Whitehall (Annapolis, Maryland)
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Whitehall
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South entry facade of Whitehall
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| Location | Anne Arundel County, Maryland |
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| Coordinates | 39°0′15″N 76°25′37″W / 39.00417°N 76.42694°WCoordinates: 39°0′15″N 76°25′37″W / 39.00417°N 76.42694°W |
| Built | 1787 |
| Architect | John Rawlings; Joseph Horatio Anderson |
| Architectural style | Georgian |
| NRHP Reference # | 66000387 |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | October 15, 1966 |
| Designated NHL | October 9, 1960 |
Whitehall is a plantation house that was built beginning in 1764 near Annapolis in Anne Arundel County in the Province of Maryland by Provincial Governor Horatio Sharpe. When Whitehall was built, Maryland was a colony of the Kingdom of Great Britain . The house is located about 7.5 miles (12.1 km) to the east of Annapolis on a peninsula between Whitehall Creek and Meredith Creek, opposite Sharpe's Point on a branch of Chesapeake Bay. The site originally comprised about 1,000 acres (400 ha). The house is a five-part Georgian mansion of great length, only one room deep in the main section. It features elaborate original interior woodwork, attributed to William Buckland, and is one of only two pre-Revolutionary houses in the Thirteen Colonies to have a temple portico. It was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1960.
The original pavilion, gardens, parks, and entrance court of this 1,000-acre (400 ha) estate were designed and built under Sharpe's supervision. The house was built by Horatio Sharpe for his intended bride, Mary Ogle. Unfortunately for Sharpe, the daughter of Samuel Ogle shattered his plans and married his secretary and close friend, John Ridout. The central portion of the house is believed to have been completed in 1765 as a pavilion for entertaining guests brought by boat from Annapolis. Work continued to add wings on either side until 1769, when it became Sharpe's residence following his removal from office. Sharpe left Maryland for England in 1773 and did not return. He died in London in 1790.
The American Revolution prevented Sharpe's return and so he instructed his friend John Ridout to sell Whitehall. Benjamin Ogle purchased the house from Ridout and two days later resold the house to Ridout for the same sum. Whitehall remained in the Ridout family for one-hundred-and-sixteen years.
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