Tucked deep into the corner of the Ag Reserve along the Potomac River and adjacent to the intersection of the Cabin and Cisel branches is the Thomas Chiswell home. The land upon which the home would later be built was leased to Thomas Gatton, a planter, in 1736. At some point shortly after the lease was signed, Gatton built a small dwelling house on the property – quite possibly the log structure that stood connected to the later built Chiswell home until being removed in the 1960s. In 1789, facing rising post-war inflation and worsening tobacco crop yields, the Gatton’s sold their leasehold to the Pierce Family, who relatively quickly sold to the Fletchall’s – a prosperous farming family who also owned the adjacent Mt. Nebo property.
As a result of intermarriage between the Fletchall and Chiswell families, the property came into the hands of Thomas Fletchall Chiswell in the 1820s. As luck would have it, and given the excellent position of the property along the Potomac River, the construction of the C&O canal (which went through the Chiswell property), greatly improved commerce opportunities and provided much wealth to Thomas. With this wealth, Thomas was able to build and improve upon his home, connected to the earlier built log structure. Historic records note the fine craftsmanship observed throughout the home, unique given it’s relatively small size and age.
Thomas died in 1851, but his wife Mary and their children remained at the property in 1871. The land upon which the home sits saw much activity throughout the Civil War – not surprising given the commanding position on the Potomac. Although the Chiswell’s were well-known southern sympathizers with many enslaved persons on their property, it is believed that Mary fed Union troops encamped on her property (we know Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes spent time on the property). Depressions in the earth, still visible today, mark the spots where these troops laid in defense of northern soil.
The property passed through multiple owners in the last quarter of the 19th century and the first quarter of the 20th century until being purchased by the Cochran Family, who owned the property until the 1980s. The Cochran’s conducted an extensive renovation of the home in the 1960s, and while it’s unfortunate that the original log structure portion of the home was torn down at this point, an extensive cataloging of the home was completed at this time – providing us an incredibly well-done document from which we can better understand the intricate details of the structures on the property.
Today the property is home to the Poplar Springs Animal Sanctuary.
