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The old family homestead stood on the west end of Warfield's Range, a grant patented on March 26, 1696, to Richard Warfield the founder, progenitor of the Warfields of Maryland, and his son, John. According to one account Richard "rode 30 miles on horse back to plant the first stake upon the beautiful Falls of the Middle Patuxent at Savage Factory running back two miles." The original grant was for 1,080 acres. As the property passed from generation to generation, "bits and pieces eventually were bestowed upon various members of the family." Warfield's Range eventually became the home of Seth Washington Warfield, a 3rd great-grandson of Richard Warfield, the progenitor.
The "Old Warfield Place" was found in 1982 by Celia Holland in complete disarray. The original stone structure was covered with white clapboard and occupied by renters, who had little or no understanding of the historical significance of the place. The burial ground was nearly completely destroyed with broken tombstones in disarray.
Celia Holland sensed that "the end was near, not only for the burial ground but for the old home as well. Indeed, within a year the house disappeared in the wake of 20 th century townhouses. In much the same way many of the old homes of Howard's first families are disappearing, no longer as a consequence of fires and vandalism, but because of ever-increasing population and the demand for compact housing. And so it is that at Warfield's Range, the fine home erected by Amos, the father of Seth Washington Warfield, has been sacrificed. A few years ago it was a cherished landmark; today even the memory of the place recedes."
Excerpts taken from "Old Homes and Families of Howard County, Maryland", by Celia M. Holland, 1987, p 436 and modified by Dr. George A. Scheele. |
