St. Mary's City in St. Mary's County, Maryland — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)

Why Is This Barn Here?

Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), August 30, 2019

1. Why Is This Barn Here? Marker

Inscription. This building before you is one of the oldest standing wooden barns in Maryland. Known today a the Mackall barn, artisans built it in 1785 for John Mackall. After the capital moved to the Annapolis in 1695, John Mackall was the first in a family dynasty that came to own all of what had been St. Mary's City. For nearly two hundred years, this structure's primary use changed back and forth from storing grain to curing tobacco. Its last use began in 1946 as a stock barn for cattle. The most recent owner of the barn was Mr. J. Spence Howard, a relative of John Mackall. Historic St. Mary's acquired this land from the Howard family in 1980.

No 17th-century barns survive in Maryland today. A few from the 18th century, including the Mackall barn, are still standing. Those from the 19th and 20th centuries are far more numerous but many are in poor repair. In 2001, a state "buyout" program encouraged farmers to stop tobacco cultivation. This left many barns, which are an important part of the Southern Maryland landscape, standing empty and decaying.

[Captions:]
Harvesting tobacco in St. Mary's County.

Threshing wheat on John Guy's farm near Loveville, Maryland, ca. 1925.

No longer standing, this mid-1800s tobacco barn near Morganza, Maryland, was similar in form to the Mackall barn.

Tobacco was harvested when it was still green. It was then hung in a tobacco barn to cure.

[Aside:]
Ownership Through Time
1723 John Hicks arrives in Maryland.

1753 John Hicks dies. William Hicks inherits the property.

1774 William Hicks sells the property to John Mackall, Sr.

1813 John Mackall, Sr. dies. John Mackall, Jr. inherits the property.

1815 John Mackall, Jr. dies. His daughter, Margaret Mackall Brome, inherits the property.

1816 Margaret Mackall Brome dies. Her husband, James Mackall Brome, inherits the property.

1823 James Mackall Brome dies. His widow inherits the property.

1840 Dr. John Mackall Brome comes of age and inherits the property.

1887 Dr. John Mackall Brome dies. His son, James Thomas Brome, inherits the property.

1910 James Thomas Brome dies. His daughters, Susette and Jeanette, inherit the property.

1949 Susette Brome Bennett dies. Her share of the property goes to Jeanette Brome Howard.

1967 Jeanette Brome Howard dies. The property is inherited by her children, Thomas B. and J. Spence Howard, Jr.

1980 The state of Maryland acquires the property for Historic St. Mary's City.

Erected by Historic

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St. Mary's City.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Agriculture • Colonial Era • Settlements & Settlers • Women. A significant historical year for this entry is 1785.

Location. 38° 11.018′ N, 76° 25.797′ W. Marker is in St. Mary's City, Maryland, in St. Mary's County. It is on Point Lookout Road (Maryland Route 5) east of Old State House Road, on the right when traveling east. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 16721 Point Lookout Road, Saint Marys City MD 20686, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Southern Maryland.

It is also in the American South,

specifically in the Upper South,

in the Mid-Atlantic,

in the Tidewater,

in the Chesapeake Bay Region,

and on the Eastern Seaboard. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region,

North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once one of the original Thirteen Colonies

and also the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: A Land in Need of Labor

Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), August 30, 2019

2. Why Is This Barn Here? Marker

(a few steps from this marker); a different marker also named Fear of War, People of Peace (within shouting distance of this marker); "…a hopeful Colony" (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); The "Priests' House" (about 400 feet away); Shock Troops of the Counter-Reformation (about 400 feet away); "…buried…in a most solemn manner" (about 400 feet away); Project Lead Coffins (about 400 feet away); Putting Together the Pieces (about 400 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in St. Mary's City.

Another marker is no longer nearby. Fear of War, People of Peace (was within shouting distance of this marker but has been replaced with another marker now near it).

Credits. This page was last revised on September 2, 2019. It was originally submitted on September 2, 2019, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 721 times since then and 74 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on September 2, 2019, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.