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About

HISTORY TELLS ALL

Swansbury is an historic home and complex located at AberdeenHarford CountyMarylandUnited States. The buildings are clustered together near the center of the almost 90 acre forested property. The complex consists of a five-bay, two-story, multi-part, frame residence and several period frame dependencies. The oldest part of the house dates to about 1760, with major Federal style additions made in the late 18th or very early 19th century. Also on the property are an array of eleven frame outbuildings (barns, wash house, poultry houses, meat house, etc.) which seem to date from the early 19th century. The grounds are dotted with ancient exotic specimen trees and shrubs.

Swansbury was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1994

ABOUT US

OUR MISSION

A preservation, education, and recreation organization dedicated to protecting Swansbury, making its history relevant, and sharing its benefits with Maryland and beyond.

OUR VISION

Educating future generations about Swansbury's impact on Maryland and our heritage.

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FROM OUR FOUNDER

Nothing is static. There is always change. Even though Swansbury, my family farm, is roughly 275 years old and has been in my family since its founding, it is time to change. Time to share my family's gem with everyone else. Over the years Swansbury, of course, has seen many personal changes. I am part of the family's eighth generation to have grown up on the farm. 

Built before the Revolutionary War, the farm was a "stop over" for many dignitaries as evidence by the original pieces of furniture at Swansbury that were necessary to entertain such visionaries. The War of 1812 left a British cannonball as a family souvenir for its participation. The list of changes and challenges parallel the history of The United States of America.

The farm's original footprint was much larger than it is now, reaching out to Rt. 7, one of the country's colonial main thoroughfares, and towards present day Aberdeen. To take advantage of seeing who was travelling the main road, a unique architectural feature, the enclosed windowed room over the front porch, was added. Most people familiar with a "widow's walk/watch" know it was a topmost perch added to homes along water ways so that people could observe the comings and going of ships. The windowed observatory at Swansbury is the land version of the "widow's walk/watch."

There are so many stories to share. So many lifestyles of change. So many family personalities that influenced local and national lives. And we are at the beginning of sharing Swansbury with the rest of the world.

| Martha Barchowsky, 8th Generation Swansbury Farm Family Member |

Contact

Get in Touch

We are not currently open to the public but would love to hear from you!

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Mailing Address:

111B Beardshill Road, Aberdeen, MD 21001

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