Belmont Estate

Lawyers Hill Historic District
The Belmont Manor House (ca. 1738) and Estate are included in the Lawyers Hill Historic District.
Nearest city Elkridge, Maryland
Coordinates 39°13′12″N 76°43′53″W / 39.22000°N 76.73139°WCoordinates: 39°13′12″N 76°43′53″W / 39.22000°N 76.73139°W
Built 1730
Architect Multiple
Architectural style Queen Anne, Georgian, Gothic Revival
Governing body State
NRHP Reference # 93001000[1]
Added to NRHP September 23, 1993

The Belmont Estate, now the Belmont Manor Historic Park, is a historic estate located at Elkridge, Howard County, Maryland, United States. Known in the Colonial period as "Moore's Morning Choice", it is listed on the Maryland Historic Trust (MHT), Inventory of Historic Properties (MIHP), and it is on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) as part of the Lawyers Hill Historic District, Elkridge, Maryland.

From the late 17th century, until 1962, the property was privately owned. Then the property was owned and maintained as the Belmont Conference Center, by the Smithsonian Institution, the American Chemical Society, and Howard Community College, successively. It is now the Belmont Manor Historic Park, owned by the Howard County and its Department of Recreation and Parks.

Overview

The Belmont Estate, now called the Belmont Manor Historic Park,[2] has been associated with important personages from the late 17th century to the 20th century, including Dr. Mordecai Moore, Caleb Dorsey, Alexander Contee Hanson, and David K. E. Bruce.[3] Built in the 1730s, it is one of the oldest colonial plantations in the region and one of the oldest sites in Howard County, Maryland. The manor, built in 1738,[2] is one of the finest examples of Colonial Georgian architectural style in Maryland.[4] The Belmont Estate now comprises approximately 68 acres,[2] and adjoins Patapsco Valley State Park. Facilities on the Belmont Estate include, the Belmont Manor House, a carriage house, a cottage, a large barn,[2] formal gardens, a pond, and an aqua garden.[5]

History

17th-19th Century

Dr. Mordecai Moore, Society of Friends in Maryland founder,[2] received a tract of 1,368[6] or 1,662 acres of land above Elkridge Landing called "Moore's Morning Choice", which was granted by King William III's 1695 land patent.[2] Moore's Morning Choice was situated on a ridge from which there are views of the lower Patapsco River Valley.[7] Belmont Estate included part of that land.[8]

Caleb Dorsey (1710-1722), of Hockley-in-the-Hole on the Severn River, was an early industrialist and farmer. He operated forges and iron furnaces along the Patapsco River, near Elkridge.[9] About 1735, Caleb Dorsey purchased Moore's property, and an adjoining tract Rockburn, for his sons Edward and Caleb Dorsey, Jr. operating it as a plantation with up to 94 slaves providing agricultural labor.[10] Caleb Dorsey, Jr. built his home "Belmont", in 1738.[2] Caleb Dorsey and his wife Pricilla Hill (died 1781) was burred onsite at Belmont [11] Caleb Dorsey, Jr.'s son Edward inherited the property and slaves.[12] Edward later gave the property to his daughter, Priscilla, the wife of Alexander Contee Hanson,[13] a United States senator.[2] Following the American Civil War, Belmont became the social center of a new wealthy elite, notably the many lawyers who built homes at "Lawyer's Hill" near the Belmont property.[14] Howard Bruce, who bought the house in 1918,[15] was the last owner to use it as a private residence.[2]

Belmont Conference Center

Smithsonian Institution (1962 - 1982)

In 1962, the then owner of Belmont, the noted American diplomat, David K. E. Bruce, former ambassador to Britain, France and Germany, sold the property for $500,000 and then donated Belmont and 339 acres to the Smithsonian Institution for $5.00 as a philanthropic gift.[16] The Smithsonian Institution maintained the property as a Conference Center.[17]

The Belmont Conference Center was established in 1964 and was in almost continuous operation until 2010. Belmont hosted numerous conferences, social gatherings, weddings, meetings, and other functions. Examples of the numerous academic, government, and non-profit conferences held at Belmont:

American Chemical Society (1982 - 2004)

In 1982, The Smithsonian Institution sold the Belmont Conference Center and the majority of the Center's surrounding land to the American Chemical Society for $2 million.[16] The American Chemical Society continued to maintain the property as a Conference Center. In September 2001 the oldest structure in Howard County was situated on Warfeild's Range in North Laurel. The log cabin built in 1696 was moved to the Rockburn park to accommodate a Newburn development, and was destroyed by arson two weeks onsite.[20]

The John Clare Society of North America held their first international John Clare Conference at the Belmont Conference Center, March 21–22, 2003. The Society is a non-profit literary organization devoted to the study, preservation, and publication of the works of English poet John Clare.[21][22]

Howard Community College (2004 - 2012)

The American Chemical Society sold the Belmont Estate to Howard Community College (HCC) for $5.2 million in 2004.[23] The Government of Howard County, Maryland, provided a loan of $2.6 million to the College toward the purchase of the Belmont Estate. The College used Belmont's facilities, to provide educational programs for students enrolled in the College's culinary program, and to operate the Belmont Conference Center.[2]

On September 30, 2010, Howard Community College announced that they could no longer afford to maintain and operate the Belmont Estate, due to the effects of the economic recession, and that they planned to sell the property.[23] The Government of Howard County stated that they retained the Right of First Refusal based on their 2004 loan agreement with HCC.[2] In June 2011, Howard County signed an agreement with Howard Community College to purchase the Belmont Estate. During the period September 2011 through May 30, 2012, the Government of Howard County conducted a detailed study of the feasibility of purchasing and operating the property for public purposes.

Belmont Manor and Historic Park

Day of Service Tree Planting in 2012 at Belmont with Governor Martin O'Malley

On May 30, 2012, Howard County Executive Kenneth Ulman announced that the County would exercise their Right of First Refusal and purchase the Belmont Estate from the college. The $5.2 Million dollar property was put up for sale with public offers half the purchase price 8 years prior. The purchase included a debt forgiveness and $89,000 to the college. And additional 13 acres were sold to for land development to subsidize the purchase cost leaving only 68 acres of the original property.[24] Howard County officially assumed the deed of the Belmont estate from Howard Community College on June 21, 2012.[25][26]

In a radio interview on June 29, 2012, Kenneth Ulman stated that the Belmont Estate will compliment other Howard County nature attractions, including the Howard County Conservancy, located in Woodstock, Maryland, on a 300 year-old, 232-acre farm; and the James and Anne Robinson Nature Center, located in Columbia, Maryland, on 18 acres of land adjacent to the Middle Patuxent Environmental Area.[27]

Howard County subsequently established the Belmont Manor and Historic Park in summer/fall 2012.[28] The Park is operated by the County's Department of Recreation and Parks, to be used as a conference center and a site for weddings, private parties, and environmental education programs.[2]

Historic preservation

A number of organizations have played an important role in promoting, and advocating for, the historic preservation of the Belmont Estate. These include, the Rockburn Land Trust, the Save Belmont Coalition, Preservation Howard County, Preservation Maryland, the Maryland Environmental Trust, The Friends of Patapsco Valley & Heritage Greenway, Inc, and The Land Trust Alliance.

Preservation Howard County's president, Fred Dorsey, a descendant of the original owners of the estate, says that because of its experience, the county is the rightful owner to provide stewardship of the historic property. Maintenance issues are some of the challenges, including maintaining the exterior that had been coated with lead paint.[2]

Historic designations

The original historic site nomination for Belmont was researched and prepared in the mid-1970s for the Maryland Historical Trust (MHT). Further research and updates by Howard County and the State of Maryland were carried out in 2010.[29]

The Belmont Manor House and Estate are U.S. National Register of Historic Places (NRHP), as part of the Lawyers Hill Historic District, Elkridge, Maryland,[30][31][32] which was designated as a National Register of Historic Properties on 11/3/1993.[33][34]

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. 2008-04-15.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 2.8 2.9 2.10 2.11 2.12 Edward Gunts (September 20, 2012). "The past is prologue for Elkridge's Belmont Manor \ work=Baltimore Sun". Retrieved September 25, 2014.
  3. ↑ Ruth Besse (17 May 1985). "Traveling Back in time". The Washington Post.
  4. ↑ John Martin Hammond (1914). Colonial mansions of Maryland and Delaware. J.B. Lippincott company. pp. 174–175.
  5. ↑ "Belmont Manor and Historic Park map". Howard County, Maryland Recreation and Parks. Retrieved September 25, 2014.
  6. ↑ Howard County Historical Society. Images of America, Howard County. p. 27.
  7. ↑ Stein, Charles Francis, Jr. and Howard County Historical Society (1972). The Origin and History of Howard County Maryland. Press of Schneidereith & Sons. pp. 41, 242.
  8. ↑ Elizabeth Janney (July 8, 2013). Elkridge. Arcadia Publishing. p. 13. ISBN 978-0-7385-9927-4.
  9. ↑ "300 Years of History Preserved at Belmont". The Business Monthly. Retrieved January 27, 2014.
  10. ↑ Seeking Freedom The History of the Underground Railroad in Howard County. p. 64.
  11. ↑ Helen West Ridgely. Historic Graves of Maryland and the District of Columbia. p. 156.
  12. ↑ "Runaway Slave ads". Baltimore Advertiser. 20 July 1790.
  13. ↑ John Martin Hammond (1914). Colonial mansions of Maryland and Delaware. J.B. Lippincott company. p. 174.
  14. ↑ Stein, Charles Francis, Jr. The Origin and History of Howard County Maryland. Published by the author in cooperation with the Howard County Historical Society. Baltimore, MD: Press of Schneidereith & Sons, 1972, page 133.
  15. ↑ Earl Arnett; Robert J. Brugger; Edward C. Papenfuse (22 March 1999). Maryland: A New Guide to the Old Line State. JHU Press. p. 388. ISBN 978-0-8018-5980-9.
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 "Belmont Conference Center Sold | Smithsonian Institution Archives". Siarchives.si.edu. 2012-01-13. Retrieved 2013-10-20.
  17. ↑ "Maryland State Archives". Retrieved 20 November 2013.
  18. ↑ "Bibliography and the historian: the conference at Belmont of the Joint Committee on Bibliographical Services to History, May 1967". WorldCat.org. 1968. Retrieved 2013-10-20.
  19. ↑ "The Belmont Report". HHS.gov. 1974-07-12. Retrieved 2013-10-20.
  20. ↑ "Centuries-old log cabin destroyed by fire". The Durant Daily Democrat. 25 December 2001.
  21. ↑ Conference Schedule. John Clare.
  22. ↑ "John Clare Conference 2003 - Photo Gallery". Johnclare.org. Retrieved 2013-10-20.
  23. ↑ 23.0 23.1 "Howard Community College to shut down Belmont Center". The Baltimore Sun. September 30, 2010. Retrieved September 25, 2014.
  24. ↑ Edward Grunts (20 September 2012). "The past is prologue for Elkridge's Belmont Manor". Baltimore Sun.
  25. ↑ "Howard County - County Decides to Purchase Belmont". Countyofhowardmd.us. 2012-05-30. Retrieved 2013-10-20.
  26. ↑ http://cc.howardcountymd.gov/CR113-2012.pdf
  27. ↑ "County Executive Ken Ulman". HoCoMoJo. 2012-06-29. Retrieved 2013-10-20.
  28. ↑ Belmont Manor and Historic Park. County of Howard.
  29. ↑ NRHP Nomination Form for Belmont (Moore's Morning Choice). Maryland Historic Trust, Inventory of Historic Properties (Site Number HO-43).
  30. ↑ Lawyers Hill Historic District National Register of Historic Places - MARYLAND (MD), Howard County/Historic Districts/Lawyers Hill Historic District/Howard County - #93001000
  31. ↑ Lawyers Hill Historic District National Register of Historic Places (NRHP)/MIHP/Lawyers Hill Historic District/Site Number HO-610
  32. ↑ Lawyers Hill Historic District National Register of Historic Places (NRHP)/MIHP/Lawyers Hill Historic District/Site Number HO-610 (pdf file)
  33. ↑ Lawyers Hill Historic District (Note: Photo of Belmont Manor House. Photo credit: Amy Worden, 09/1991)
  34. ↑ Lawyers Hill Historic District/Boundary Map National Register of Historic Properties/Listings in Maryland

Further reading

External links