The Property
The Smith property, a 300-acre tract of land in the middle of Columbia on the east side of Route 29, was bought in 1998 by Howard County and the State of Maryland for use as a regional park. It was purchased from the heirs of the late Elizabeth C. Smith and has gone virtually unnoticed for decades in the midst of the rapidly growing community around it.
History
Elizabeth C. Smith, who was known as “Nancy,” was generally considered an eccentric recluse who never reconciled herself to the development of Columbia. The story is told of Smith refusing to cash a check from Jim Rouse and one she received for the purchase of land eventually condemned by the state to build Route 175 through the middle of her property.
In the 1970’s The Columbia Association, the nonprofit organization that manages Columbia’s assets, sought to include the farm in the open space of the city, but nothing came of the efforts.
Over the years other people and organizations sought to interest the childless Smith in leaving her farm to a preservation or environmental trust or to make a disposition that would have preserved the natural assets and buildings on the property she so fiercely protected. When she died in February 15, 1997, no will was discovered, and distant relations inherited the property. They sold it for $11 million, $7 million of the funds provided by the state and $4 million provided by the county.
Buildings
Buildings on the land include a mid-19th century manor house, two smaller tenant houses, a small slave quarter and two barns. According to an article by Thomas Reinhard of the Maryland Historical Trust in the June 2004 issue of Heritage Matters. The main house was built by the descendants of Theodorick Bland, a state judge who owned the property in 1845-1846, “just long enough to give it the name Blandair.”
While undistinguished architecturally, the manor house and outbuildings have attracted the attention of preservationists who see the Smith farm as an opportunity to provide a window into the past. Some are particularly interested in the slave quarter, which has been called “an almost pristine example” by Reinhard.
Natural Assets
The natural assets of the property include forest and the pastures, wetlands, two farm ponds, diverse flora and fauna. Portions of the site act as a wildlife movement corridor. In season, the property boasts as sea of wildflowers and Spring flowering trees or is aglow with autumn coloration. A consultant hired by the Howard County Department of Parks and Recreation found 68 specimen trees of 30-inches in diameter or larger on the property.
The wide variety of trees include:Bird cherry
Black cherry
Red maple
Silver maple
Ornamental apple
Pear
Sassafras
Green ash
Ginko
Autumn Olive
Ailanthus
Slippery elm
Black locust
Arrowwood viburnum
Mulberry
Pin oak and white oak
American sycamore
Flowering dogwood
Loblolly pine
Black walnut
Chinese chestnut
Location
The Smith farm is located on the east side of Route 29 and abuts the Columbia villages of Oakland Mills and Long Reach and the community of Glenmont. The property is divided by Route 175, and is virtually surrounded by residential neighborhoods.
There are 200 acres of the Smith farm on the north side, which is adjacent to the Columbia neighborhood of Thunder Hill in Oakland Mills, the neighborhoods of Locust Park and Phelps Luck in Long Reach, and the Glenmont community.
The 100 acres on the south side are adjacent to Jeffers Hill neighborhood in Long Reach and the Stevens Forest and Talbot Springs neighborhoods in Oakland Mills. Both Jeffers Hill Elementary and Talbot Springs Elementary are within walking distance of the property.Adjacent to the Smith property on Killmanjaro Road is Oakland Mills High School. Oakland Mills Middle School is within a brief walking distance, and the Oakland Mills Village Center is nearby.
For a map of the site, click here.