Old Stone House

The Old Stone House at 3051 M Street NW in Georgetown, Washington, D.C., is generally regarded as the oldest surviving building in its original location in the city. Construction began in 1765, when Georgetown was a tobacco port in the colony of Maryland, and was completed by 1766 by Christopher Layman, a cabinetmaker. The house was built of local blue fieldstone and also served as a residence and workshop. The building passed through several owners, including the Cassin family, who lived there in the late 18th century, and in the 19th century it served as a home and as commercial space, housing shops that sold goods such as clocks and used items. Many of the stories about famous figures staying there are legend, and the National Park Service interpretation distinguishes documented history from tradition. By the early 20th century the house was a used-car lot and was threatened with demolition, but the federal government purchased the property in 1953 and restored it, opening it to the public in 1960. The National Park Service managed and restored the house to its late 18th-century appearance, including an exhibit of period rooms. Visitors enter the ground floor, which is set up as a workshop and kitchen, and the upper floors contain rooms furnished with reproduction and period pieces from the 1700s, with exposed stone walls and a large kitchen hearth. Rangers give interpretive talks on the everyday life of middle-class craftspeople in the colonial period. A small garden at the rear, with perennials and herbs, offers a quiet spot behind the busy shopping street. The house sits among the shops and restaurants of Georgetown, and a visit lasts about 30 to 45 minutes. Admission is free, and the house is generally open Wednesday to Sunday. Visitors can combine the visit with a walk along the nearby Chesapeake and Ohio Canal towpath.