Marshall Hall, State Route 227 at Potomac River, Bryans Road, Charles County, MD

Significance: Marshall Hall was built ca. 1725 by Thomas Marshall on property that had, in part, been acquired by his grandfather in 1650. The western portion of the house constituted the original part, and was the largest dwelling in southern Maryland to be documented as dating prior to 1740. Marshall added the eastern section ca. 1760, presumably to house a kitchen and servant's rooms. Dating from this same general period is a one story brick office building, approximately 30 feet to the southwest of the house. Until is demolition in the 1960's, there was also on the property a large brick stable and carriage house that dated from the mid-18th century. The estate was owned by the Marshall family until 1866. By the turn of the present century, the former plantation had been converted into an amusement park, and soon became a popular excursion spot for Washingtonians, who combined visits to Marshall Hall via steamboat with Mount Vernon on the opposite shore of the Potomac. During the early 20th century, a number of structures were built surrounding the house to accommodate the amusement park. In 1966 the interiors of the mansion were converted to office uses, though the plan was left unaltered. In 1974 the property was acquired by the U.S. Department of the Interior as part of the Piscataway National Park, to preserve the view from Mount Vernon in as natural a state as possible. In October 1981, the mansion and a nearby structure dating from the amusement park era were totally destroyed by fire. The brick walls remaining from the fire will be stabilized, and archeological excavations may be undertaken in the future. The office will be maintained, and may eventually be used by the National Park Service to display exhibits interpreting the site.
Unprocessed Field note material exists for this structure: N1064
Survey number: HABS MD-891