Fairview Plantation

Fairview Plantation is a historic plantation house in Collington, an area now associated with the census-designated place of Fairwood in Prince George's County, Maryland. The surviving house is important primarily as an architectural and local-history landmark rather than as a contemporary commercial brand. Construction began around 1788 on land owned by Baruch Duckett, placing the property within the period when Maryland's rural gentry estates were developing distinctive brick houses and agricultural landscapes. Fairview is a two-story brick building finished with stucco. Its form combines Federal-period characteristics with elements that anticipate the Greek Revival, while its interior follows a Georgian plan and retains fine Federal-style trim. A stepped gable at one end and flush end chimneys contribute to the building's unusual exterior character. The estate remained closely connected to the Duckett and Bowie families for much of its recorded history. Baruch Duckett died at Fairview in 1810 and left the property to his son-in-law, Captain William Duckett Bowie. Duckett's will placed a specific condition on the inheritance: Bowie and his sons could retain Fairview only if they preserved certain trees near the house. If the trees were felled, the property was to pass to Duckett's brother, Isaac Duckett. This provision illustrates the way inheritance, landscape preservation, and family authority could be combined in the legal management of an early American estate. Oden Bowie, William Duckett Bowie's son, was born at Fairview in 1826. He later became governor of Maryland and was buried in the property's cemetery in 1894. The estate was also associated with thoroughbred horse breeding and racing. Oden Bowie established a stable at Fairview, reportedly influenced by the nearby Belair Stables and Belair Stud. Horses associated with the stable included Belle D'Or, Oriole, and Crickmore. Fairview's history also includes the exploitation of enslaved labor. It was among the larger slave-holding plantations in Prince George's County, with more than 100 enslaved people connected to the property during its peak production period and 47 recorded during Oden Bowie's ownership. This dimension is essential to understanding the estate's agricultural wealth and the broader social and economic system in which it operated. By the 1980s, the remaining plantation lands included a turf farm and wooded areas. Most of the land was subsequently sold to The Rouse Company, which developed a residential community named Fairwood on the former plantation site. The house and cemetery survived this transformation. The property was not listed on the National Register of Historic Places according to the cited reference material, but the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission recognizes it as a historic site, designated 71A-13. Members of the Duckett family’s descendants remained in residence until 2017, when the property was offered for sale for the first time in its history. After subsequent ownership changes, the house came under the care of Fairview Manor, LLC. Its present significance rests on its architecture, association with the Duckett and Bowie families, connection to Maryland political history and thoroughbred racing, cemetery, and its documented relationship to slavery and the transformation of plantation land into a modern suburban landscape.

Fairview Plantation began as an estate established on land owned by Baruch Duckett in Collington, Maryland. Construction of the surviving house started around 1788. The building reflects a transitional architectural vocabulary: its two-story, stuccoed brick form belongs to the Federal period, while aspects of the design anticipate the Greek Revival. Flush end chimneys, a distinctive stepped gable, and a Georgian interior plan with Federal trim make it an unusually identifiable example of historic domestic architecture in Prince George's County. Baruch Duckett died at Fairview in 1810. His will transferred the estate to his son-in-law, Captain William Duckett Bowie, subject to a landscape-preservation condition concerning trees near the house. The property would remain with Bowie and his sons only if those trees were not cut down; otherwise, ownership was to pass to Duckett's brother Isaac. The provision provides evidence of the importance assigned to the estate's setting as well as its buildings. The Bowie family continued to shape Fairview's historical identity. Oden Bowie, the son of William Duckett Bowie, was born at the estate in 1826. He later served as governor of Maryland and was buried in the grounds in 1894. Bowie also operated a thoroughbred stable at Fairview. The stable produced or was associated with successful race horses including Belle D'Or, Oriole, and Crickmore, linking the estate to Maryland's wider horse-racing tradition and to the nearby Belair Stables and Belair Stud. Fairview was a substantial slave-holding plantation. More than 100 enslaved people worked there during the estate's highest production period, while 47 were recorded during Oden Bowie's ownership. The plantation's agricultural output and social structure therefore depended on enslaved labor, and any account of the property must place the architecture and family history within that context. The plantation landscape changed substantially in the twentieth century. By the 1980s, the remaining land included a turf farm and woods. Most of the acreage was sold to The Rouse Company, which developed the Fairwood residential community on the former plantation site. The historic house and cemetery remained as remnants of the earlier estate. The property was not on the National Register of Historic Places in the cited account, but the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission identified it as historic site 71A-13. Descendants of Baruch Duckett remained in the house until 2017, when Fairview was placed on the market for the first time in its recorded history. Ownership later changed more than once, and the property came under the care of Fairview Manor, LLC. Today, Fairview is best understood as a privately held historic property whose importance derives from its architecture, family associations, Maryland political history, equestrian connections, cemetery, and the documented history of enslavement and suburban redevelopment surrounding it.

• 2017

  Property offered for sale

  [1]Fairview Plantationen.wikipedia.org

  After descendants of Baruch Duckett had remained in residence for generations, Fairview was offered for sale for the first time in its history.

• 1980

  Remaining estate includes turf farm and woods

  [1]Fairview Plantationen.wikipedia.org

  By the 1980s, the surviving plantation land is described as including a turf farm and wooded areas.

• 1894

  Oden Bowie is buried at Fairview

  [1]Fairview Plantationen.wikipedia.org

  Oden Bowie is buried in the cemetery on the plantation grounds.

• 1826

  Birth of Oden Bowie

  [1]Fairview Plantationen.wikipedia.org

  Oden Bowie, who later became governor of Maryland, is born at Fairview.

• 1810

  Estate passes to William Duckett Bowie

  [1]Fairview Plantationen.wikipedia.org

  Baruch Duckett dies at Fairview and leaves the property to his son-in-law, Captain William Duckett Bowie, subject to a condition concerning the preservation of trees near the house.

• 1788

  Construction begins

  [1]Fairview Plantationen.wikipedia.org

  Construction of the Fairview plantation house begins on land owned by Baruch Duckett in Collington, Maryland.

Historic residential and cultural heritage property; not a conventional commercial brand.

1. 1Fairview Plantationen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Faded Sketch Propels Families Across a Racial Divide: Search for Md. Ancestors Reveals Old Memories, New Bondswashingtonpost.com