Sometime during the night of March 14-15, 2014 the chimney
wall of the historic Catholic colonial Chapel at Compton Bassett in Upper
Marlboro collapsed. I have not been able
to get there in person to assess the damage.
The owner of the property has been repeatedly informed by its own staff
that the tarpaulin thrown over to stop a roof leak was not a long term fix; and that, further, the tarp itself would eventually contribute to the destruction of the
building. This collapse in all probability was preventable.
The ubiquitous friend of those in a hurry, Wikipedia, states
that:
"Compton Bassett is a historic
home in Upper Marlboro, Prince George's County, Maryland, United States, that
was constructed ca. 1783. It is a two-story brick Georgian house, covered with
cream-colored stucco, on a high basement of gray stucco. A two-story wing was
added in 1928. Remaining outbuildings include a chapel to the southeast, a
meathouse to the southwest, and a dairy to the northwest. Also on the property
is a family burial ground.
The Hill family and descendents
lived at this site from 1699 to 1900. Hills Bridge (700 meters to the
southeast) has carried traffic over the Patuxent River here since a toll bridge
was first constructed in 1852 by W.B. Hill. [3] Compton Bassett was listed on
the National Register of Historic Places in 1983. In July 2010 the house and
grounds were acquired by the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning
 |
| Historic American Buildings Survey Delos H. Smith, Photographer 1 936 View from Northeast - Compton Bassett Chapel, Marlboro Pike (State Route 408), Upper Marlboro, Prince George's County, MD |
1 comment:
what a shame.
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