Greetings!  I hope that this finds everyone enjoying the change in season, the crispness of the air, and the beautiful fall foliage surrounding us!  It’s been a few weeks since we’ve posted an entry, and we have a lot to cover!

First, the Inaugural BBQ, held on Saturday, October 17, was a great success!  Granted, it wasn’t completely issue-free – four days of rain prior to and during the event made it a bit cold, wet, and muddy.  But several people from the Melwood Parke community, the Historic Preservation groups, and the new Mary Digges Lee Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution came, ate lots of food (thank you Matt Steele, our master griller!), enjoyed tours of the Melwood Parke Manor (thank you Michael Vallen!), and were greeted, entertained, and face-painted (a very special thanks to Gary Cleek, master face-painter, and our amazing volunteers Lynn Cleek and Tony McNeal!!!).  Our plan is to hold this event once a year, and we’ll definitely plan it earlier to take advantage of our great late-summer weather (we’ll hope for no rain but will schedule a rain date, just in case!).

 This is an incredibly beautiful time at Melwood Parke Manor.  The leaves are falling, and we are in fact swimming in them on various areas of the property. 

All of the small branches will be gathered for compost for spring planting.  We will use this for next year’s vegetable garden and for existing plants, trees, and shrubs currently on the property.  In addition, we currently have approximately 60 dead trees throughout the property tagged for removal (making the property much safer), which will be run through a chipper and be used as mulch, as well as creating split log firewood which we will sell next season and for the foreseeable future (as long as we have trees requiring removal, that is!). Melwood Parke is also deeply committed to the environment.  Our goal:  No Trash = Zero Landfill.  Every possible item on this property that can will be reused or recycled!  

Once again, I hope that everyone is enjoying fall so far.  I invite you to share our blog with all of your friends so they too can share in the beauty of Melwood Parke Manor!

Greetings everyone, and welcome to fall!  We are very excited to announce our Inaugural Community BBQ, to be held on Saturday, October 17 at Melwood Parke Manor!

Below you will find the invitation with all of the information.  Please RSVP to Scott Dano and join us for what promises to be a very fun event! 

The window and door removal at Melwood Parke went perfectly. We had the work performed by Worcester Eisenbrandt, Inc., Baltimore Maryland on September 2, 2009. And wow did we discover some really great stuff and cool new things!

The entire operation was fully documented with photos, many of which are included in this entry. Each photo includes a caption detailing exactly what is being shown.

The craftsmen, Matt Hankins (workshop Foreman) and Stuart Knight (Restoration Craftsman and Site Supervisor) from WEI managed to remove all of the original materials without causing any additional damage to the house or the woodwork…which was great! We were fearful that the window frame, which is tabbed at the head and sill beams, was going to be a real bear to get out of the masonry wall. The Maryland Historic Trust and the Maryland National Capital Parks and Planning Commission, Prince George’s County gave us permission to remove what we believed to be the “key” bricks at the head and sill beams from the exterior. This would make it possible to remove the frame from the exterior rather than interior, all in the hopes of not having to remove the interior panelings.

Well, fortunately the “key” brick idea was correct, and in fact the removal process was easier than anticipated. It turns out that Matt realized they only needed to remove the key brick from one side of the window and that that would give them enough room to remove the entire frame as an assembly by tilting and sliding it out of the opening! Bravo to that, team. The brick at the arched head of the window was destroyed, likely many years ago due to the shifting of the building and the fact that the arch had already partially failed. The bricks at the sill were in fine shape and have been retained in place in the wall until they can be properly catalogued and stored for future re-installation.

 

Unfortunately, there will be no way to keep the interior paneling assemblies in place. Our stabilization efforts are clearly going to be much too significant to keep the paneling in the house. It will be removed by our craftsmen, restored, kept in storage and then re-installed after the exterior walls are repaired. This, of course, does not mean that we are planning to dip and strip all of the panels and remove the history held within the work. Instead, we hope to remove the material in one piece, as much as possible, and take it to WEI’s workshop in Caton, Maryland for restoration. We intend to leave as much of the original finishes as possible and to leave in place as much of the original joinery, nails, wedges etc.

 

As we do this work it will be fully documented, and from time to time we will show our audience the progression.

As an aside, is there anyone out there reading our blog who has information about the local Maryland families that lived at or near Melwood Parke?  If so, could you please contact us? We are looking specifically for descendants of the Crowley family, who actually lived in Baltimore but owned Melwood for 62 years, as well the Traband family, specifically descendents of John Traband, Jr. who was responsible for building the Traband House on Old Marlboro Pike, which is another national register building. There are a couple of other families we hope to track down the descendents of as well: the Edlavitch family, who were merchants in Upper Marlboro on Main Street and likely sold the owners of Melwood windows, doors and hardware; the Nicholson family, specifically Arthur Nicholson, an architect who practiced in Laurel, Upper Marlboro for a time, and later Baltimore; and finally, Benjamin Wesley Cranford and family, as he was a prolific contractor in the area, as was his son. If you know of any of the descendents of these families, please contact me at michael.vallen@melwoodparke.org

Well, our first attempts at gardening proved to be very successful, as evidenced by the massive amount of pumpkins seen here!  Unfortunately, we're about a month early!  But, we learned some valuable lessons of the land, and next year we'll do it even better!

On behalf of everyone at the Melwood Parke Foundation, I hope you all had a wonderful summer!

Well, summer is rapidly coming to a close.  The air is starting to cool, become a little crisper, and soon we’ll see the leaves start to turn.  It’s hard to believe that the Melwood Parke restoration project began just over a year ago for us.  How time flies, and how much has changed! 

 

We are very pleased to announce that Worcester Eisenbrandt, Inc. (WEI) will be performing the next project for us:  the restoration of the Central Hall door and window!  For many years, WEI has specialized in historical building restoration projects, ranging from small to large, with an acute eye for detail and a high level of care that is required for this type of project, and has built a solid reputation throughout the historic preservation community.  You can see some of the other projects they’ve done by clicking on their name above.  We were required to obtain approvals from both the Maryland Historical Trust and the Maryland-National Capital Parks and Planning Commission in Prince George’s County, and after receiving both we are now able to contract WEI and begin the work immediately.

 

Both the door and the window located in the Central Hall are original and date back to the additions and renovations of 1768.  However, we discovered that the sashes are reproductions from 1897.  We will recreate the sashes to match the originals, of which we found one set in the house.

 

    

     

 

From the photos, you can see the significant damage that has taken place over the years to the door and window.  Time, cold, heat, rain, snow, all played a part in the degeneration, but most significantly was that the door and sash were stored in the cellar and not located until late 2008.  No one knew exactly what they were or where they belonged, and they ended up being stored in that dark, damp environment for roughly 110 years.  We are confident that this project will restore the significant beauty of the external centerpiece of this amazing home.

 

  

 

The panels were taken apart in the first attempt to take apart the frame.  Please refer back to the March 11, 2009 blog entry for more detail!

 

 

The door, window, and all associated parts are to be removed on Wednesday, September 2, and will be transported to Baltimore to the workshop of WEI.  We will be photographing the removal process and will post those after the removal process is completed.  Due to the tremendous detail, each will have to be carefully disassembled, and each piece restored and/or repaired individually before being reassembled.  Both door and window are extremely fragile and will require the utmost care in their handling, and we have immense faith that WEI is the best contractor for this job.  This project is likely to take several weeks, if not months, and upon completion, both door and window will be kept safely in storage until after the house has been stabilized. 

 

We’re very excited with all of the progress being made at Melwood Parke, and are looking forward to watching all of the changes as they evolve.  We are currently developing computer simulated models of the “after” images and will post those soon.  Stay tuned, and have a wonderful end of summer!

 

A few weeks ago we were joined by two visitors who are interested in establishing a new chapter for the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) in Mary Digges Lee’s name.  We gave them a tour of the house and the grounds, and gave them information on the cemetery Memorialization project, something they were especially interested in. They have been doing a significant amount of research on the Digges family and Mary’s husband, Thomas Sim Lee, wondering, as we have, where all of the headstones are located.  Well, on Sunday she found something!  She discovered Thomas Sim Lee’s tombstone and a marker at the Mount Carmel Cemetery in Upper Marlboro, Maryland, roughly three miles from Melwood Parke Manor!

This is definitely not the same marker we have seen previously.  The original headstone has been significantly weathered, but we were able to determine what is written.  It says:

 

I.H.S.

Thomas Sim Lee

Governor of Maryland

whose remains, together with

those of six other adults and

one child, were removed to

this spot from Melwood on

April 17, 1888

R.I.P.

Of particular interest, there are eight headstones total.  Two are to the left of Lee’s, three are to the right, and one about 4 feet west of those on the left and right, forming a near perfect square.  The seven additional stones are significantly smaller than Lee’s, but the implication is that each one represents one of the 8 total people supposedly buried there.

 

So now, the mystery deepens.  Where exactly is the rest of the Digges family located?  Are the graves indeed where we think they are, on the property of the manor, or were they really moved as the headstone says?  And where are all of the headstones?  We will continue to investigate and keep you posted on all of our findings!

 

Greetings!  Well, summer has finally arrived, a time for BBQ’s, warm weather, thunderstorms, and days at the beach!  For us at Melwood Parke, it means getting outside and working the grounds, which is exactly what we’ve been doing!

 

A few months ago, we began preparing a large area of land just east of the house for planting a garden.  Over the weeks, we have put up a fence, performed near-daily weeding, and planted a wide variety of seeds.  The larger of the two garden areas consists of cantaloupe, squash, artichokes, watermelon, and pumpkins, and our hope is that the pumpkins will be mature enough by fall for a Halloween event, perhaps a pumpkin patch for the kids, games, and maybe even a haunted hayride!  The smaller part of the garden includes corn, radishes, tomato’s (nine kinds!), basil, thyme, oregano, sage, beets, carrots, jalapenos, and sweet peppers.  One of our long-term goals for Melwood Parke is become well versed in organic gardening techniques so that we can host events for the public on this art.

 

We recently did a full evaluation of the boxwoods located on the south side of the main house.  These plants have been growing wild for the past 20 years, and we’re now working to try and tame them, trim and reshape them, and restore them to their original majestic appearance.  And this is only the beginning to the property landscaping plan.

 

We’ve secured a landscape architect, The Kane Group, LLC, for landscaping the full grounds of Melwood Parke.  As you can see by the landscape plan, there will be a beautifully diverse planting that will update “the estate’s historic landscape features.” (Kane Group, LLC).  For example, because many new homes have been built around the northern and northwestern sides of the property, mixed deciduous and evergreen trees will be planted as a type of visual barrier. 

 

“Apple production has been documented throughout Melwood’s agricultural history” (Kane Group, LLC), and while the original location of the orchard is yet unknown, a new apple orchard will be planted to the southwest of the house.  This area, adjacent to the woodlot, “reduces pest invasions of the fruit trees, and the sloping topography will ensure good drainage”  (Kane Group, LLC).  Significant fruit production is yet another benefit for planting a new orchard.

 

Possibly one of the most exciting elements of the landscaping project is the entrance drive.  Sugar maple possibly cloned from the existing Maple trees or American Linden trees will be planted along the entirety of both sides of the drive, eventually creating a canopy over the driveway, restoring the main entrance of the impressive property to its former beauty.  The stunning air of old Melwood Parke will return once again!

 

As you can see, we’ve been busy!  We hope to have this project well underway soon, and we will definitely keep you updated on our progress through blog entries and pictures.  In the meantime, we hope you’re having a wonderful summer!

Greetings!  My name is Scott Dano, and I recently joined the Melwood Parke team as a grant writer/ fund raiser.  I’ve been doing this type of work off and on for almost a decade (!), spending most of that time in the public health arena.  While this is a significant change, joining this project allows me a wonderful opportunity, and an exciting challenge, that I’m anxious to tackle.  And I look forward to meeting all of you interested in Melwood Parke and restoring it to its original majesty!

Recently, the Prince George’s County Planning Department announced county-wide plans for a cemetery survey (http://www.pgplanning.org/Projects/Ongoing_Plans_and_Projects/Historic_Preservation/Historic_Sites/Cemetery_Survey.htm) in an effort to identify the location of historic cemeteries and access their condition.  This provided a great opportunity for us at Melwood Parke to try our hand at writing our first grant application to the National Trust for Historic Preservation to identify and memorialize a potential cemetery on the Melwood Parke property.  The application was successfully submitted on June 1, 2009.

In our vast historical studies of the property, we have come to believe that the Digges family, Thomas Sim Lee (twice Governor of Maryland), as well as the carpenter, Aaron, and the plantation blacksmith (whose name is unknown) are buried due east of the main house.  We also have reason to believe that some of the slaves owned by the Digges family are buried in the large man-made ravine just east of the supposed family cemetery.  Documentation has proven that on April 17, 1888, the remains of seven individuals (including Thomas Sim Lee and one child), were allegedly moved from Melwood Parke to the Mt. Calvert Cemetery in Upper Marlboro.  However, based on typical practices of the times, the bodies were not really moved.  We continue to search for more proof in the way of headstones.



The bodies of William Digges, his wife Eleanor Digges, Ignatius Digges, his first wife Elizabeth, his second wife Mary (Carroll) Digges, his daughter Mary Digges Lee, her husband Thomas Sim Lee, twice Governor of Maryland, their son Ignatius Digges Lee, and Reverend Thomas Digges, the brother of Ignatius Digges, are all believed to be buried here, as all were either known to live at or request burial in the Melwood Parke family cemetery. 

There are a number of reasons to believe that the graves are still on the Melwood land, the most telling, is the a ground cover called Vinca which is still covering the area where we believe the cemetery is likely located.  Vinca (also known as Periwinkle) has been significant in burial rituals since the days of the Roman Empire.  For centuries, Vinca has been used in various ways synonymous with death, typically as decoration for human sacrifices, criminals, or those facing execution.  Most significantly it was a European tradition to place Vinca on the graves of children. At Mt. Vernon, the home of George Washington, vinca is found throughout the areas of Washington’s first and second tomb and the slave cemetery.

To find the cemetery in accordance with the Secretary of the Interior's Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties, we will utilize non-destructive ground penetrating radar technology to aid in our locating efforts.   With the use of this technology, we anticipate being able to determine the boundary of any graves underground.  Upon completion and successful discovery, we will be able to include the accurate location(s) in the list of unknown cemeteries in Prince George's County, MD.  Once the boundaries have been identified, we plan to build a small fence around the perimeter and memorialize it with interpretive signage and landscape features.

We are hopeful that our location efforts are successful, and that we can finally give proper recognition to all individuals still located there, giving them a respectful final resting place.

We would love to hear from any of anyone who has knowledge of colonial cemeteries, please comment or send me an email at scott.dano@melwoodparke.org

1825, December 25th Mary (Carroll) Digges died late that evening. She lived at Melwood for over 50 years and lived the last 40 years of her live there a widow. She outlived all of her immediate family including her step daughter Mary (Digges) Lee.  I'm continually imagining and attempting to understand that world in which she lived. Mary wrote a lengthy will, I've only read portions of it and plan to get my hands on the whole document soon...always looking for more clues. She wrote something in her will though that I find interesting; she left $300 for work that needed to be done at "Melwood House".

Oddly, it appears that that money likely was never spent. It has had me wondering why at 93 years old with no heirs and knowing that the likely next owner would be her well off niece did Mary feel so compelled to leave this money for house repairs.

When I first came across this fact in Mary's will I really didn't give it much thought...I was thinking in 2009 terms and heck $300 is a drop in the bucket as far as home repairs are concerned. Then one day recently I suddenly woke up and realized that this was $300 in 1825 dollars! Then I began to imagine what in the world was the value of 300 1825 dollars today?! President George Washington was paid $25,000 a year while he was in office, just slightly more than $2,000 per month. So Mary left about 1/7th of the President of the United States monthly salary to repair her house after she died! It seemed to me this was a sizable sum of money.

Next I looked up the "value of money" on the web and found a web site devoted to the relative value of money this made it clear to me that there are many ways to look at the value of this $300. On the one hand if computed relative to the Consumer Price Index (which has only been tracked since 1913) that $300 would be worth about $6,735 2008 dollars. But then if you compare relative value to that of an unskilled laborer, in other words the buying power of a dollar for an unskilled laborer in 1825 to that on one in 2008...well then we are really talking about big bucks, $74,449 to be exact!

So why is this important? Well the fact that Mary left this much money to her heir suddenly told me that something must have been amiss with "Melwood House". I'm guessing that Mary, the entertainer that she appears to have been went to great lengths when it came to the interior decoration of Melwood as we know especially now with the final finding of our paint analysis...more on that later. And as well with the inventory that was taken of the home's interior after her death...the house was filled with furniture, linens, paintings, china and looking glasses (mirrors). I wonder though if she just got a little tired in her old age and just didn't want to live through any more home improvements.

April 2009, It seems that the likely fixes she was anticipating had to do with what we are faced with still today...the sinking central portion of the house where the original ell connected to the main southern block of the house. I've spent countless hours examining what remains of the evidence from Mary's days. Alot of this time has been in the attic of Melwood Parke, a wonderful place...look for a future entry on the attic...and the result of my examinations are quite simple. I'm thinking more and more that water was the likely culprit of Mary's desire to have repairs made to her beloved house.

Yes, simple as it usually is water has caused over the past few hundred years a great deal of damage to Melwood. I actually think the roof likely leaked from the day the house was first built in 1714. The undertaker (builder or contractor) used riven oak clapboard roofing and at the valleys (where the ell and main block roofs met) he made a curved valley clapboard. We have several pieces of this valley clapbord and just seeing it makes me wonder how in the world this could ever keep water out. Well it likely did in part but at some point shortly after the house was constructed failed in at least four locations in the valley joint. I'd imagine attempts were made over and over again to stop the leaking but all failed. The water leaking damaged not only the primary rafters of the roof but also several of the secondary ones, the false plate and the stud walls below, then finally the foundation.

It doesn't appear that Mary's $300 was ever spent on repairs. The house, after being inventoried in 1826 shortly after Mary's niece died was abandoned. It was eventually sold in 1834, lived in by the Pumphrey family until 1897, though sold twice after 1880 (Anne Pumphrey was allowed to rent the house after it was sold). It only seems that one significant attempt was made to remedy the damage that water had done to the building, and that likely took place sometime between 1870-85. That repair, probably necessary because the ell was literally falling down at that point and taking the main block with it was poorly executed by what appears to have been unskilled labor.

And so I wonder, what was the value in real terms to Mary's $300, is it relative to the damage water had already wrought to her beloved Melwood House...which was over 110 years old at the time of her death? Was it so significant a sum that it would have fixed a very vexing problem...one that I am still trying to fix 184 years later? I wonder...

History in a Wall

Last week we performed non-destructive testing on the south/front wall of Melwood. The company that performed the testing was GBG, they are headquartered in Great Britain and have offices in New York and Los Angeles. The effort with them was to attempt to identify areas in the south wall of the manor where original 1714 timber framing was encased in masonry.