Historical Research at Montpelier

Museum Mission and Acknowledgement

Montpelier House Museum is a site dedicated to preserving and interpreting the house, outbuildings, and its grounds from 1783 to the 1960s with special emphasis on the Snowden family’s occupation (1783-1831). 

We acknowledge the terrain where Montpelier sits, and most of the state of Maryland, was once home to generations of the Algonquin-speaking indigenous groups like the Piscataway, Pawtuxunt, and Mattapanient. By 1658, when the first Snowden ancestor emigrated from the British Isles, most of these tribes were suffering decimation brought on by European diseases and encroachment of and displacement from their ancestral lands. 

We acknowledge that during the time of land occupation between 1783 and 1865, members of the Snowden family kept up to 169 individuals in forced bondage.

Archives Content Summary

We are expanding our research efforts and archival holdings to include primary and secondary resources that tell a more complete story of the people occupying the land—indigenous, freed, enslaved, and enslaver. Much of the archival collection has been comprised of materials related to the Snowden family and branches to include the Warfields, Contees, and Reese/Johnson families. Within these collections, there are personal correspondence, account books, scrapbooks, photographs, and land record materials. 

We also have architectural and ground drawings of Montpelier showing the evolution of the structure itself as well as some of the changes regarding land development surrounding the mansion. 

It is important to note that Montpelier staff is acquiring new materials regularly and that material will be added to the webpage once the collections have been fully processed and a finding aid created.

Research Questions and Access Procedures

All questions about the archival collections held at Montpelier and access to those collections should be directed to either the main office at 301-3077-7817 or the Collections Manager at 301-377-7836. Please note that all access to the collections and archives is by appointment only. In requesting access, please be prepared to explain the nature of your research and which parts of the collections are of interest to you. This may help us to direct you to resources that would be of greatest benefit to you.