Oxon Hill in Prince George's County, Maryland — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
Why a Brick Stable?
Oxon Cove Park
— National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior —
Photographed By Devry Becker Jones (CC0), March 22, 2020
1. Why a Brick Stable? Marker
The marker has been moved inside the stable.
A 175-year-old brick stable is rare in this region. Most stables and barns built in Maryland in the 1800s were made of wood and had one story, not two. Brick buildings were more expensive to build, but lasted longer. When this stable went up, perhaps the DeButts family felt wealthy enough to build for the future. Brick stables were common in England and Ireland at the time, so a building like this might have seemed natural to them.
This stable also has a few special details in the brickwork. If you look high up on the ends of the barn, called the gables, you’ll see holes in the bricks in the shape of a diamond. The holes help ventilate the building and appear in different patterns on old barns across northern Maryland and parts of Pennsylvania.
Some of the stable’s features were added long after it was built, such as the wide door on the south wall and the concrete floor. But the stable also has a few ghosts – traces of windows and doors that no longer exist.
[Three photos by:] Jon G. Dean
Erected by National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Agriculture • Animals • Architecture • Settlements & Settlers.
Location.
this page online
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Two Centuries of Farm Buildings (within shouting distance of this marker); Wheat and Tobacco (within shouting distance of this marker); Root Cellar (within shouting distance of this marker); The Burning of Washington, D.C. (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Mount Welby (about 300 feet away); The DeButts Family Comes to Maryland (about 300 feet away); Sweet Sorghum (about 400 feet away); War Comes to Mount Welby (about 500 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Oxon Hill.
Photographed By Richard E. Miller, October 22, 2011
3. The Brick Stable
The stable shows the marker in its former location.
Photographed By Richard E. Miller, October 22, 2011
4. Why a Brick Stable? Marker
The marker in its former location
Credits. This page was last revised on March 3, 2023. It was originally submitted on October 29, 2011, by Richard E. Miller of Oxon Hill, Maryland. This page has been viewed 505 times since then and 25 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on March 22, 2020, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. 3, 4. submitted on October 29, 2011, by Richard E. Miller of Oxon Hill, Maryland. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.
