Duvall Farm
| Duvall Farm | |
|---|---|
  Location of Duvall Farm in Maryland | |
| Location | Laurel, Maryland |
| Coordinates | 39°06′35″N 76°49′46″W / 39.10972°N 76.82944°W |
| Area | Laurel |
| Built | Early 19th century |
| Architectural style(s) | Wood Frame |
The Duvall Farm was a historic farm located in North Laurel, Howard County, Maryland, United States, now the site of Coastal Sunbelt Produce.
History
[edit]The Duvall Farm was a historic farm worked by descendants of one of Maryland's earliest settlers, Mareen Duvall (1625–1699).[1][2] The farm was situated on Whiskey Bottom Road, a historic path that once linked Mareen Duvall's Davidsonville plantation to other family plantations formed as settlers moved westward.[3] Simon J. Martenet's 1860 Map of Howard County Maryland shows the farm along the crossroads of Route One, where George Washington once travelled. Robert L. Duvall and his wife Margret owned the property against the B&O tracks giving it the name "Elm Ridge".[4] The site was the low point where barrels of Maryland Rye Whiskey would be delivered from nearby distilleries to load on trains, giving it the name "Whiskey Bottom".[5] In 1914, a freight train struck the barn co-owned by Dr. Warfield and Duvall containing 6,000 pounds (2,700 kg) of tobacco.[6]
In 1991, a Laurel man was charged with killing and setting his girlfriend Cathy May Baier on fire next to the race track, which resulted in a brush fire.[7]
In April 2013 the Duvall Farm was burned from large brush fires that were considered connected to arson on the Laurel Fuel and Oil Company. Fire investigators ordered the house demolished rather than stabilize the historic structure.[8][9]
The farm was adjacent to historic Laurel Park race track and rezoned for high density "transit-oriented development" under growth policies of Parris Glendening. The agricultural farm was rezoned in anticipation of an unfunded rail stop adjacent to the already existing stop servicing Laurel Park requested by Howard County Executive Kenneth Ulman, whose father was on the Maryland Racing Commission.[10]
In 2014, Ulman provided a "development fast track" to relocate Coastal Sunbelt's facilities from Savage, Maryland. The Transit Oriented Development zoning was rapidly amended to include light industrial uses in January 2014. Since spot zoning for the benefit of a single entity is illegal, the zoning law also included a provision to expedite former planning and zoning director's Joseph Rutter's housing development project around the Rosa Bonheur Memorial Park Cemetery.[11][12] Ulman was quoted in a newspaper saying "I think this was the fastest rezoning in Howard County history, because this about job creation. We had to get it done". Coastal Sunbelt Produce was offered $1 million in loans and $150,000 in Howard County tax credits to relocate to a 240,000-square-foot (22,000 m2) Preston Scheffenacker Properties facility built on the Duvall Farm with a 99-year lease.[13] The new facility covering the majority of the 33-acre site had a groundbreaking on August 18 with Lieutenant Governor Anthony Brown attending.[14] The 900-employee Coastal Sunbelt operation said it would add 400 new jobs to meet the terms of its state loan.[15]
External links
[edit]See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ The founders of Anne Arundel and Howard Counties, Maryland. 1904. p. 51.
- ^ Joshua Dorsey Warfield. The founders of Anne Arundel and Howard Counties, Maryland.
- ^ "Duvall Mill Historic District" (PDF). Retrieved August 18, 2014.
- ^ William Grover Cook (1976). Montpelier & the Snowden family. p. 51.
- ^ Patrick Skene Catling (December 7, 1950). "Whiskey Bottom In Ferment, But Road Is Patuxent Still". The Baltimore Sun.
- ^ Louise Vest (August 13, 2014). "Struck by a Freight Train' History Matters". The Baltimore Sun.
- ^ "Body found In Laurel". The Washington Post. January 20, 1991.
- ^ "Md. Abandoned House, Brush Fire Under Investigation". WUSA. April 15, 2013. Archived from the original on April 27, 2013. Retrieved April 17, 2013.
- ^ Melanie Dzwonchyk (March 12, 2013). "Laurel Fuel Oil open for business after March 6 fire. Cause of fire still not determined, owner said". The Baltimore Sun.
- ^ Amanda Yeager (August 18, 2014). "Coastal Sunbelt breaks ground on North Laurel site". The Baltimore Sun.
- ^ Amanda Yeager (January 29, 2014). "Zoning change would help Coastal Sunbelt stay in Howard County". The Baltimore Sun.
- ^ Amanda Yeager (February 5, 2016). "Council approves zoning change to help business stay in Howard". The Baltimore Sun.
- ^ "Coastal Sunbelt Produce to get $1M state loan for new Howard County facility". Retrieved August 19, 2014.
- ^ "The Coastal Companies Expanding Into New Distribution & Processing Center". Retrieved August 19, 2014.
- ^ Jamie Smith Hopkins (August 18, 2014). "Maryland sees one of nation's largest job declines in July". The Baltimore Sun.