Since I began digging into old homes here in the Ag Reserve, I’ve been fascinated by the Chiswell Family, and in particular, the first Chiswells to arrive in the Medley District – Stephen Newton Chiswell and his wife, Sarah. In almost every talk I’ve given on the history of the Ag Reserve, I talk about the incredible home Stephen built with his son, Joseph. The property, first recorded as “Joseph’s Choice” by Stephen in 1747 and in later deeds as Chiswell’s Inheritance by a devoted son, was constructed over many years and completed in the 1790s.
From records, we know that Stephen arrived in Maryland (after surviving a shipwreck off the coast of Rhode Island) from England in 1735 in indenture to his uncle, Joseph Chiswell, and eloped to this area from Piscataway with his cousin Sarah sometime around 1738. So where exactly were they living with their nine daughters and one other son while Joseph was building his own estate? A while back, a Joseph Chiswell descendant, the current owner of Chiswell’s Inheritance, mentioned to me that Stephen and Sarah had initially lived in an 8-room log home on a land grant known as Chiswell’s Lodge where Kingsbury and Lewis Orchards are now located.
A few years ago, I had the opportunity to meet with Gene Kingsbury to discuss local history. In the discussion, Gene mentioned a very old log home that was on his property until being torn down in the 1970s. In further discussions with Gene and access to records of the log home, I think it’s a very strong possibility that this is in fact the place that Stephen and Sarah built upon arrival to land we today call the Ag Reserve.
Gene mentioned that his great-grandfather, Phillip Horine, lived in the home for most of his life. While the home eventually had running water, it never had an indoor bathroom. Additionally, the basement floor was dirt and the old logs supporting the structure were very visible from inside. Unfortunately, when the Horines attempted to place the home on the historic register, the county required a number of extremely costly repairs. As a result, the difficult decision to tear down the structure for safety purposes was made. It was heartening to learn that many of the logs from the home have been recycled in the building of other structures in the area (cool to think that logs chopped down by Stephen in the 1740s might still be in use!).
One significant mystery related to the records remains. Built in 1851 for area Baptists, to include the Chiswells, the Bethel Baptist Church (no longer standing) was on Stephen’s property and records indicate that the Chiswell Family burial ground may have been with it. This is of significant interest, as it’s long been thought that the Chiswell’s are buried at Chiswell’s Inheritance (which is also a possibility, as Stephen died in 1804, long before the church was constructed). The records of the log home include an interview transcript of Mrs. Lottie Mainhart Lewis (of Lewis’ Orchard) from the 1970s. In the interview, Mrs. Lewis states that she remembered playing in the church as a young child and that she remembers men removing bones from the burial ground at some point (likely for reinternment at another site). As she states, “the men did not sleep well that night.” Unfortunately, there is literally no trace of the church or graves. However, Gene noted that a triangular section of land near his orchard is still referred to as the Bethel lot. Perhaps this is one of the many Ag Reserve secrets yet to be revealed.
