National Register of Historic Places

Rigbie House

Berkley, Harford County, Maryland
Listed
August 13, 1973
Type
Building
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
73000925

About this property

Rigbie House, also known as "Phillip's Purchase", is a historic home located at Berkley, Harford County, Maryland. It is a 1+1⁄2-story, frame and stone structure built about 1781. It was one of a series of forest outposts fortified against the Indians and representing Lord Baltimore’s claim of 1632 to land extending north to the 40th parallel. In April 1781, it was the place where the Marquis de Lafayette’s officers quelled a mutiny that might have prevented his army of New England troops, who had been headed homeward, from turning south again to join General Greene and General Washington at Yorktown, in which case that battle might never have been fought. Phillip's Purchase was a tract of land inherited by Colonel Nathaniel Rigbie in 1708. He moved to the area, originally consisting of approximately 2,000 acres, in 1730 with his wife Cassandra Coale. They built the Rigbie House in 1732. The land covered much of what is now Berkley, Maryland and Darlington, Maryland. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973.

Location

Berkley, Harford County, Maryland
39.66075, -76.20330

Categories

MILITARYPOLITICS/GOVERNMENTARCHITECTURE
National Register nomination ›
Sources

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.

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Overview
An interactive map of the location with historic sites, battles and Native heritage plotted, and its full story era by era.
The Land
The historic sites and place names around the location, and how this land was settled and used.
Geology
The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back millions of years.
LiDAR Terrain
Laser-scanned terrain that reveals earthworks and old features hidden in the landscape.
Conflict & War
The battles, raids and skirmishes fought near here, across every era of American conflict.
The Civil War
The Civil War on this ground, 1861 to 1865: who held it, and the battles, camps and regiments nearby.
The Soldiers
The men who marched from here in the Civil War, named and traced where the record allows.
Native Heritage
The Native nations who held this land, mapped across time from before European contact to today.
Settlement
Who claimed and held this ground, from Indigenous homelands through the colonial powers to the United States.
The Community
How the town grew, who came, and what kind of place it became, traced through the census record.
Rivers & Rail
The rivers, canals and railroads that connected this place between 1830 and 1911.
Notable People
The people born, buried or genuinely tied to this exact place, with their stories.
Historical Maps
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Finds & Access
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Literature
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Spotlight
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Points of Interest
The most significant historic sites and landmarks near the location, and why they matter.
Timeline
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Nearby Historic Sites

Berkley School
Industrial
0.2 mi
Berkley Crossroads Historic District
Listed
0.3 mi
Gray Gables
Industrial
1 mi
Deer Creek Friends Meetinghouse
Industrial
1 mi
Wildfell
Industrial
1.1 mi

Nearby Battles

Battle of Iron Works Hill (MD 1777)
1777Revolutionary War
6.1 mi
Raid on Havre de Grace
1813Early Republic
9.8 mi

Questions about this property

When was Rigbie House listed on the National Register?

Rigbie House was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on August 13, 1973.

What type of historic resource is Rigbie House?

Rigbie House is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Rigbie House?

The period of significance for Rigbie House is recorded as the industrial era.

Can I research the history near Rigbie House?

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