeventure from 1770 to 1787.
5. Pages on guided tours, pets and accessibility.

Link to the NPS pages in your own materials. They are the source of record for hours and rules.

Next step

Own a home in Charles County and want a real rent number? Request a free assessment at /contact-us or call (301) 392-2172.