Bellefields is a manor house located in

Croom Croom () is a village in County Limerick, Ireland. It is located just off the N20 (which has bypassed the town since 2001) on the River Maigue. It is 8 km southeast of Adare on the N20. History Cromadh (now Croom) was a village in th ...

Prince George's County, Maryland ) , demonym = Prince Georgian , ZIP codes = 20607–20774 , area codes = 240, 301 , founded date = April 23 , founded year = 1696 , named for = Prince George of Denmark , leader_title = Executive , leader_name = Angela D. Alsobroo ...

. It was constructed about 1720. It is a brick structure in

Flemish bond Brickwork is masonry produced by a bricklayer, using bricks and Mortar (masonry), mortar. Typically, rows of bricks called ''Course (architecture), courses'' are laid on top of one another to build up a structure such as a brick wall. Bricks ...

with random glazed headers, and two stories over a high basement. The structure is rectangular, with gabled roof sections, paired interior end chimneys, a front center entrance, wide raised belt course above the first floor, flat arched openings, and flanking symmetrical single-story wings. It is in the

Georgian Georgian may refer to: Common meanings * Anything related to, or originating from Georgia (country) ** Georgians, an indigenous Caucasian ethnic group ** Georgian language, a Kartvelian language spoken by Georgians **Georgian scripts, three scrip ...

style. It was the home of Patrick Sim, Scottish immigrant and of his son, Col. Joseph Sim, Maryland patriot.

History

Later, sometime after 1849,

William Duckett Bowie William Duckett Bowie (7 October 1803 – 18 July 1873), was an American politician. The eldest child of William Bowie and Kitty Beanes Duckett, he was born at Fairview Plantation in Prince George's County, Maryland. Career and Wealth His ma ...

lived there with his second wife. It was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

in 1974. It was removed from the National Register of Historic Places on May 12, 1986. On August 31, 2021, three of the farm's 39

zebras Zebras (, ) (subgenus ''Hippotigris'') are African equines with distinctive black-and-white striped coats. There are three living species: the Grévy's zebra (''Equus grevyi''), plains zebra (''E. quagga''), and the mountain zebra (''E. zeb ...

escaped from the farm and began wandering around the woods of Upper Marlboro. In September, one of the zebras died in an illegal

snare trap Animal trapping, or simply trapping or gin, is the use of a device to remotely catch an animal. Animals may be trapped for a variety of purposes, including food, the fur trade, hunting, pest control, and wildlife management. History Neolithic ...

. In October, the

Maryland Department of the Environment The Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE) is a government agency in the state of Maryland that implements and enforces environmental protection laws and programs. The agency's stated vision is "Healthy, vibrant and sustainable communities a ...

and the Prince George's County Animal Services announced a plan to use two zebras from the herd at Bellefields to lure and corral the zebras back to the farm. Three animal cruelty charges were filed against the farm's owner on October 20. On December 15, the two remaining zebras were captured and returned to the farm.

Notable people

* William Williams (c. 1793–1814), born Frederick Hall on the Bellefields Plantation and as an escaped slave enlisted in 38th U.S. Infantry Regiment, U.S. Army dying from his wounds after the British bombardment of

Fort McHenry Fort McHenry is a historical American coastal pentagonal bastion fort on Locust Point, now a neighborhood of Baltimore, Maryland. It is best known for its role in the War of 1812, when it successfully defended Baltimore Harbor from an attack b ...

in the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States of America and its indigenous allies against the United Kingdom and its allies in British North America, with limited participation by Spain in Florida. It bega ...

References

External links

*, including photo in 1974, at Maryland Historical Trust website * Houses completed in 1720 Historic American Buildings Survey in Maryland Houses in Prince George's County, Maryland Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Maryland Georgian architecture in Maryland Scottish-American culture in Maryland Bowie family National Register of Historic Places in Prince George's County, Maryland 1720 establishments in the Thirteen Colonies {{PrinceGeorgesCountyMD-NRHP-stub