Ogle Era Belair Mansion (Bowie, Maryland)

1 ogle era

1.1 ogle family ownership begins
1.2 construction revolution
1.3 post revolution civil war
1.4 civil war , end of ogle ownership

ogle era

samuel ogle, son of samuel ogle of northumberland appointed charles calvert, 5th baron baltimore governor of maryland in annapolis in 1732. part of remuneration, ogle given £3,000 build residence ogle, bachelor, in no hurry build residence.

ogle family ownership begins

henderson sold land along 2 other parcels known woodcock s range , enfield chase 2 partners, ogle, , benjamin tasker, sr. on march 30, 1737 sum of £500.

in august, same year, ogle bought tasker s half of property. in 1739, 47-year-old ogle married former partner s 18-year-old daughter, anne tasker.

construction revolution

newspaper advertisement sale of tasker s estate belle air

in 1740, ogle dispatched england following england s declaration of war against spain , left tasker power of attorney , task of supervising construction of new house @ belair. in 1747, ogle returned maryland new bride occupy new home grandest in region visible of surrounding area , affording owners magnificent, all-encompassing view of plantation. ogle brought him, 2 famous english horses , first english-bred thoroughbreds imported maryland, queen mab , spark, both gifts of lord baltimore, establishing belair stud.

the ogle family maintained 2 residences upon return, 1 in town @ intersection of king george street , college avenue in annapolis (now referred ogle hall, houses naval academy s alumni hall) , belair, governor s country seat. upon death in 1752, samuel ogle left following 3 year old son benjamin ogle:

his house , land in prince george s county ... stock of whit kind soever , horses (except english horses , breed desire may sold) , every implement , utensil or used on said plantation .

samuel ogle had named tasker son s guardian , manage estate. @ age of 10, benjamin ogle sent england formal education , returned 11 years later in 1770 find tasker s daughters , husbands living in estate. ogle sued have ownership , occupy mansion. court ruled in favor in 1774 , took possession of estate.

benjamin ogle became friend of george washington presidential records show dined @ belair on october 1, 1773 , washington sought ogle s counsel.

post revolution civil war

benjamin ogle operated belair , gained prominence gentleman. elected governor of maryland in 1798. same year direct federal tax assessment listed belair containing:

mansion greenhouse, 24 by 15 feet, adjoining 40-foot (12 m) square kitchen-office, 12-foot (3.7 m) square poultry house, single-story dwelling, 2 by 16 feet, meat house , stable, built of brick. additional outbuildings included frame stable, deer house, tobacco houses , several houses negroes. far valuable , best equipped plantation of section of prince george s county.

he continued prosper until death in 1809 when property inherited son, benjamin ogle ii. ogle ii operated estate , stud farm until death in 1844 when 2 sons, george cooke ogle , richard lowndes ogle divided estate 2 parcels. george took parcel mansion , richard moved house on parcel known bladen (which torn down in 1960s make way kenilworth elementary school). when george took possession of deed belair, carried interesting restriction: george s youngest sister, rosalie ogle, must able remain in room in mansion long remained single. chose large room of 17 by 20 feet on upper floor.

civil war , end of ogle ownership

as belair slave-operated plantation, ratification of maryland constitution of 1864 emancipated slaves in state ended operation plantation. in 1867, dr. george c. ogle reported maryland state commissioner of slave statistics had freed 41 slaves, 24 of them 18 years or younger. belair, other plantations, possessed of huge tracts of land without built-in workforce make them productive, unable meet mortgage debts or pay taxes. 1870, house had fallen bad repair , george ogle in debt of $7,400 brother-in-law william henry tayloe of virginia several lesser debts others including $2,400 estate of maria jackson, being executed james mullikin. in 1871 ogle defaulted on latter debt, mullikin filed suit , court ruled belair sold satisfy debt. property described in auction notices as:

550 acres, more or less, , in 1 of finest farms in prince george s county. lies along line of baltimore , potomac railroad one-quarter of mile collington, there depot on said road. improvements large, 2 story brick dwelling house, 3 tobacco houses, corn house, granary, stables, servants house, etc. soil adapted growth of tobacco, corn, wheat, etc. wood , water abundant.

the property sold executors of estate of mortgage holder, william henry tayloe on may 16, 1871. winning bidders thomas munford , henry augustine tayloe ii paid $5,100 contingency remained on deed , rosalie ogle remained in house. when tenant farmers moved in mansion alongside rosalie, took them court stating not live in house people far below station. in 1877, awarded cash settlement, , last of ogle family retreated baltimore.