Thomas Stone National Historic Site commemorates Thomas Stone, a signer of the Declaration of Independence and an early Maryland state senator. Established on November 10, 1978, it protects about 328 acres (132 hectares) of pastoral fields, forest, outbuildings, the Stone family cemetery, and Stone's home — "Haberdeventure," a distinctive five-part Georgian-style mansion built in 1771 and restored after a fire in 1977. Walking trails lead through the estate.
Image from the National Park Service's Geodiversity Atlas page for Thomas Stone National Historic Site.
Setting
The site lies in Charles County, Maryland, on the eastern side of the Potomac River valley, in the Embayed Section of the Atlantic Coastal Plain — a region whose geologic history and formations extend far beyond the park.
The rock layers here are flat-lying and undeformed. The gentle rises and hollows of the land come from erosion and from streams cutting down through those horizontal layers.
The layers, oldest to youngest
| Age | Deposit | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Eocene | Sand, silt and clay of the Nanjemoy Formation | Exposed along Hoghole Run — the oldest rocks at the site |
| Miocene | Sand, silt and clay of the Calvert Formation | Also along Hoghole Run |
| Pliocene | Upland gravels | The broad upland between Hoghole Run and the upper Port Tobacco River, where much of the estate sits |
| Recent | Alluvium (loose sand, gravel, silt and clay), marsh deposits along larger streams, shelly sands, and artificial fill left by people | Stream bottoms and disturbed ground |
The park's geologic map from the Geologic Resources Inventory. Credit: National Park Service.
Maps and reports
The Park Service's Geologic Resources Inventory, which produces geologic maps and reports for more than 270 parks, has a digital geologic map, report and related products for the site, and a Soil Resources Inventory has been completed. Both are available on the NPS DataStore.
Sources
Based on "NPS Geodiversity Atlas—Thomas Stone National Historic Site, Maryland," National Park Service; a work of the United States government in the public domain.
In these publicationsThomas Stone National Historic Site
Licence: CC0 1.0 (public domain) · Adapted from www.nps.gov
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