Fort Washington in Prince George's County, Maryland — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
A Farm for St. Elizabeths, 1891-1950
Photographed By Allen C. Browne, September 17, 2011
1. A Farm for St. Elizabeths, 1891-1950 Marker
St. Elizabeths Hospital should be “the grandest institution of its kind in the world." -- Charles H. Nichols first Medical superintendent of St. Elizabeths
For nearly 70 years, the land around you was a hospital farm. St. Elizabeths Hospital bought the property in 1891 to produce food for its evergrowing number of patients. The hospital was founded in 1855 to care for mentally ill people from Washington, D.C., and the U.S. military.
St. Elizabeths was a bold project for its time. It was originally designed to hold 250 patients in the world's most modern hospital for the mentally ill. But before the first building was even completed, the outbreak of the Civil War forced the government to use much of the new hospital for wounded soldiers By the end of the war, 600 patients were crammed into the hospital. The number reached 718 by 1875. In the 1940s, the hospital complex covered more than 300 acres and housed some 7,000 patients.
Much of the farm machinery around Oxon Hill Farm dates from the St. Elizabeths era.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Agriculture • Science & Medicine • War, US Civil. A significant historical year for this entry is 1891.
Location. 38° 48.104′ N, 77° 0.319′ W. Marker
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Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. A Voice Unheard… (within shouting distance of this marker); A Park with a Past (within shouting distance of this marker); Oxon Cove Park and Oxon Hill Farm (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); War All Around (about 300 feet away); Sweet Sorghum (about 500 feet away); Two Centuries of Farm Buildings (about 600 feet away); Why a Brick Stable? (about 700 feet away); Root Cellar (approx. 0.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Fort Washington.
Photographed By Allen C. Browne, September 17, 2011
2. A Farm for St. Elizabeths, 1891-1950 Marker
Photographed By Allen C. Browne, September 17, 2011
3. Godding Croft, Dairy Barn & Silo
The Silo once towered over a dairy barn, shown here in ruins in 1987. Hay, cornstalks and other crops ferment inside to make animal feed called silage.Close-up of photo on marker
Photographed By Allen C. Browne, September 17, 2011
4. Current Dairy Barn at Oxon Hill Farm Park & Silo
Photographed By Allen C. Browne, September 17, 2011
5. Calf
Credits. This page was last revised on March 3, 2023. It was originally submitted on December 24, 2016, by Allen C. Browne of Silver Spring, Maryland. This page has been viewed 291 times since then and 26 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on December 24, 2016, by Allen C. Browne of Silver Spring, Maryland. 5. submitted on December 25, 2016, by Allen C. Browne of Silver Spring, Maryland. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.
