Step back to the early years of the United States – also known as the Federal era –with the Historical Society of Talbot County as we visit two historic homes. On Thursday, June 11th a luxury bus will sweep you across the bridge and into the past.

Hampton House in Towson will be the first stop. This plantation home was built in 1790 and is now a National Historic Site. Our guided tour will include the manor house, the farm, and the slave quarters. According to the National Park Service, “Hampton is the story of people — enslaved African Americans, indentured servants, industrial and agricultural workers, and owners. It is also the story of the economic and moral changes that made this kind of life obsolete. When it was finished in 1790, Hampton was the largest house in the United States. Set among beautifully landscaped grounds and gardens, it remains a showplace today.”

Next, the trip will head toward Washington, D.C. to Riversdale mansion. Now a National Historic Landmark, Riversdale was built between 1801 and 1807. “Construction of this elegant manor house was begun by Henri Stier, a Flemish aristocrat, and was completed by his daughter Rosalie and her husband George Calvert, grandson of the fifth Lord Baltimore. The Federal style mansion has particularly fine interior decorative detail,” according to the Prince George’s County Parks and Recreation. This house was the home of Rosalie Calvert, whose letters were published in the book “Rosalie, Mistress of Riversdale.”

The bus will leave Easton at 9 am and return around 6 pm. The cost is $45 for Historical Society members ($55 for non-members) and includes lunch and all admission fees. For more information or to make a reservation, contact the Historical Society at 410-822-0773 or curator@hstc.org