It comprises a two-part frame house, with the main block constructed around 1790 and restored in 1936–37.

The house's design, devoid of any extraneous ornamentation, reflects the austere lifestyle of the Carmelite nuns who are believed to have used it as their residence.

The monastery was founded on October 15, 1790, by four English-speaking Carmelite nuns from what is now Belgium, including Ann Teresa Mathews.

Three of the nuns were born in Charles County,[citation needed] while the fourth, Frances Dickinson, was from London.

[2] Like thousands of English Roman Catholic girls who wanted to be nuns, Dickinson had traveled to Belgium to enter a convent there, as none was left in England.