New Market historic designation marks first in agricultural preservation

May 24—Nestled within nearly 1,200 acres of land near New Market is a glimpse into Frederick County's agrarian past, as well as a road map for agricultural preservation in the county.

The recently minted Peace and Plenty Rural Historic District that encompasses the land is the first of its kind in Maryland, due to its rural nature, according to Frederick County Division of Planning and Permitting preservation planner Amanda Whitmore.

The designation is based on traits such as character and value of the land, connection to people "who influenced society," heritage and visual features.

"This is a unique district that does not exist in the state of Maryland, so we are kind of the guinea pigs of how this will all work and operate in a rural district," Whitmore said in April at a hearing in front of the County Council. "Most historic districts are urban, so we had to figure out how to make this work."

The district includes a set of eight historic farmhouses, some of which date back to the 18th century; eight bank barns; one dairy barn; a lime plant; and various out buildings on 11 total parcels.

Boundaries of the district include portions of Green Valley Road, Detrick Road, Old Annapolis Road and Old National Pike.

A report from the county's Division of Planning and Permitting details that the farmers who first established homesteads in the area were English and came from the tidewater area of the Mid-Atlantic region.

What followed was the development of an agricultural community of rural elites, according to the report.

Tobacco first served as the community's primary crop. Wheat, rye, corn and livestock held a supplementary role.

After tobacco crops became less popular in the 19th century, grain cultivation became the primary economic driver — but it also fell out of favor in the early 20th century.

The report adds that a large source of the labor to work the intensive tobacco crops came from enslaved people. Four of the land-owning families in the district together enslaved over 100 people, representative of New Market's rise as a large slave-holding area.

Though no above-ground structures related to slavery remain, the report noted there could be evidence beneath the earth. Slavery's contribution to the region and state's economic output is further outlined in the report.

"This district is associated with another group of persons, the enslaved, whose labor produced the commodities on many of the farms which in turn provided the economic foundation for not just New Market, but the County and even the State," the report states.

As for the structures still standing, the farmhouses that sprung up around the community were representative of the land on which they were built.

A majority are two-and-a-half stories tall and constructed with native materials of stone, wood, and clay for red bricks, according to the report.

One of those houses is Still Work, a one-and-a-half-story stone structure built around 1758, with English and German influences.

On Friday, the house and its owner, Jim Jamieson, hosted the owners of neighboring properties that make up the district, along with County Executive Jessica Fitzwater, Whitmore and staff members from the nonprofit Preservation Maryland.

There, Fitzwater presented the Peace and Plenty property owners with plaques recognizing the district's designation that the County Council unanimously approved in April.

In an interview after the presentation, Fitzwater outlined the significance of the designation and her administration's path forward in fortifying additional places with historic designations and preserving the county's agricultural lands.

"The transition team recommended that we even increase our goals for how much farmland we will preserve, even beyond what [the] Livable Frederick Master Plan recommends," Fitzwater said. "So, we're gonna keep looking at new and more opportunities to keep going down this path."

Nicholas Redding, president and CEO of Preservation Maryland, which supported the district's designation, said Peace and Plenty could be a model for incorporating other communities into historic districts.

"I think having the strong supportive communities and critical components of it, and blending ag preservation with historic preservation, not only is worthwhile, but it's critical," Redding said.

He added that the engagement of the agricultural community will be critical for future work.

Jamieson, meanwhile, described the designation as a way to introduce more people, both inside and outside the county, to the historic groundings of agriculture in Frederick County and its remaining prominence.

"For the county, it dignifies the importance and the role of agriculture in Frederick County," Jamieson said. "And our hope is that it will be a point of education for people who don't live in farm country ... and don't have the faintest idea what goes on as you drive onto a farmstead."

Of the Peace and Plenty district's land that is actively farmed, Jamieson noted the difficulty for farmers in adapting and modernizing their farms.

He said the community's ongoing history of collaboration carries farmers forward despite these struggles, which is represented by their push for a historic designation.

"In farming, you really can't go your own way," Jamieson said. "There's too many things where you need help. And so from day one, these farmers have lent their time and energy to others when needed, so that together, they can prosper as an entire community. So, it's that spirit I thought that led to this effort."