Oxon Cove Park and Oxon Hill Farm
Encyclopedia
Oxon Cove Park and Oxon Cove Farm is a national historic district
that includes a living farm museum operated by the National Park Service
, and located at Oxon Hill
, Prince George's County, Maryland
. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
in 2003.
The park provides an excellent resource for environmental studies, wildlife observing, fishing, and other recreational activities made possible by easy access to the Potomac River. Fourteen buildings and two structures are located in the historic district and associated with the property's sequential development as a plantation
, an institutional agricultural complex, and a farm museum.
The district also includes a hexagonal frame outbuilding; ca. 1830 brick root cellar; ca. 1973 frame hog house; ca. 1890 frame horse and pony barn; ca. 1991 frame chicken house; ca. 1970 steel-frame implement shed; ca. 1980 frame visitor barn; ca. 1970 steel-frame windmill; ca. 1940 frame hay barn; ca. 1890 frame feed building; ca. 1830 brick stable
; ca. 1970 frame tool shed; ca. 1980 frame "sorghum sirip" shed; and a ca. 1980 frame dairy barn, and ca. 1940 tile silo
. From the 1890s to 1950s, under the ownership of St. Elizabeth's Hospital, the site was used as a therapeutic treatment center for the mentally ill known as Godding Croft. The Oxon Cove Farm historic district is located on the crest of a ridge overlooking the Potomac River
, north of I-95
.
detailing and sheltered by a shed roof, and visible to motorists crossing the interstate Woodrow Wilson Bridge
. The house was built by Irish immigrant Dr. Samuel DeButts. It was entrusted to the National Park Service in 1959 in order to protect its resources from increased development. From 1891 to 1950, the property was used as a therapeutic farm by St. Elizabeths Hospital
, and was known as Godding Croft.
The house is operated as a historic house museum, with exhibits about period life in the early 19th century for the owners and slaves on the plantation. Other exhibits focus on the home's role at Godding Croft.
Historic district (United States)
In the United States, a historic district is a group of buildings, properties, or sites that have been designated by one of several entities on different levels as historically or architecturally significant. Buildings, structures, objects and sites within a historic district are normally divided...
that includes a living farm museum operated by the National Park Service
National Park Service
The National Park Service is the U.S. federal agency that manages all national parks, many national monuments, and other conservation and historical properties with various title designations...
, and located at Oxon Hill
Oxon Hill, Maryland
Oxon Hill is part of the Oxon Hill-Glassmanor census-designated place in southern Prince George's County, Maryland, United States. Oxon Hill is a suburb of Washington, DC located southeast of the downtown district and east of Alexandria, Virginia...
, Prince George's County, Maryland
Prince George's County, Maryland
Prince George's County is a county located in the U.S. state of Maryland, immediately north, east, and south of Washington, DC. As of 2010, it has a population of 863,420 and is the wealthiest African-American majority county in the nation....
. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 2003.
The park provides an excellent resource for environmental studies, wildlife observing, fishing, and other recreational activities made possible by easy access to the Potomac River. Fourteen buildings and two structures are located in the historic district and associated with the property's sequential development as a plantation
Plantation
A plantation is a long artificially established forest, farm or estate, where crops are grown for sale, often in distant markets rather than for local on-site consumption...
, an institutional agricultural complex, and a farm museum.
Oxon Hill Farm
The Oxon Hill Farm includes the Mount Welby home, Farm Museum, barns, a stable, feed building, livestock buildings and a visitor activity barn. Farm animals include cows, horses and chickens. Visitors can view the animals up close daily and learn about the workings of a farm. The Farm Museum building displays historical farm equipment dating from the late 19th century.The district also includes a hexagonal frame outbuilding; ca. 1830 brick root cellar; ca. 1973 frame hog house; ca. 1890 frame horse and pony barn; ca. 1991 frame chicken house; ca. 1970 steel-frame implement shed; ca. 1980 frame visitor barn; ca. 1970 steel-frame windmill; ca. 1940 frame hay barn; ca. 1890 frame feed building; ca. 1830 brick stable
Stable
A stable is a building in which livestock, especially horses, are kept. It most commonly means a building that is divided into separate stalls for individual animals...
; ca. 1970 frame tool shed; ca. 1980 frame "sorghum sirip" shed; and a ca. 1980 frame dairy barn, and ca. 1940 tile silo
Silo
A silo is a structure for storing bulk materials.Silo may also refer to:* Silo , a 3D modeling software* Silo , a defunct chain of retail electronics stores* SILO , used in Linux...
. From the 1890s to 1950s, under the ownership of St. Elizabeth's Hospital, the site was used as a therapeutic treatment center for the mentally ill known as Godding Croft. The Oxon Cove Farm historic district is located on the crest of a ridge overlooking the Potomac River
Potomac River
The Potomac River flows into the Chesapeake Bay, located along the mid-Atlantic coast of the United States. The river is approximately long, with a drainage area of about 14,700 square miles...
, north of I-95
Interstate 95
Interstate 95 is the main highway on the East Coast of the United States, running parallel to the Atlantic Ocean from Maine to Florida and serving some of the most populated urban areas in the country, including Boston, Providence, New Haven, New York City, Newark, Philadelphia, Baltimore,...
.
Mount Welby
The principal dwelling, known as "Mount Welby," is a ca. 1807-1811 two-story three-bay brick structure laid in Flemish bond with ItalianateItalianate architecture
The Italianate style of architecture was a distinct 19th-century phase in the history of Classical architecture. In the Italianate style, the models and architectural vocabulary of 16th-century Italian Renaissance architecture, which had served as inspiration for both Palladianism and...
detailing and sheltered by a shed roof, and visible to motorists crossing the interstate Woodrow Wilson Bridge
Woodrow Wilson Bridge
The Woodrow Wilson Memorial Bridge is a bascule bridge that spans the Potomac River between the independent city of Alexandria, Virginia and Oxon Hill in Prince George's County, Maryland, United States. While over the water near the Virginia shore, it crosses the southern tip of the District of...
. The house was built by Irish immigrant Dr. Samuel DeButts. It was entrusted to the National Park Service in 1959 in order to protect its resources from increased development. From 1891 to 1950, the property was used as a therapeutic farm by St. Elizabeths Hospital
St. Elizabeths Hospital
St. Elizabeths Hospital is a psychiatric hospital operated by the District of Columbia Department of Mental Health. It was the first large-scale, federally-run psychiatric hospital in the United States. Housing several thousand patients at its peak, St. Elizabeths had a fully functioning...
, and was known as Godding Croft.
The house is operated as a historic house museum, with exhibits about period life in the early 19th century for the owners and slaves on the plantation. Other exhibits focus on the home's role at Godding Croft.
See also
- Open air museumOpen air museumAn open-air museum is a distinct type of museum exhibiting its collections out-of-doors. The first open-air museums were established in Scandinavia towards the end of the nineteenth century, and the concept soon spread throughout Europe and North America. Open-air museums are variously known as...
External links
- National Park Service, National Capital Parks - East, Oxon Cove Park and Oxon Hill Farm website
- Oxon Cove Farm, Prince George's County, Inventory No.: PG:76A-13, including photo in 1988, at Maryland Historical Trust website
- M-NCPPC Inventory of Historic Sites (Prince George's County); Mount Welby, entry 76A-013, p. 118
- The Historical Marker Database, Oxon Cove Park and Oxon Hill Farm entry