Melford
About this property
Melford is a historic plantation house located on the grounds of the Maryland Science and Technology Center, near the intersection of U.S. Route 301 and U.S. Route 50, at Bowie, Prince George's County, Maryland. The house is multi-part, gable-roofed, brick and stone dwelling house constructed probably in the mid-late 1840s, with elements of the Greek Revival style. The land that made up the Melford plantation was part of a tract, originally called Howerton's Range which was a 400-acre parcel that John Howerton obtained in 1670. It is part of Prince George's County and had historically been inhabited by the Piscataway people, an Algonquin language speaking tribe, as well as the Patuxent people and other Native American groups. Melford was built by Dr. Richard Duckett in 1810, replacing a previous structure. Dr. Richard Duckett was the brother of Allen Bowie Duckett, and the son of Thomas Duckett, who in 1796 was judge of the Prince George's County Court, and one of the principal slaveholders in the area. Melford was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1988. The grounds include three outbuildings: a three-bay gable-roofed slave quarter probably dating from the 18th century; a pyramidal-roofed meat house also dating from the late 18th century; and a 20th-century pyramidal-roofed pump house. The landscape consists of terraced gardens, falling away from the house on three levels. Melford was home for 140 years to two prominent local families, the Ducketts and the Hardestys. Melford, Prince George's County, Inventory No.: PG:71B-16, including photo in 1974, at Maryland Historical Trust website Melford, Crain Highway (U.S. Route 301), Mitchellville, Prince George's County, MD: 25 photos and 13 data pages, at Historic American Buildings Survey Melford, Slave House, Mitchellville, Prince George's County, MD: 1 photo and 1 data page, at Historic American Buildings Survey Melford, Smokehouse, Mitchellville, Prince George's County, MD: 1 photo and 1 data page, at Historic American Buildings Survey
Location
Categories
Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).
Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Everything a full report reveals about Melford
This page lists Melford. A full Aubrey report for an address near it pulls together this listing alongside battlefield records, land patents, and every other historical record within a chosen radius:
Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.
Questions about this property
When was Melford listed on the National Register?
Melford was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on April 5, 1988.
What type of historic resource is Melford?
Melford is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.
What is the period of significance for Melford?
The period of significance for Melford is recorded as the industrial era.
Can I research the history near Melford?
Yes. Aubrey Research reports search National Register listings, battlefield records, land patents, and other primary historical sources within any radius of a US address. A report for an address near Melford will include this listing and all other historical records in the area.
More in Prince George's County
Historic places, battles, and census history across Prince George's County.
Explore Prince George'sCounty ›More historic places in Maryland
Browse all historic places in Maryland.
View Marylandhistoric sites ›Research the history near this site
An Aubrey US report for an address near Melford will include this listing alongside battlefield records and other historical sources within your chosen radius.