The idea began casually enough three years ago at the annual St. Mary's County Fair. Lorraine Greenleaf, who was there representing St. Mary's Animal Welfare League Inc., recalls the chance conversation she had with the people from the Patuxent Tidewater Land Trust.
Greenleaf had noticed that the old Summerseat plantation, a historic, 127-acre estate in Oakville, had a "For Sale" sign on it. Wouldn't it be wonderful if a cluster of organizations like theirs bought it and dedicated it to multiple purposes? she mused aloud at the time.
"Then, I tried to get my organization to do this," she says. "Some people thought I was crazy."
That was then. Today, the conversion of the old estate into the Summerseat Sanctuary and Farm is near completion, and tomorrow, it can be officially glimpsed by the public for the first time. A day full of activities begins at 8 a.m. with a fun run and walk and includes tours and other activities.
Resting atop a knoll with a majestic vista, Summerseat, whose history dates back to the mid-18th century, today is home to a consortium of conservation and service groups known as Summerseat Sanctuary Inc. Its aim is to make the old estate a demonstration and education center for people of all ages.
Keeping all the parties with a stake in the project together hasn't always been easy, says former Summerseat president Elizabeth Weaver, but always, their common admiration for the site and its possibilities kept them going.
"What's given our organization its cohesion is the land, the beautiful surroundings, the desire to share with others [its] almost spiritual sense," she says. "It's about the value of caring for our land and, through that, caring for each other."
It took Summerseat's intrepid dreamers several years of creative fund-raising to raise the purchase price of $700,000. But with proceeds from cafe socials and an antiques auction, as well as a $250,000 loan from the Maryland Environmental Trust and a $200,000 bond issued by the state, the purchase was completed last September.
Historical site
Summerseat has both subtle and obvious attractions. For one thing, the place is steeped in history.
The current two-story mansion on the grounds was built in the Queen Anne's style in 1910. It succeeded several other main buildings on the site; the earliest dated back to 1773.
Over the centuries, Summerseat's mansions have been the abodes of prominent Marylanders, notably members of the Dorsey and Costigan families. Evidence of this lineage can still be found in a small cemetery on the property. Among those buried there are veterans who fought for the South during the Civil War. The earliest visible stone commemorates a member of the Costigan clan who died in 1805.
Intimate Glimpses of Old St. Mary's, a book about the area by local historian George Morgan Knight Jr., mentions a freshwater spring on the grounds that once was a rest stop for travelers. Knight also notes "two tall oak trees in front of Summerseat Plantation within sight of the macadamized Three Notch State Road." Those oaks still preside among the cedars and other trees found atop the knoll.
Then there's Summerseat's notorious ghost-in-residence, a headless phantom who, legend has it, stalks at midnight, prowling to and fro by the garden gate at the main house. According to Summerseat lore recounted by Knight, many believe it to be the ghost of a British soldier from the Revolutionary War. "He was thought to have been on his way to see his lover," the story on Summerseat's Web site goes, "when he was surprised by an American soldier who shot him through the head."
During the days, there are other exotic creatures roaming the grounds, reflecting Summerseat's history as a working farm. Llamas, donkeys, blackbelly Barbados sheep, Italian sheep dogs and bison are among the animals gracing the pastures that flank the mansion.
And then there are Summerseat's gardens. Tended by members of a local garden club, the plantings range from a grape arbor to flourishing herbs to an expanse of ornamental grasses that whisper in the breeze.
Big plans
But even its most ardent admirers admit that much of Summerseat's charm lies in its potential.
Jean Campbell, the organization's current president, says one of its primary aims is expanding Summerseat as an educational center. Her board is in negotiations to forge ties with area schools and offer programs that would give young people access to its historical and agricultural resources.
Meanwhile, groups working with the disabled and elderly have been invited to help tend the estate's gardens. Plans are underway for animal shelters, bike paths, horse trails and wetlands reclamation. Several of the farm's 15 outbuildings are also undergoing restoration or transformation.
For the present, though, there is tomorrow's open house, and a chance to see the fruits of Lorraine Greenleaf's musings at that county fair three years ago.
Tours of Summerseat can be arranged by appointment by calling 301-373-6607, or online at www.summerseat.org. The mailing address is P.O. Box 345, Mechanicsville, MD 20659.
Event
What: Open house at Summerseat Sanctuary and Farm
Where: Southbound side of Route 235, just north of the intersection of Route 247 in Oakville, St. Mary's County. Look for Summerseat signs.
When: Benefit 5K fun run and walk (dogs welcome) begins at 8 a.m. (same-day registration opens at 6:30); garden tours, dog obedience demonstrations and other activities through the day.
Admission: Fun run is $25 for individuals, $40 for families. Other activities are free.
Call: 301-373-6607 (or go online to www.summerseat.org)