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Buck House
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Darnall's Chance in July, 2007
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| Location: | 14800 Governor Oden Bowie Drive, Upper Marlboro, Maryland |
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| Built: | 1742 |
| Architect: | Unknown |
| Governing body: | Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission |
| NRHP Reference#: | 78003118[1] |
| Added to NRHP: | April 20, 1978 |
Darnall's Chance, also known as Buck House, Buck-Wardrop House, or James Wardrop House, is a historic home located at 14800 Governor Oden Bowie Drive, in Upper Marlboro, Prince George's County, Maryland, United States.
The tract of land the house sits on was patented in 1704 by Col. Henry Darnall (1645–1711).[2] The house was built c. 1742 by a merchant named James Wardrop, after he bought some of the land from Eleanor Darnall Carroll and her husband. It was originally a 1 1⁄2-story, Flemish bond brick house. In the mid-19th century, it was remodeled to two stories, of stuccoed brick, with Italianate and Greek Revival stylistic elements. In 1986, the entire second floor and roof were removed, and the house was reconstructed to its 18th-century appearance.[3] Two years later, it opened as Darnall's Chance House Museum.
When Col. Darnall died in 1711, he owned 27,000 acres (11,000 ha) in Prince George's County, as well as holdings in four other counties.[3] The property of what became known as Darnall's Chance passed through his family to his granddaughter Eleanor Darnall, who married Daniel Carroll I in 1727. Their family was reared on the large landholding and plantation. Two Carroll sons were prominent members of colonial and early United States society: Daniel Carroll became a politician in the Continental Congress and Maryland Senate, and member of the Constitutional Convention; and John Carroll became the first Roman Catholic bishop in the United States, and founder of Georgetown University.
In 1741, the Carrolls sold 6 3/4 acres of their land to James Wardrop, a Scottish merchant. Wardrop built a 15-room brick dwelling house within a year, and it is that house that currently stands on the property. After living at Darnall's Chance as a bachelor for six years, Wardrop married 22-year-old Lettice Lee, whose father Philip was a member of the Lee family of Westmoreland County, Virginia. The major alterations to the property were probably carried out under the ownership of Edward Grafton W. Hall, who owned it between 1857 and 1887.[3][4] The house and property were acquired by the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission in 1974, for administrative offices, but was later renovated and reopened as a house museum.
Darnall's Chance was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978.[1] The official name for the house, the Buck House, is for a late-20th-century owner, Harry Buck, Sr. After renovations and opening as a house museum, the property was subsequently renamed Darnall's Chance, after its first owner.
Darnall's Chance House Museum is an historic house museum which opened to the public in 1988. It is operated by the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission. The tour at Darnall's Chance focuses on the life of Lettice Lee, as she lived in the house for almost thirty years, married three times, and was an unusual 18th-century woman. It also includes more general information on the other women who lived at Darnall's Chance and in Prince George's County at that time.
The house is open for tours on Friday from noon to 4 pm, Sunday from noon to 4 pm, and at other times by appointment. Public programs offered at the Museum include tea lessons for young ladies, a pirate-for-a-day program, and an annual gingerbread house contest and show. The Museum rents its tented patio, which has a capacity of 125, for weddings and other events.
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