Dwellings and Outbuildings

Dwellings and Outbuildings. . , What you see at Sotterley today reflects primarily the imprint of its 20th-century owners. The property was farmed even before James Bowles built his house here in 1703, but nothing remains of the outbuildings from that era. Many of the outbuildings here, and all the small houses except the Slave Cabin, were added during the Satterlee and Ingalls ownership., Bowles' 44x20-foot, story-and-a-half, wood-framed home, Sotterley's first "build," is at the Plantation House's north end. Sotterley is one of the few remaining houses in the Chesapeake region with post-in-ground framing, which was a popular construction method in Bowles' era. The Plantation House went through eight builds, its proportions changing and increasing with the fortunes of its owners, who relied on the labor of tradesmen and enslaved persons. The last build was completed in 1917., During the builds, various features were reworked or added. The Plantation House rose to a full two stories. Doors, closets and walls were moved. Kitchens were relocated or removed and rebuilt. Dormers sprouted from the roof. A magnificent staircase in the Chinese Chippendale style was built in the center hallway. Paneling and molding were added to plain walls. A rainbow of interior paint colors came and went. Not until the late 1940s did the Plantation House acquire electricity and modern plumbing., Past property inventories tell us many buildings have come and gone. However , several buildings listed in George Plater IV's estate inventory in 1803 remain. Besides portions of the Plantation House, the meat house (now the Smoke House) and the brick Stable/Warehouse date from this era. It's also thought that the North Gatehouse may have served as a slave quarter in the late 18th-century and served as a schoolhouse in the 1800s. In the 20th-century, it was used as a playhouse and guest housing., [Sidebar:] , Look, touch, and smell the wood below., Do you know what kind of wood this is?, It's cypress., Because it can stand up to humid coastal conditions, and is resistant to disease and insects, it was used to build and brace Sotterley's Plantation House, and later, the Slave Cabin. This "earth-fast" construction was adapted from the European and West African building methods. The Chesapeake Bay keeps air slightly warmer than other places in Maryland. The country's northernmost cypress swamp is near here in Calvert County at the Battle Creek Cypress Swamp., [Captions:] , Riverside elevation drawing and floor plan in 1910 with the original footprint of the 1703 house in bold., Riverside view of Sotterley's Plantation House in 1910., 1926 map of Sotterley by Philip Kappel., Sotterley c. 1906, sheep feeding at the corn crib. White building (distant left) was used for bridles and later named the Customs House., The Wharf house was the home of the dock master and his family at Sotterley's Steamboat Landing., c. 1920s. Existing barn (right) is seen with the horse barn (left). The water tower and horse barn were torn down in the 1950s , ,br> The Satterlee family visits the farm animals. c. 1910, One of Sotterley's remaining 18th century structures, the Warehouse was used as a stable for most of its history., Sotterley's sole surviving Slave Cabin has been dated c. 1830-1850. Its durability is credited to its sturdy original construction , the handiwork of its occupants , and a series of reinforcing improvements made right into the 20th century.