Lesser Known Founding Fathers

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On a sprawling plot of land in Port Tobacco, Maryland, sits a house of most unusual shape, built in a curved formation that looks almost like a boomerang. The house was built in five parts, and it looks on first glance like five very distinct and dissimilar buildings glued together. But don't misinterpret this to mean that it housed the poor, the underprivileged, the down-on-their-luck. This was a house of means, a house with a formal name, Haberdaventure. A mansion with supplementary wings, and its expensive artwork and elaborate furnishings speak to the wealth of the owner.

Etched into several bricks of the façade are the names of various people with the surname Stone, and the dates of the etchings stretch back to the 1700s. The Thomas Stone National Historical Site preserves the home and property of Thomas Stone. Some of the original furnishings have been recovered from subsequent owners and re-established in the house. A family cemetery sits in a small gated square near small mossy woods.

But who was Thomas Stone and why is there a national park site dedicated to him? Thomas Stone was an attorney, planter and politician at the time of the American Revolution. A founding father who contributed to the articles of Confederation, served briefly as president of Congress and was a signer of the Declaration of Independence. Of the 56 men who signed the declaration, Thomas Stone is one of a small handful honored with a national park site. At first glance, this might seem quite perplexing.

Many, if not most, Americans, have never heard of Thomas Stone, even the author of the declaration. Thomas Jefferson has only the Jefferson Memorial as a unit of the National Park Service, part of the larger National Mall and Memorial Parks area. Despite being one of the most famous people in American history, so why Thomas Stone? The answer is circumstance, or perhaps happenstance. Some of the other founding fathers historic homes just no longer exist.

Some are still occupied by descendants of the original families, and some are owned by other government or private organizations. The descendants of Thomas Stone continued to own the property until 1936, when it was sold to a private family who lived there for several decades. Declared a national historic landmark in 1971, the house suffered a devastating fire in 1977 and the central section was severely damaged. The National Park Service was able to purchase Haberdasher in 1981, and restoration continued until it opened to the public in 1997. A ranger at the park said that sometimes the units of the National Park Service are very precisely and deliberately planned. And others simply happen because a property becomes available.

He said that the National Park Service had been very interested for a long time in establishing a unit that preserved the home and history of one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence. But wishing to establish a park and being able to acquire the property in accoutrements are two different things. And it becomes a waiting game for such a property to be put up for sale. I'm Jason EpPerson. And today, on America's National Parks, we explore people and places that don't make it into school. Lesson plans or popular books, films or musicals. National Park service sites dedicated to lesser-known figures of America.

These types of park units typically fall under the categories of National Historic Site or National Historical Park. National Historic sites commemorate people and events important in the nation's history and are customarily preserved or restored to reflect their appearance during the period of their greatest historical significance. National historical parks are typically larger physical areas and cover people and events with greater complexity than a national historical site. Either way, these two designations can preserve and highlight some of the lesser-known figures of American history.

Just outside of Charleston, South Carolina, sits another such unit of the National Park Service, Snee Farm, the Charles Pinckney National Historic Site. The first three words on the website, aside from the park alerts, are a forgotten founder. Although James Madison is widely recognized as the father of the Constitution, he was not the only contributor. Similar to Thomas Jefferson's Monticello, James Madison's home Montpelier, is not part of the National Park system. There's no unit of the National Park Service dedicated to James Madison.

On the other hand, 28 acres of Charles Pinckney's Snee Farm, a rice and indigo plantation, form a small unit of the park service dedicated both to the history of Charles Pinckney and 18th-century lowcountry coastal plantation life. Although this might be viewed as settling for second best, Charles Pinckney was a primary contributor to the Constitution, earning him the nickname Constitution Charlie. 28. Clauses of the Constitution are attributed directly to Pinckney, including the elimination of religious testing as a qualification to office. The division of the legislature into House and Senate, the power of impeachment being granted only to the House, the establishment of a single chief executive who will be called president, the power of raising an army and navy being granted to Congress. The prohibition of states to enter into a treaty or to establish interfering duties, and the regulation of interstate and foreign commerce being controlled by the national government.

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Another lesser-known person with his own national Park site is Roger Williams, a Puritan minister who founded Providence Plantation, which later became the State of Rhode Island. A fun bit of trivia tells us that Rhode Island, the smallest state, has the longest formal name, Rhode Island and Providence Plantation. Why did Roger Williams form this settlement, and why is he worthy of a National Park unit? To be fair? The core of the park is pretty small, essentially a city block that houses a tiny museum and adjacent open space that features sunflowers and sculpture. About tolerance and equality. Other associated buildings and districts are scattered throughout the streets of Providence, making for a nice walking tour to learn about what set this settlement apart.

As a bit of a renegade. In comparison to the other American colonies, Roger Williams promoted ideas that were considered radical at the time and embraced a different direction of thinking than the tenants of the other colonies. His arrival in Providence was motivated by his impending arrest in Massachusetts Bay Colony for quote, new and dangerous opinions against the authority of the magistrates. He was previously exiled from England under similar circumstances. Williams believed in the separation of church and state, making the colony a haven for people of religious minorities, such as Baptists, Quakers and Jews.

He had relations with the Narragansett tribe of Native Americans, insisting that the King of England's claim to the land was invalid and could only be acquired through direct purchase. From the Indians who were there when the explorers and conquerors arrived. Ironically, he had come to New England as a missionary to convert the Indians to Christianity. But his years of trading with the Narragansett and ultimately learning their language and culture, caused him to view them through a new lens. Consequently, Roger Williams is a bit of a folk legend and a hero to those seeking to embrace diversity and cultural freedoms. Molding Providence Plantation into a community of respect for the beliefs of others, valuing people who were good citizens and worked for the ultimate good of the colony, rather than adhering to a strict set of rules. One of the more perplexing national Park designations is George Rogers Clark National Historical Park in Indiana. While Clark allegedly became the highest-ranking patriot military officer for the Northwestern Frontier during the Revolutionary War and secured the Trans-Appalachian frontier. For America. His subsequent contributions to American history and life don't match those of Stone, Pinckney and Williams, who continued to serve in successful leadership roles.

His treaties with the Native American tribes north of the Ohio River proved ineffective.

And Kentucky continued to plague the territory. He then launched several unsuccessful attempts to establish new American colonies in Spanish territories in America, such as Louisiana and Natchez, even enlisting with the French to invade the Spanish territories. However, George Washington issued a proclamation against American citizens invading foreign territory. And many of Clark's efforts came to naught dismal, as Clark's post-revolution history appears. The establishment of the park provides an accessible means for visitors to learn about many of the nuances of early American history. Highlighting the struggles that continued even after the United States earned its independence from Britain.

In Louisiana, the Jean LaFitte National Historical Park and Preserve highlights the life and contributions of the pirate-turned-patriot who transitioned from a buccaneer. Smuggling slaves, weapons and other goods along the Bayous and Backwaters near New Orleans to a supplier of ammunition, cannoneers and intelligence during the war of 1812.

The park is vast and varied, and located in part in the site of Lafitte's operations, but its mission extends beyond Lafitte and his area of influence. The three original sites of the park are devoted to New Orleans French Quarter, the Barataria Preserve and the Chalmette Battlefield. Cultural centers in nearby cities were later added to the park.

Certainly, the National Park Service has many parks devoted to iconic names in American history. Theodore Roosevelt, Abraham Lincoln and George Washington are each honored with multiple parks. There are units dedicated to George Washington Carver, Frederick Douglass and Clara Barton, to name just a few. But the lesser-known people memorialized by the National Park Service. Provide a sneak peek into the lives of people who contributed to the history and culture of our country in less obvious or well-known ways. Including Frederick Law Olmsted, the landscape architect who designed some of the most iconic recreational spaces in the country, including New York City's central Park.

The Polish engineer, military engineer and revolutionary who fought in the American Revolutionary War has the nation's smallest national park service site. Mary McLeod Bethune, a Black educator, activist and presidential advisor, set the educational standards for America's historically Black colleges and universities. Many of the people and events highlighted in this episode are familiar to people who live where they happened. Rhode Islanders are likely to know about Roger Williams. Perhaps people in New Orleans may already know the legend of Jean LaFitte.

South Carolinians know that Charles Pinckney was a former governor of the state. The parks add additional context for those already in the know, but provide the biggest benefit to outsiders. National parks entice visitors from all over the country and even around the world. These historic sites provide an opportunity to learn about some of the quirkier bits of American history in a more interactive way than reading a book. Although books are a terrific way to immerse in history. And most of these parks have a bookstore where visitors can obtain volumes for reading pleasure and study. The Junior Ranger programs are offered at most National Park units and are fun for adults as well, even adults who haven't brought children along.

As schoolchildren, we may have thought of history as a boring academic subject, burdened with the memorization of names, places and dates. Taken out of that level of drudgery, history is fascinating. It allows us to contemplate the effect of people's actions, inactions and reactions on our own lives. National Park units put us at the site boots on the ground. Standing, for example, in the very bedroom where Thomas Stone's wife lay gravely ill from a smallpox inoculation. Although the park was established in relation to the Declaration of Independence, it transports us to further aspects of life at that time, exemplified in the details of this single family.

We stare at the four-poster bed with its lavish bedspread, the dark furniture, the draperies tightly drawn, and contemplate the nascent science of medicine. Hundreds of years ago pulled into the lives of those who came before us. We learn that this gifted politician and lawyer, Thomas Stone, died mere months after his wife succumbed to mercury poisoning from her inoculation. And that folklore says he died of a broken heart. We walk to the tiny family cemetery and see a small plaque that says Thomas Stone, Maryland Patriot on the black spokes of the fence. And think, Wow, how had I never known about him before?

This episode of America's National Parks was hosted by Me Jason Epperson and written by Lauren Eisenberg Davis. Our theme music is by Peter Shien. If you enjoyed the show, please consider leaving us a rating and a review. If you're new here, make sure to subscribe to the podcast and get new episodes delivered to your feed. If you're looking for photos and tips about visiting national parks, check out our America's National Parks Facebook Group.

And if you're interested in RV travel, we hope you'll also check out our RV Miles podcast and YouTube channel. Today's show was sponsored by L..L. Bean. Follow the hashtag Be an Outsider and visit LLbean.com to find great gear for exploring the national parks. And by Campendium.

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