Bellefields (Croom, Maryland)

Bellefields is a manor house located in Croom, Prince George's County, Maryland. It was constructed about 1720. It is a brick structure in Flemish bond with random glazed headers, and two stories over a high basement. The structure is rectangular, with gabled roof sections, paired interior end chimneys, a front center entrance, wide raised belt course above the first floor, flat arched openings, and flanking symmetrical single-story wings. It is in the Georgian style. It was the home of Patrick Sim, Scottish immigrant and of his son, Col. Joseph Sim, Maryland patriot.^[2]

Bellefields
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Bellefields, November 2011
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Location	13104 Duley Station Road, Croom, Maryland
Coordinates	38°44′45″N 76°46′38″W
Built	c. 1720
Architectural style	Georgian
NRHP reference No.	71001027 [1]
Added to NRHP	September 10, 1971

Bellefields Plantation House from a 1936 Historic American Buildings Survey photograph

History

Later, sometime after 1849, William Duckett Bowie lived there with his second wife.^[3][4]

It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974.^[1] It was removed from the National Register of Historic Places on May 12, 1986.^[5][6]

On August 31, 2021, three of the farm's 39 zebras escaped from the farm and began wandering around the woods of Upper Marlboro.^[7][8][9] In September, one of the zebras died in an illegal snare trap.^[10][11] In October, the Maryland Department of the Environment and the Prince George's County Animal Services announced a plan to use two zebras from the herd at Bellefields to lure and corral the zebras back to the farm.^[12] Three animal cruelty charges were filed against the farm's owner on October 20.^[13] On December 15, the two remaining zebras were captured and returned to the farm.^[14][15]

Notable people

• William Williams (c. 1793–1814), born Frederick Hall on the Bellefields Plantation and as an escaped slave enlisted in 38th U.S. Infantry Regiment, U.S. Army dying from his wounds after the British bombardment of Fort McHenry in the War of 1812.

References

1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. April 15, 2008.
2. Mrs. Preston Parish (March 1971). "National Register of Historic Places Registration: Bellefields" (PDF). Maryland Historical Trust. Retrieved 2015-08-01.
3. Spencer, Richard Henry (1919). Genealogical and Memorial Encyclopedia of the State of Maryland. New York: American Historical Society. p. 392. ISBN 0-8328-5943-5.
4. Hall, Clayton Colman (1912). Baltimore: Its History and Its People. Vol. 3. Lewis Historical Publishing Co. pp. 303–306.
5. "National Register Database and Research". National Register of Historic Places; Search spreadsheet, Ref# 75000868.
6. "National Register Database and Research - National Register of Historic Places (U.S. National Park Service)". www.nps.gov. Retrieved 2023-04-25.
7. Planas, Antonio (September 10, 2021). "Five zebras roam freely in Maryland town as residents do a double take". NBC News. Retrieved April 17, 2022.
8. Hedgpeth, Dana (September 9, 2021). "Zebras run wild after escape from a Maryland farm". The Washington Post. Retrieved April 17, 2022.
9. Levenson, Michael (September 30, 2021). "A Month Later, Five Zebras Are Still on the Run in Maryland". The New York Times. Retrieved April 17, 2022.
10. Levenson, Michael (October 14, 2021). "Wayward Zebra Found Dead in Illegal Snare Trap in Maryland". The New York Times. Retrieved April 17, 2022.
11. Hedgpeth, Dana; Judkis, Maura; Mettler, Katie (October 14, 2021). "One of the zebras that escaped from a Maryland farm has died, Prince George's County officials say". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved April 17, 2022.
12. Cremen, Alanea (October 15, 2021). "Officials hope to capture loose zebras with new plan involving even more zebras". WUSA9. Retrieved April 17, 2022.
13. Basch, Michelle (October 20, 2021). "Charges filed against owner of escaped zebras in Prince George's County". WTOP-FM. Retrieved April 17, 2022.
14. Cook, Gina (December 16, 2021). "Zebras Captured After Spending Months Roaming Prince George's County". NBC Washington. Retrieved April 17, 2022.
15. Lukpat, Alyssa (December 14, 2021). "Maryland's Wayward Zebras Have Been Captured After Nearly Four Months". The New York Times. Retrieved April 17, 2022.

External links

Media related to Bellefields (Maryland) at Wikimedia Commons

• Bellefields, Prince George's County, Inventory No.: PG:82A-26, including photo in 1974, at Maryland Historical Trust website
• Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS) No. MD-629, "Bellefields, 3800 Duley Station Road, Croom vicinity, Prince George's, MD", 3 photos, supplemental material