Maryland's National Register Properties



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Forest View
Inventory No.: HO-191
Other Name(s): Roland Maxwell Farmhouse
Date Listed: 12/12/2017
Location: 1805 Marriottsville Road, Marriottsville, Howard County
Category: Building
Period/Date of Construction: c.1861-1936
Description: Forest View is a 2 ½-story five-bay by one-bay frame dwelling facing east. A two-story, three-bay by one-bay frame kitchen wing extends from the west (rear), offset to the north. The original main block and one-story ell were built in 1860-61, following a type characteristic of rural vernacular domestic architecture of the period in the region. The house was enlarged and given some Gothic Revival decorative features c. 1885-1905, and the kitchen ell was raised to two stories, probably in the first quarter of the 20th century. Both sections have a rubble stone foundation, wood weatherboards, and a gable roof with standing seam metal. The main block has a north-south ridge while the ell has an east-west ridge. There is a two-story shed-roofed addition on the west elevation of the main block, south of the ell, and an enclosed one-story porch on the north side of the ell. On the east elevation the first story has a center door with four bolection-molded panels, sidelights with three lights, and a three-light transom. There is a one-story, five-bay porch with jig-sawn brackets of a foliate scroll pattern. There is a central, gabled wall dormer with a smaller dormer to each side. The south elevation of the main block has a two-story, three-sided bay. The interior has a center-passage, single-pile plan with one room and stairway in the ell and one room in the west addition. A dog-leg stair on the north wall ascends to a landing at the west end. It has an open stringer with sawn, foliate brackets and a newel that appears to be walnut and is turned in a bold, late urn pattern. The south room has a fireplace centered on the north wall, with a wood mantel with plain pilasters. The north room has a fireplace centered on the south wall, and it projects well into the room. It has iron eyes for a crane and a wood mantel with paneled pilasters and a reeded frieze. In addition to the house, the property also retains a gable-roofed frame smokehouse, and a dry-laid stone wall. Significance: Forest View retains a high level of integrity to reflect its local architectural significance as an example of an average Howard County farmhouse, built as a speculative venture in the 1860s, that was subsequently improved to a higher standard, achieving its current form and appearance in the early 20th century. The well-preserved smokehouse contributes to the significance of the property. The farm was created from scratch in 1860-61 simply as a money-making endeavor and thus illustrates what Howard Countians considered to be typical, or average, or necessary for a farm of that period. The house is unusual in that it was originally constructed as a speculative venture; few rural properties of the period have a documented history of such purpose. It also illustrates how this view changed in the late 19th century, or at least that this farm had passed from an average farmer to a more affluent one who must have believed that future production would be sufficient to warrant major improvements to the property. As with most Howard County farms, farm production eventually ceased at Forest View, and the property was subdivided. Unlike with most Howard County farms, here the historic house was preserved. The period of significance, c. 1861-1936, begins with the presumed construction date of the farmhouse and smokehouse and ends when Robert Maxwell acquired the property, and the house substantially achieved its present form.