Blandair
Blandair Regional Park | |
---|---|
Type | County |
Location | Columbia, Maryland |
Area | 300-acre (1.2 km2) |
Created | 2014 |
Operated by | Howard County |
Status | Open Ongoing Construction Official website |
Blandair, also known as Blandair Farm, Blandair Park, and Blandair Regional Park, is 300 acres of former slave plantation located in Columbia, Maryland.[1][2][3] The Blandair Foundation estate of Mrs. Smith was purchased by Howard County, Maryland in the late 1990s and is in the process of being developed as a regional park.[2][3]
History
In 1689, 1087 acres on
In 1804, John Crompton Weems purchased a portion named "La Grange", which he eventually sold to his daughter-in-law, Martha P. Weems.[5][nb 1] Between 1828 and 1845, Theodorick Bland purchased the farm from the Weems family and under his ownership, the property became known as "Blandair".[3][5][6][7][nb 2] Sarah Bland Mayo inherited the property upon her father's death and eventually gave the property to her daughter, Sarah Mayo Gaither, as a wedding present in 1857.[3][nb 3] Bland's descendants owned the property until the Gaithers sold the property in 1867.[2][5] Another series of owners held the land until it was sold to Baltimore developer Henry E. Smith and his wife, Lillie, in 1937.[5] After Lillie Smith died in 1979, Blandair was inherited by her daughter, Elizabeth, who resided on the property until her death in 1997.[5] In 1997 or August 1998, Blandair was purchased from the Smith family by Howard County, Maryland using State Rural Legacy funds.[2][3][8]
Legal challenges delayed planning efforts, but the courts eventually affirmed Howard County's ownership of the property.
Structures
The estate was documented by the
Legal battles
The lawsuit, Blandair Foundation, Inc. et al. v Jane P. Nes et al., against the title of Blandair Farm and the personal estate of Elizabeth C. Smith was filed on June 29, 1998 in the Circuit Court for Howard County, Maryland. The legal theory behind the suit was that of contract law: Elizabeth C. Smith had promised Byron C. Hall, Jr. that she would form the Blandair Foundation to preserve Blandair Farm, convey the title of Blandair Farm and her entire personal estate to the Blandair Foundation, and to appoint Mr. Hall as a trustee of the Blandair Foundation. In return, Mr. Hall accepted appointment as a trustee of the Blandair Foundation and promised Miss Smith that he would faithfully carry out her wishes for the preservation of Blandair Farm. This voluntary exchange of promises constituted a contract that was broken inadvertently by Miss Smith when she died. The plaintiffs sought specific performance of that contract.
The plaintiffs had two hurdles to overcome: the statute of limitations regarding suits against an estate and the statute of frauds regarding the title of Blandair Farm. They argued that the nature of the suit did not fit the accepted criteria of claims against an estate and that partial performance of the contract met the requirements of the statute of frauds.
Hearings were held on November 13, 1998, December 17, 1998, and December 7, 1999. The court ruled against the plaintiffs on all counts, with the final opinion issued on June 23, 2000. The
In their
The Appellants filed a petition for a
See also
Notes
- ^ Two references suggest that the property was already named "La Grange" when procured by John Crompton Weems,[6][7] however, one states that Weems was responsible for naming the property "Lagrange".[5]
- ^ Sources differ and state that Bland acquired Blandair in "1828 or thereabout",[7] 1836,[6] 1843,[5] or 1845.[2][3]
- ^ Another account states that Thomas Gaither and Sarah Mayo Gaither inherited the property after Isaac Mayo's death.[6]
References
- ^ Seeking Freedom The History of the Underground Railroad in Howard County. p. 57.
- ^ a b c d e f Howard County Department of Recreation and Parks. "Blandair Park (Capital Project N3102)". Howard County, Maryland: Howard County Department of Recreation and Parks. Archived from the original on 2011-07-01. Retrieved June 29, 2011.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Reinhart, Thomas (June 2004). Joyner, Brian D. (ed.). "A Gem on the Farm: The Slave Quarter at Blandair Farm" (PDF). Heritage Matters. National Park Service: 6–7. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2007-07-15. Retrieved June 29, 2011.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-8063-4584-0. Retrieved June 29, 2011.
- ^ a b c d e f g National Park Service. "Blandair, 6651 Highway 175, Columbia, Howard, MD". Historic American Buildings Survey. Washington, D.C.: Library of Congress. Retrieved June 29, 2011.
- ^ a b c d "Blandair: The Past". www.preservationhowardcounty.org/. Ellicott City, Maryland: Preservation Howard County. Archived from the original on July 16, 2011. Retrieved June 29, 2011.
- ^ a b c Holland, Celia M. (1987). Old homes and families of Howard County, Maryland: With Consideration of Various Additional Points of Interest. Catonsville, Maryland: C.M. Holland. pp. 16–17. Retrieved June 29, 2011.
- ^ SUNY series in Urban Public Policy : Sprawl and Politics : The Inside Story of Smart Growth in Maryland. p. 116.
- Columbia Flier. Retrieved April 26, 2019.
- ^ Howard County Department of Recreation and Parks. "Capital Projects and Park Planning". Howard County, Maryland: Howard County Department of Recreation and Parks. Archived from the original on May 7, 2004. Retrieved June 29, 2011.
- ISBN 1413734782.
Further reading
- To Save Her Dream: A Mission of Duty, Friendship and Justice by Byron C. Hall, Jr. PublishAmerica, Baltimore, 2004.