This is Oakland, one of the oldest homes in Howard county and certainly one of the oldest in Columbia. It is today home of one of the village centers for the town of Columbia, but its origins are complex. It looks like a stately plantation house, but it was never built as such. It has no history in agriculture at all. (Note, Thanks to Evan for posting a correction to this statement. You can read the comment below to see why.) It is perched on top of a relativly high hill, where it would have commanded a good view. Today it looks at an apartment complex.
It was orignally built as a country home for Charles Sterett Rigdely, then speaker of the house of delegates. It changed hands multiple times, with many owners addding or removing from the house. One owner even installed a horse track around the home and bred horses on the grounds.
5 responses so far ↓
1 bryanintimonium // Feb 17, 2009 at 9:46 AM
I guess you put the cart before the horse.
2 jeff // Feb 17, 2009 at 10:21 AM
I wish I had thought of that.
That is a good one!!
3 Evan // Mar 3, 2009 at 12:58 PM
Oakland does have a (later) history in agriculture. Across Little Patuxent Parkway stands the Wilde Lake Barn.
On it reads a 1976 plaque from the American Society of Agricultural Engineers:
“Designated a Historic Landmark of Agricultural Engineering. At Oakland Manor in 1876, Francis Morris built brick silos in his barn and introduced the practice of making corn silage in the U.S. His further experiments developed the use of earthen trenches and thereby significantly contributed to the development of American agriculture.”
Did you also check out the remains of Oakland Mills just south of the 29-175 interchange? Very interesting stuff.
4 Jeff // Mar 3, 2009 at 1:23 PM
Thanks for commenting and letting us know about this building’s true history.
I will certainly be on my way to the remains of the Mills soon.
5 Evan // Mar 6, 2009 at 1:55 AM
The mill itself stood where US 29 is. What’s left are 2 mill houses, a blacksmith/wheelwright shop, and a circa 1850s house that may have been built on the foundation of an earlier house. You can’t miss it if you’re driving north.
If you haven’t already, go to http://www.mdihp.net/cfm/index.cfm
username is “guest” and password is “guest!”
You’ll have a great time at that site as a history buff.
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