In 1874, Dr. Nathan White (of the prominent White Family in this part of the Ag Reserve) purchased six acres of land from the Allnutt Family in Dawsonville. It was here that Dr. White built his large Gothic Revival home, likely completed in 1875. For many years, Dr. White served as the local Dawsonville doctor and appears to have also attended to patients further down county in Rockville. One of those patients was a well-known and powerful judge, the honorable William Bouic. Judge Bouic’s daughter Ella married Dr. White in 1882. Newspapers from the time depict an interesting circumstance around Dr. White and Ella’s wedding. Apparently, the couple had an elaborate ceremony planned, but Judge Bouic requested they speed up their timeline and get married in his home due to his poor health (perhaps the larger ceremony still happened later!).
The couple moved into Dr. White’s home after their marriage, but their new life together was sadly short lived. Dr. White died in 1885 of heart disease at only 45 years of age.
Following Dr. White’s death, it appears that Ella moved back to the Rockville area and the home was sold to another doctor – Dr. Charles Waters, who also served as the local physician in Dawsonville. Additionally, Dr. Waters established the Fairview Seminary for girls in the home before moving to Gaithersburg in 1895 and continuing to expand the school there.
Through the rest of the 1800s and first half of the 1900s, the home passed through the hands of multiple local families, to include the Allnutts and Byrds. Today, the home remains in beautiful condition and is always one of my favorites to pass when in the Dawsonville area.
(Photo Credits: https://www.redfin.com/MD/Boyds/16611-Sugarland-Rd-20841/home/10499474; https://mht.maryland.gov/secure/medusa/PDF/Montgomery/M;%2018-23.pdf)
