Gaithersburg in Montgomery County, Maryland — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)

Summit Hall Farm

Photographed By Craig Swain, July 7, 2007

1. Summit Hall Farm Marker

Inscription.

Summit Hall Farm. . , Summit Hall, a 251-acre ridge-top farm in the heart of Gaithersburg, was officially named and patented in 1857 by John T. and Sarah DeSellum. The topography and 500-foot elevation with its panoramic view has attracted settlers since colonial times and probably inspired the name. Today the property encompasses 57 acres of traditional rolling green lawns, reflective ponds, swimming pool, miniature golf course, and activities building. The historic resources include a two-story part-log house which may date back to the colonial Logtown era, an 1860s tenant house, a 19th century family cemetery and granary, and a log smokehouse believed to be the oldest standing structure in Gaithersburg., The history of the property dates back more than two centuries beginning as part of a large tobacco plantation in the 1750s, as the small community known as Logtown in the 1770s, as the prosperous farm occupied by the Confederate Army briefly in 1864, and as a model of scientific farming, astronomy, and agronomy in the 20th century., The first local owner was Baltus Fulks, a shoemaker, who owned lots in Logtown in the early 1770s. By 1828, his daughter and son-in-law Catherine and James DeSellum had purchased Fulks' lots and amassed additional lands to total 242 acres. Their children John T. and Sarah DeSellum inherited the farm in 1847 and experienced the Civil War plundering of Jubal Early's Confederate Troops. John DeSellum also parceled off property for a schoolhouse, the Ascension Church, and the Gaithersburg Latitude Observatory. The Fulks/DeSellum family ownership of Summit Hall continued when Ignatius T. Fulks purchased the property in 1886. Summit Hall was sold to Frank and Zoe Wilmot in 1936. During the Wilmot's ownership, their son William created one of the first commercial turf farms in the United States at Summit Hall. The City of Gaithersburg purchased this 57-acre historic farm in 1982 and established Summit Hall Farm Park which is the crown jewel of the City of Gaithersburg park system.

Summit Hall, a 251-acre ridge-top farm in the heart of Gaithersburg, was officially named and patented in 1857 by John T. and Sarah DeSellum. The topography and 500-foot elevation with its panoramic view has attracted settlers since colonial times and probably inspired the name. Today the property encompasses 57 acres of traditional rolling green lawns, reflective ponds, swimming pool, miniature golf course, and activities building. The historic resources include a two-story part-log house which may date back to the colonial Logtown era, an 1860s tenant house, a 19th century family cemetery and granary, and a log smokehouse believed to be the oldest standing structure in Gaithersburg.

The history of the property dates back more than two centuries beginning as part of a large tobacco plantation in the 1750s, as the small community known as Logtown in the 1770s, as the prosperous farm occupied by the Confederate Army briefly in 1864, and as a model of scientific farming, astronomy, and agronomy in the 20th century.

The first local owner was Baltus Fulks, a shoemaker, who owned lots in Logtown in the early 1770s. By 1828, his daughter and son-in-law Catherine and James DeSellum had purchased Fulks' lots and amassed additional lands to total 242 acres. Their children John T. and Sarah DeSellum inherited the farm

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in 1847 and experienced the Civil War plundering of Jubal Early's Confederate Troops. John DeSellum also parceled off property for a schoolhouse, the Ascension Church, and the Gaithersburg Latitude Observatory. The Fulks/DeSellum family ownership of Summit Hall continued when Ignatius T. Fulks purchased the property in 1886. Summit Hall was sold to Frank and Zoe Wilmot in 1936. During the Wilmot's ownership, their son William created one of the first commercial turf farms in the United States at Summit Hall. The City of Gaithersburg purchased this 57-acre historic farm in 1982 and established Summit Hall Farm Park which is the crown jewel of the City of Gaithersburg park system.

Erected by City of Gaithersburg.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Agriculture • Notable Buildings • Settlements & Settlers • War, US Civil. A significant historical year for this entry is 1857.

Location. 39° 7.984′ N, 77° 11.592′ W. Marker is in Gaithersburg, Maryland, in Montgomery County. Marker can be reached from South Frederick Ave (Maryland Route 355) 0.1 miles north of Fairbanks Drive, on the left when traveling north. It is inside the Bohrer Park at Summit Hall Farm. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 506 South Frederick Avenue, Gaithersburg MD 20877, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are

Photographed By Craig Swain, July 7, 2007

2. Summit Hall Farm Marker

Located at the edge of the parking lot, overlooking the picnic pavilions.

within walking distance of this marker. Summit Hall Farm Smokehouse (within shouting distance of this marker); Gaithersburg (within shouting distance of this marker); DeSellum Family Cemetery (about 700 feet away, measured in a direct line); General Edward Braddock (approx. 0.4 miles away); Meridian Mark Pier and Geodetic Survey Monuments (approx. 0.4 miles away); History and Purpose of the Gaithersburg Latitude Observatory (approx. 0.4 miles away); The Observatory (approx. 0.4 miles away); A Night at the Gaithersburg Latitude Observatory (approx. 0.4 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Gaithersburg.

Summit Hall Farm Buildings image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Craig Swain, July 7, 2007

3. Summit Hall Farm Buildings

Present House at Summit Hall Farm Park image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Patricia Lawrence, May 18, 2009

4. Present House at Summit Hall Farm Park

**This house and the immediate outbuildings are private and not available for visitation, but can be viewed from the public areas of the park** This is the house described in the marker that started as a log cabin. The original log home was expanded over the years. After the Civil War, it was enlarged into the Victorian style, then later modernized to the house we see today. A historic photo of this house and the smokehouse behind it can be found on a local history site at http://shauncurtis.com/photos6.html

Summit Hall Farm Smoke House image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Patricia Lawrence, May 18, 2009

5. Summit Hall Farm Smoke House

This smoke house is believed to be the oldest complete standing structure in the city of Gaithersburg. It stands behind the main house nestled among garden plantings. ** not open to the public **

Summit Hall Farm - Tenant House image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Patricia Lawrence, May 18, 2009

6. Summit Hall Farm - Tenant House

Credits. This page was last revised on July 6, 2022. It was originally submitted on July 15, 2007, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia. This page has been viewed 3,036 times since then and 97 times this year. Last updated on July 5, 2022, by Bruce Guthrie of Silver Spring, Maryland. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on July 15, 2007, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia. 4, 5, 6. submitted on May 19, 2009, by Patricia Lawrence of Gaithersburg, Maryland. • Devry Becker Jones was the editor who published this page.