A 2008 accounting compiled by Prince George’s
Heritage,
Prince George’s County Historical and Cultural Trust, and Prince George’s
Historical Society
Beacon Hill (Marbury Heights), Upper Marlboro
82A-000-37 5905 Old Crain Highway
Built in 1899—Beacon Hill (Marbury Heights) is a
large frame farmhouse with hip and gable roof, Colonial Revival in
style. It is distinguished by pedimented gable ends, dentillated
cornices, and a projecting bay set diagonally at one corner. The
house was built in 1899 for Alexander Marshall Marbury. From 1938 to
1991, Beacon Hill was the home of Judge Charles Clagett Marbury, the
second generation of the family. Beacon Hill is a somewhat unusual
example of a popular local house form; it is a prominent landmark on
the old road south of Upper Marlboro.
Status:
Currently unoccupied,
the rear wing gutted was by fire in 2007. Developer and
redevelopment plans are unknown.
Congressional District 5 -
Legislative District 27A - Council District 9
St. Joseph’s Chapel (Ammendale Normal Institute),
Beltsville
60-007(NR) 6011 Ammendale Road
Built in 1880—St. Joseph’s Chapel is a front-gabled
brick chapel with ornate Queen Anne detail. Jigsawn vergeboards
adorn the eaves of the principal gable front, the gothic-arch
windows are filled with stained glass, and the interior walls and
ceilings are sheathed with pressed tin in a pattern of
fleurs-de-lis, palmettes, and a rich, multicourse cornice. The
chapel was built in 1880 on the grounds of the then newly
established Ammendale Normal Institute. It is an outstanding example
of Queen Anne style ecclesiastical architecture. A large cemetery
adjoins the chapel.
Status:
Boarded up and all but
abandoned, signs of deterioration of the metal roofs, masonry and
wood trim (parts of the decorative vergeboards are now falling
apart) are increasing on the outside of the structure. The Christian
Brothers maintain the adjacent cemetery.
Congressional District 5 -
Legislative District 21 - Council District 1
7 Forest Way, Greenbelt
67-not listed 7 Forest Way
Built in 1938, this experimental prefabricated
Modern home is the last of seven built in the Parkbelt subdivision
at the edge of the National Historic District. It is the only one
which remains recognizable, retaining its original flat roof lines
and steel windows. Designed by Howard T. Fisher and built by General
Houses, Inc., the panelized roof and walls, and tubular steel frame
are bolted to a concrete slab.
Status:
The structure has been
vacant for several years and deceased owner’s family has recently
listed it for sale. As land values have escalated dramatically,
neighbors are concerned that future owners will demolish this unique
structure to make way for a larger home.
Congressional District 5 -
Legislative District 22 - Council District 4
Compton Bassett,
Upper Marlboro vicinity
79-063-10 16508 Marlboro Pike
Built in 1780s—Compton Bassett is a two-story,
hip-roof, stucco-covered brick plantation house with projecting
pavilion, pilastered frontispiece, and fine interior detail. On the
grounds are two brick dependency buildings and a unique surviving
brick chapel. Compton Bassett was built for Clement Hill, and
remains the home of his descendants to the present day. It is
significant for its elegant Federal style detail, its rare surviving
dependencies, and the prominence of the Hill family in the Marlboro
area.
Status:
Reportedly up for sale, the site is currently in a state of managed
neglect The property of about 60 acres includes dependencies and the
chapel.
Congressional District 5 -
Legislative District 23B - Council District 6
Butler House, Oxon Hill
76A-014 (NR) 6403 Oxon Hill Road
Built circa 1850-The Butler House is a two-story
frame house with a one-story shed-roof kitchen attached; it is
sheathed in a modern formstone veneer. The house was originally
built to serve as both dwelling and post office; it became the home
in 1853 of Henry Alexander Butler, a free black man from Charles
County, and the property remains in the possession of his
descendants. This modest house is in severely deteriorating
condition, but is an important example of the progress of a free
black family in the mid-nineteenth century.
Status:
On last year’s list –
no change. As no progress is made toward its preservation, perhaps
documentation of this significant structure in African American
history should be conducted immediately as demolition-by-neglect has
nearly undermined possible restoration efforts.
Congressional District 4 -
Legislative District 26 - Council District 8
Washington Gas gasworks facility, Chillum
65-not listed Chillum Road
This early 20th Century gasworks site embodies an
important industrial process, supplying natural gas to the
surrounding neighborhoods in the District and the county. At 250
feet in length, and composed of a side gabled standing-seam metal
roof on massive brick masonry piers with large banks of industrial
steel windows between ,it is a substantial industrial structure and
appears in maintained condition.
Status:
Hidden from view by security fences, gates and stands of scrubby
trees, this wonderful early 20th C. gas works plant may be removed
in favor of Liquefied Petroleum Gas storage tanks. A battle
currently being waged by Chillum resident and advocates has at least
stalled the construction of a new gas facility here, but no proposed
alternatives have been presented if and when an alternative site is
selected. Documentation and interpretation of, and education about
our industrial heritage are important aspect of preservation today.
This site has excellent educational potential and
its proximity to Sligo Creek would present a model “brown fields”
restoration opportunity.
Congressional District 8 -
Legislative District 47 - Council District 2
Gwynn Park, T.B. (Brandywine)
85A-013 8118 Grayden Lane
Built in 1857—Gwynn Park is a two-story, side-gabled
brick house with Georgian plan and a decorative cornice composed of
courses of molded corbelled bricks. The interior exhibits Greek
Revival style trim and there is a one-story kitchen wing at one end.
A small frame meat house, slightly older than the house, stands on
the grounds. Gwynn Park was built in 1857 for William H. Gwynn, to
replace the house destroyed by fire earlier that year. It is a
noticeable local landmark and is significant for its unique cornice
treatment.
Status:
Up for sale. A recent article suggests the property has only been
stabilized and is in poor condition relative to the asking price, a
significant encumbrance to its sale. At the center of the Hampton[s]
subdivision, the [minimal] 1.14 acre site, reserved from the 700
acre Gwynn estate by agreement between the developer and the county
HPC is another significant example of the need for more effective
policies which protect environmental settings, and promote and
encourage good preservation practices in the development of suburban
housing communities.
Congressional District 5 -
Legislative District 27A - Council District 9
Mt. Nebo A.M.E. Church, Queen Anne
74B-010 17214 Queen Anne Road
Built in 1925—Mount Nebo is a one-story, gable-roof
frame meetinghouse style church, with centered pyramidal-roof entry
tower. Immediately to the north is a small cemetery with gravestones
from the early twentieth century. Mount Nebo was built to replace
the 1877 chapel which, together with the adjacent 1875 schoolhouse,
had become the focal point for the local African-American community.
Mount Nebo Church exemplifies the long history of the African
Methodist Episcopal Church in this rural area.
Status:
Largely abandoned by the Mt. Nebo congregation now worshipping in a
new church building approximately on mile north, the building is in
a state of disuse and severe disrepair. The roofing is failing,
significant water damage is evident, and it is unsecured.
Congressional District 5 -
Legislative District 23B - Council District 6
Grimes House and Store, Aquasco
87B-036-16 22609 Aquasco Road
Built circa 1800 and circa 1850—The Grimes House is
a 1˝-story, gable-roof frame house built in two sections, with roof
lines of varying pitch. A handsome bracketed Victorian porch ties
the two sections together. The oldest (south) section was probably
built circa 1800 for the Rawlings family, and was later (after 1850)
enlarged by the construction of the adjoining north section. Since
1910 it has been the home of the Grimes family, who operated the
nearby store and undertaker’s establishment. The house is an
interesting example of expansion of a modest dwelling.
Status:
The
house and store are unoccupied and in severely deteriorated
condition.
Congressional District 5 -
Legislative District 27A - Council District 9
Craufurd Cabins (Bacon Hall), Upper Marlboro
Not listed
These tenant dwellings, possibly slave dwellings, of
unusually sturdy construction (two story, wood frame with brick
nogging) stand on the Bacon Hall plantation of the Craufurd and
Sasscer families. A preliminary field review by historians suggests
that these rare and fragile survivors may provide significant
information about slave and/or tenant housing and lifeways, though
their precise age and period are as yet to be determined.
Status:
The site and buildings remain unprotected and steadily degrading
ruins. Considering their fragility and significance, at a
minimum a Phase 1 archaeological investigation and HABS type
documentation should be undertaken before these structures collapse.
Further, their existence suggests the possibility of a larger
complex of agricultural and domestic outbuildings which could be
revealed.
Congressional District 5 -
Legislative District 27A - Council District 9
Melwood Park, Upper Marlboro vicinity
78-015 (NR) 10908 Old Marlboro Pike
Built circa 1750 and circa 1800—Melwood Park is a
2˝-story stuccoed brick building with gable roof of uneven pitch and
original window sashes of 16/16 lights. Interior decorative detail
reflects both the colonial and Federal periods, and includes
particularly fine paneled walls and reveals. Melwood Park was built
circa 1750 by Ignatius Digges, and raised to its present irregular
two stories by his widow circa 1800. This unique dwelling was
visited by George Washington on several occasions, and the British
Army camped near here during their march on Washington in August
1814. Melwood Park is of exceptional historical and architectural
importance.
Status:
In severely deteriorated condition, this important site was only
recently secured from vandalism with fencing and vented protective
window coverings. After years of neglect, the owner has finally
contracted with a prominent restoration architect, and there is hope
that work will begin soon.
Congressional District 4 -
Legislative District 25 - Council District 6
The Historic Town of Bladensburg
69-005 (Historic Community)
Founded in 1742,the Town of Bladensburg was a
thriving port focused on agricultural trade, primarily tobacco.
Witness to both the American Revolution and a battle of the War of
1812, it was also the site of the first unmanned balloon launch in
America and an early therapeutic spa which was frequented by members
of the U.S. Congress. The history of the town is important to
understanding the evolution of agriculture, commerce, industry and
urbanization in the veil of the nation’s capital.
Status:
The historic Town of Bladensburg is embodied in six remaining 18th
and 19th
century sites:
Bostwick, the Market Masters House, the Magruder House, St. Paul’s
Baptist Church, the George Washington House and the Dueling Grounds.
Over time the historic infrastructure: streets and roads and the
waterfront, have all been virtually erased in favor of “progress” in
the form of industrial development and public services aimed at
easing regional transportation and storm water management, and
providing recreation at the expense of the historic town center
which connected these sites. In recent County Sector Planning
processes, the historic core has been given only cursory attention;
no funded plan or mandate to create a pedestrian/visitor focused
historic precinct has been proposed.
Of
greatest immediate concern is the impact of the installation of the
new CSX railroad bridge. Besides further dividing these resources
and separating them from the Anacostia, collateral damage is
evident. Passing on feet behind St. Paul’s Baptist Church (included
in the past three Endangered lists), the bridge installation has
contributed significantly its deterioration. No assistance as yet
has been offered in its stabilization by jurisdiction or
transportation authorities.
If this significant colonial and federal town, and
battle site is to be remembered as anything other than a suburban
cross road, then the Port Towns, County and State must commit
immediately to purposefully creating a comprehensive visitor
experience. At this propitious moment, as we prepare for the War of
1812 Bicentennial, the plan must recognize that important past and
integrate it into a long term preservation and restoration plan
which will revitalize history in the Port Towns, promote tourism,
and permanently link and unify site visitation experience so that
this nationally significant heritage site may be explored long after
the celebration has past.
Congressional District 4 -
Legislative District 47 - Council District 5
* Denotes listing as one of the 12 Endangered Historic
Places in Prince George’s County in 2005
+ Denotes listing as one of the Endangered Historic Places
in Prince George’s County in 2006