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Nanjemoy in Charles County, Maryland — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
 

Minister's House, Family Farm

These chimneys once stood over a 19th-century farm owned by a minister and his family.

 
 
Minister's House, Family Farm Marker image. Click for full size.
National Park Service, Thomas Stone National Historic Site, January 24, 2019
1. Minister's House, Family Farm Marker
Inscription.
Open Fields and a Wooden House
These chimneys remain from a house, called Mount Pleasant, which was built in 1798. Though trees now cover the land, in the 18th and 19th-centuries, active farms covered this area. Facing this direction, a person standing here could look out over open fields all the way to the Potomac River.

This house had wooden frame walls and two first-floor rooms—a hall and parlor. A door between two windows would have faced you. The double chimney provided two fireplaces on the ground floor and one upstairs. Wood from the fireplace mantels still can be seen in the chimney remains.

To the left of the door, a depression marks where an ice house stood. This structure stored ice which was harvested from the river and used to keep foods fresh.

Pastor and Farmer, Father and Slave Owner
Wills, deeds, and tax records reveal the past owners of the land beginning in 1653. In 1841, the Reverend William J. Chiles bought this property and lived here with his family. The family is known to have owned 14 slaves.

The Reverend Chiles served as pastor of the Nanjemoy Baptist Church from 1837 to 1855 and from 1866 until his death in 1874. During the 1800s, the Baptist Church struggled in Maryland, but Chiles helped the Nanjemoy church grow. Chiles also served
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on a local temperance committee, trying to stop to sale of alcohol.

People came to this farm by the river. A fishing wharf extended from the shore, and a road ran form the wharf past the Chiles house. You are standing where the old road passed.

(Image of a gravestone.)
This tablet marks the grave of William Shepard Chiles, son of Reverend William J. Chiles. The Chiles family cemetery was located some distance from the farm and now is peacefully hidden in the woods.
(Black & white drawing of a house.)
The chimneys and brick foundations in front of you once belonged to the main house on a farm. This what the house would have looked like if you stood here in 1798, when the house was built.
(Icon in the upper-left corner for the Chiles Homesite.)
(Icon in the lower-right corner for the Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management.)
 
Erected by Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management.
 
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African AmericansArchitectureChurches & Religion. A significant historical year for this entry is 1798.
 
Location. 38° 26.6′ N, 77° 15.283′ W. Marker is in Nanjemoy, Maryland, in Charles County. Marker can be reached from Riverside Road (County Route 224) 1.1 miles
Minister's House, Family Farm Marker (Left Half) image. Click for full size.
National Park Service, Thomas Stone National Historic Site, January 24, 2019
2. Minister's House, Family Farm Marker (Left Half)
south of Liverpool Point Road (Route 426). Douglas Point Recreation Area has three parking areas. Use the one with the sign reading "South Trailhead—Chiles Homesite, 9699 Riverside Road." Follow trail for half a mile to reach the five markers at the Chile Homesite. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 9699 Riverside Road, Nanjemoy MD 20662, United States of America. Touch for directions.
 
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 3 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Memories of Douglas Point (here, next to this marker); Unique Environment (here, next to this marker); Archeology Reveals Outbuildings (here, next to this marker); Life Cycle of a House (here, next to this marker); Mallows Bay (approx. 1.8 miles away); a different marker also named Mallows Bay (approx. 1.8 miles away); Points of Interest (approx. 1.8 miles away); Washington's Farm (approx. 2.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Nanjemoy.
 
Also see . . .
1. Douglas Point, Charles County. Maryland Department of Natural Resources website entry (Submitted on January 27, 2019.) 

2. Chiles Homesite, Douglas Point, Maryland. William & Mary Center for Archaeological Research website entry (Submitted on January 27, 2019.) 

3. Mount Pleasant (Chiles House). Maryland Historical Trust Architectural Survey File PDF (Submitted on January 27, 2019.) 

4. Douglas Point Special Recreation Management Area. Bureau of Land Management website entry (Submitted on January 27, 2019.) 
 
Minister's House, Family Farm Marker (Right Half) image. Click for full size.
National Park Service, Thomas Stone National Historic Site, January 24, 2019
3. Minister's House, Family Farm Marker (Right Half)
Markers at Chiles Homesite. image. Click for full size.
National Park Service, Thomas Stone National Historic Site, January 24, 2019
4. Markers at Chiles Homesite.
Ruins at Chiles Homesite. image. Click for full size.
National Park Service, Thomas Stone National Historic Site, January 24, 2019
5. Ruins at Chiles Homesite.
Douglas Point Recreation Area Entrance Sign image. Click for full size.
National Park Service, Thomas Stone National Historic Site, January 24, 2019
6. Douglas Point Recreation Area Entrance Sign
South Trailhead—Chiles Homesite 9699 Riverside Road.
 
 
Credits. This page was last revised on January 23, 2024. It was originally submitted on January 27, 2019. This page has been viewed 394 times since then and 35 times this year. Photos:   1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. submitted on January 27, 2019. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.

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Mar. 29, 2024