Mother Seton House, Baltimore

Elizabeth Ann Seton had a tough life. She was born in New York City as Elizabeth Bayley in 1774. She married William Seton in 1794. He worked in shipping and was well-to-do, but he also suffered from tuberculosis. They had five children. Their fortunes waned in the early 1800s and he became more sick. Doctors recommended a warmer climate so Elizabeth and their eldest daughter moved with him to Italy. He died there in 1803. She moved back to New York where she converted to Catholicism. Now on the outs with the wealthy New York crowd, she was invited to Baltimore by a visiting French priest who was involved in the United States' first seminary (located in Baltimore). She moved in 1808 and started both a school and a religious order that focused on educating children. Her Baltimore home is on the National Register of Historic Places and is available for touring.

St. Mary's Historic Site, Baltimore

The house is a small, unassuming three-story building on North Paca Street. At the time, the area was rural. Near the house was St. Mary's Seminary, which was first housed in the One Mile Tavern, which was one mile from Baltimore. The seminary was founded in 1791 and by the time Mother Seton came it included a university for students not becoming priests. She started a boarding school for girls in the house (including her own daughters) and her sons went to the university.

The back of the house

Our tour started in the kitchen, which was not the usual entrance for guests. It has the standard fireplace for cooking as well as the original key to the home.

Typical kitchen appliances circa 1808

I wonder how easy it would have been to pick the lock?

The front parlor was where guests were entertained. As an upperclass woman, Elizabeth knew her piano and probably taught the girls to play.

The parlor fire place

For entertainment purposes only?

The building has a lot of original furnishings and woodwork. The building had several orchards around it, probably the source of the wood.

Stairs going up

View of the front door (proper guest entrance) from the landing

The second floor had the school rooms. Mother Seton only had about ten students. In that time, paper was expensive so they used tablets for their academic work.

The school room

The table full of tablets

Another room was dedicated to arts like sewing, weaving, spinning, and other skills expected of young girls back in the day.

More educational equipment

The second floor includes a small display of Mother Seton's personal items. She used a lap desk while traveling. Also on display is a painting of Jesus Christ that hung in her room at St. Mary's in Emmitsburg where she died in 1821. 

No, she did not have a statue of herself!

Her room on the second floor is very modest. Her clothes on display were the widow's outfit at the time. That garb became the habit for the order she established, the Sisters of Charity of Saint Joseph.

Reproductions of her clothes

Her bed

The top floor was the dormitory for the girls. The entire floor is one room and has several beds spread out at different corners. 

Dorm bed

Maybe coveted for being near the fireplace?

Mother Seton took religious vows at St. Mary's Chapel (which will be seen in the next post) and moved out to Emmitsburg with the seminary and university in 1809. The map below shows the university as the red L-shaped building on the left, the chapel in the center, and Mother Seton's house on the lower right.

Map of the location in 1808