Brewer Farmstead

Brewer Farmstead. . , Family Farming, Dr. William Brewer acquired 583 acres in a land grant known as “Woodstock Manor,” in 1838. Woodstock was two miles from Dr. Brewer's primary residence, Aix-La-Chappell where he provided medical treatment to the local community and taught future physicians, including his son, Nicholas. , An avid farmer, Dr. Brewer was dedicated; to promoting agrarian improvements, such as crop rotation and the creation of local and state agricultural societies. Dr. Brewer promoted the cultivation of wheat to replace the inefficiencies created by the dominant tobacco culture in Montgomery County. , However, when Dr. Brewer's youngest son, George, established residence at Woodstock in 1850, he cultivated tobacco along with wheat. These crops were tended by enslaved persons owned by the Brewer family until 1864, when all slaves in Maryland were emancipated. At that time, two men and three women from this farm acquired their freedom. , By 1879, hired laborers worked for William George Brewer, son of George Brewer, and sole owner of the 400-acre farm. On his improved fields, he grew wheat, Indian corn, Irish potatoes, apple trees, and hay. He also maintained horses, cattle, swine and chickens. His hens laid over 350 eggs in 1880. , After tending the farm for over sixty years, William G. Brewer sold Woodstock in 1942, ending the family's farming tradition that had lasted 104 years. , Farmyard Structures, At its peak of operations this property included collection of 19th and 20th century buildings. All out-buildings, ranging slave quarters to several barns, sat directly behind the main house. , The spring house and the stone dwelling were built in the mid-19th century with Seneca sandstone, a material that ensured their longevity. , The three wood frame buildings reflect the growing mechanization of this farm in the early 20th century.