The Button Farm Living History Center
The Historic Button Farm is set on 60-pristine acres inside Seneca Creek State Park, and is Maryland's only living history center depicting 19th century slave plantation life. Our site features a Civil War-era Barn, Historic Outbuildings, Livestock Pens, Museum Garden, and Slave Cemetery and is home to The Underground Railroad Immersion Experience, a dramatic reenactment of the journey from slavery to freedom. Our facility is currently under development and slated to open part-time to the public June 28 & 29, 2008 and full time in September 2008.The 1927 Button Farm House serves as the foundation's headquarters, with a research center and library containing over 3,000 publications, images and artifacts from the slavery-era through the American Civil Rights movement. The Grusendorf Log Cabin, our adjunct facility, is situated nearby in Seneca Creek State Park, and features artifacts and activities relating to Germantown's multi-ethnic immigrant communities.
State of Maryland Department of Natural Resources Curatorship Program
The Menare Foundation has secured The Button Farm property through a long-term lease with the State of Maryland Department of Natural Resources under the State Resident-Curatorship Program. Menare will restore and maintain the historic buildings and preserve the cultural landscape as a resource for education, preservation and heritage.
