Maryland Historical Trust
Maryland Inventory of
Historic Properties Form
1. Name of Property
Inventory No. PG: 83-003
(indicate preferred name)
Longview
historic
other
2. Location
1511 Bryan Point Road
not for publication
city, town
Accokeek
vicinity
county
Prince George's County
street and number
3. Owner of Property
(give names and mailing addresses of all owners)
name
Penelope Breese, et al
street and number
1511 Bryan Point Road
city, town
Accokeek
telephone
MD
state
zip code
20607-2365
4. Location of Legal Description
courthouse, registry of deeds, etc. Prince George's County Courthouse
Upper Marlboro
city, town
tax map 141
tax parcel
liber
17144 folio 10
10
tax ID number
05 0283390
5. Primary Location of Additional Data
X
Contributing Resource in National Register District
Contributing Resource in Local Historic District
Determined Eligible for the National Register/Maryland Register
Determined Ineligible for the National Register/Maryland Register
Recorded by HABS/HAER
Historic Structure Report or Research Report at MHT
Other: Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission, Prince George's County Planning Department
6. Classification
Category
Ownership Current Function
district
X building(s)
structure
site
object
public
X private
both
Resource Count
agriculture
commerce/trade
defense
X domestic
education
funerary
government
health care
industry
landscape
recreation/culture
religion
social
transportation
work in progress
unknown
vacant/not in use
other:
Contributing
4
1
5
Noncontributing
buildings
sites
structures
objects
0
Total
Number of Contributing Resources
previously listed in the Inventory
2
7. Description
Inventory No. PG: 83-003
Condition
excellent
X good
fair
deteriorated
ruins
altered
Prepare both a one-paragraph summary and a comprehensive description of the resource and its various elements
as it exists today.
The two-and-a-half-story, five-bay Neo-classical-style house known as Longview is accessed by a long,
curving gravel road, which is flanked by heavy woods. Longview has an L-shaped plan due to the
construction of a rear elevation ell. The house, not visible from the road, is sited at the top of a bluff on the
south bank of the Piscataway Creek at the point where it flows into the Potomac River. The house and its
associated outbuildings – two sheds, a garage, and a hay barn – are surrounded by mature vegetation. A
second gravel roads splits from the main driveway. This secondary drive leads to the bottom of the bluff.
Longview is located within the Piscataway Park, which is listed in the National Register of Historic
Places.
DWELLING
Constructed c. 1930, Longview is designed in the fashionable Neo-classical style, a style popular
throughout the nation from 1895 to 1950. The two-and-a-half-story, five-bay wood frame house is clad in
weatherboard siding with corner boards. A side gable roof with a boxed and raked cornice caps the
dwelling. The roof, which is covered with asphalt shingles, has overhanging eaves and returns. This
dwelling features two brick chimneys, each with corbelled caps. An exterior-end chimney is located on the
east side elevation, and an interior-side chimney pierces the roof near the west side elevation.
The façade (south elevation) features symmetrical fenestration. The central façade bay on the first story
houses a single-leaf wood door that serves as the main entrance. A 7-light transom caps the entrance,
which is flanked by 10-light sidelights. Pilasters further frame the entrance. A two-story, front-gabled
porch indicative of the Neo-classical style frames the entrance. The second story of the porch is enclosed
with weatherboard siding and features a Palladian-style window, consisting of a 6/6 window with 8-light
sidelights. Tripled Tuscan posts resting under an ogee-molded frieze support the enclosed second story.
The porch’s front-gabled roof includes a raked cornice and returns. Both the first and second stories have
two 6/6 windows on either side of the central entrance bay. The standard-size symmetrically placed
windows on both stories have square-edged surrounds. The west (side) elevation has two 6/6 windows on
the first story, one 6/6 window on the second story, and a 1-light lunette window in the gable end.
A slightly shorter two-and-a-half-story wing abuts the east (side) elevation of the main block. Like the
main block, the wing is clad in weatherboard siding and features corner boards. The façade (south
elevation) of the wing has a 6/6 window with a square-edged surround on the first story. The first-story
window is located in the bay where an inset porch was formerly located. The inset, screened-in porch was
enclosed sometime after the 1985 on-site survey. The wing displays a front-gabled wall dormer with a
raked cornice and returns. The dormer has a 6/6 window. The east (side) elevation of the wing has a
single-leaf wood door and two 6/6 windows on the first story and two 6/6 windows on the second story.
Maryland Historical Trust
Maryland Inventory of
Historic Properties Form
Inventory No. PG: 83-003
Longview
Continuation Sheet
Number 7 Page 2
The windows are framed with square-edged surrounds. The gable end of the eastern elevation has a 1-light
lunette window. The north (rear) elevation of the wing has a 1/1 vinyl window on the first story and a
front-gabled wall dormer identical to the one found on the wing’s façade.
The north (rear) elevation of the main block has three 6/6 windows bordered with square-edged surrounds
on the second story. Based on its materials and design, the one-story, screened-in porch was constructed c.
1935. The porch obscures the first story of the main block. The porch has square wood posts with inset
panels supporting the flat roof. Two single-leaf screen doors with square-edged wood frames – one
located on the east (side) elevation, one located on the north (rear) elevation – provide access to the porch.
An ell, based on its materials and design was constructed c. 1935, extends north from the north (rear)
elevation of the main block. The ell is flush with the west (side) elevation of the house. The two-story ell
has a front-gabled roof covered with asphalt shingles. The structure is clad with weatherboard siding and
decorative corner boards, consistent with the main block. The east (side) elevation of the ell has no
fenestration. Fenestration on the north (rear) elevation of the ell differs from the rest of the house. The first
story has a full-story tripartite window comprised of 9/9, 12/12, and 9/9 sash. The second story has a
Palladian-style window consisting of 6/6, 12/8, and 6/6 sash with an ogee-molded lintel. The gable end,
which has a raked cornice and returns, features a 1-light lunette window. The west (side) elevation of the
ell has one 6/6 window on both the first and second stories. Consistent with the rest of the dwelling, the
windows have square-edged surrounds. The interior of the house was not accessible at the time of the onsite survey.
GARAGE
A one-story, one-bay garage whose materials and detailing suggest it was constructed c. 1940 is located
southeast of the house along the eastern edge of the gravel driveway. Built of wood-frame construction,
the garage is clad in weatherboard siding matching the house. The side gable roof has overhanging eaves,
a boxed and raked cornice, and returns. Sliding wood doors constructed of vertical boards on the west
elevation of the garage front the driveway, while the north and south (side) elevations each have two 9light windows. The north (side) elevation of the garage also has a single-leaf wood door. The interior of
the garage was not accessible at the time of on-site survey.
Maryland Historical Trust
Maryland Inventory of
Historic Properties Form
Inventory No. PG: 83-003
Longview
Continuation Sheet
Number 7 Page 3
SHED (1)
The form and materials of the one-story, one-bay, shed sited just east of the house, suggest it was
constructed c. 1935. The shed has decorative features similar to the house and the garage. The frontgabled roof has a raked and boxed cornice with returns. Weatherboard siding clads the wood-frame
structure; the shed also has corner boards. A single-bay flat with concave imposts opening provides access
to the shed. The opening is located on the west elevation. The interior of the shed was not accessible at the
time of on-site survey.
SHED (2)
A second shed is located at the end of the property’s second gravel driveway, which wraps around the
bluff where the house is sited. The one-story shed is concrete-block construction covered by a frontgabled roof capped in standing-seam metal. A single-leaf door provides access to the shed, whose
materials suggest it was constructed c. 1940. The interior of the shed was not accessible at the time of onsite survey.
HAY BARN
A one-story, one-bay hay barn of wood-frame construction is located directly west of the garage on the
other side of the gravel driveway. Based on its construction, the hay barn was constructed c. 1940. The
hay barn is a simple structure consisting of wood posts and a front gable roof. A shed-roof section projects
off its west side elevation. The structure is enclosed with chicken wire. The interior of the hay barn was
not accessible at the time of on-site survey.
INTEGRITY
Longview retains a high level of integrity. The essential physical features of this house are its siting and
architectural details. Situated far from Bryan Point Road atop a bluff, the house retains its integrity of
location, setting, feeling, and association. Although the farmland is no longer part of the Longview tract,
the house, which was always physically separated from the farm fields by that property’s topography, is
unchanged. There have been no substantial additions or alterations to the property since 1940. Thus, the
house retains its integrity of design, materials, and workmanship.
Maryland Historical Trust
Maryland Inventory of
Historic Properties Form
Inventory No. PG: 83-003
Longview
Continuation Sheet
Number 7 Page 4
The garage, shed (1), shed (2) and hay barn retain their integrity of design, materials, workmanship,
setting, feeling, location, and association.
Longview and its property retains a high level of integrity.
8. Significance
Period
Areas of Significance
1600-1699
1700-1799
1800-1899
X 1900-1999
2000-
agriculture
archeology
X architecture
art
commerce
communications
community planning
conservation
Specific dates
c. 1930
Construction dates
c. 1930, c. 1935, c. 1940
Inventory No. PG: 83-003
Check and justify below
economics
education
engineering
entertainment/
recreation
ethnic heritage
exploration/
settlement
health/medicine
performing arts
industry
philosophy
invention
politics/government
landscape architecture
religion
law
science
literature
X social history
maritime history
transportation
military
other:
Architect/Builder
Jack Pierce
Evaluation for:
National Register
Maryland Register
not evaluated
Prepare a one-paragraph summary statement of significance addressing applicable criteria, followed by a narrative discussion of the
history of the resource and its context. (For compliance projects, complete evaluation on a DOE Form – see manual.)
STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE
Designed by architect Jack Pierce and constructed c. 1930, Longview is an excellent example of the Neoclassical style, which was a popular style in American domestic architecture from 1895 to 1950.1 The house
embodies distinctive characteristics of the Neo-classical style such as a two-story porch and Palladian-style
windows. These characteristics are common to domestic architecture from the first half of the twentieth century,
although the application of these details to a farmhouse is unusual. The house is set on a bluff above the
Piscataway Creek and Potomac River, which creates a striking setting. The property was purchased in 1925 by
Alice Ferguson, who owned several farms near Mockley Point on the Piscataway Creek, portions of which
became part of the Accokeek Archaeological Site where she worked. Alice Ferguson built Longview but never
lived on the property, electing instead to live at another property she owned in Accokeek. Longview maintains a
high level of integrity, which conveys the significance of the house’s surroundings and architecture.
HISTORIC CONTEXT
Longview is located at 1511 Bryan Point Road in Accokeek, Maryland. Accokeek has historically been a small
community in the southwestern portion of Prince George’s County. Settlement in Accokeek began in the early
years of the eighteenth century and was largely due to the presence of the King George’s Parish “lower” chapel,
as it was known at the time. The chapel was sited between the Piscataway and Mattawoman creeks.2 The
presence of “lower” chapel prompted the construction of a road, which was in use as early as 1739. The road,
located between present-day Bealle Hill Road and Maryland Route 5, ran from the chapel in Accokeek to a
four-road intersection that later became the community of T.B. (named for the Townshend and Brooke
families).3 By 1740, the chapel was in a state of decay, prompting the vestry to purchase three acres of land
upon which to build a brick church. The new chapel, completed in 1748, stood until 1856 when a fire
substantially damaged the structure. The rebuilt church is now called Christ Church (PG: 83-008).4 Christ
Church is still extant and is located at 600 Farmington Road in Accokeek.5
1
Lee and Virginia McAlester, Field Guide to American Houses (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, Inc., 1984), 343.
Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission, Historic Contexts in Prince George’s County, (1991), 67.
3
Historic Contexts in Prince George’s County, 25.
4
Historic Contexts in Prince George’s County, 67.
5
Christ Church, Accokeek, “Christ Episcopal Church,” http://christchurchaccokeek.edow.org (accessed July 2, 2007).
2
Maryland Historical Trust
Maryland Inventory of
Historic Properties Form
Inventory No. PG: 83-003
Longview
Continuation Sheet
Number 8 Page 2
Accokeek was still largely undeveloped when Washingtonians Alice and Henry Ferguson acquired property
there for a summer and weekend retreat in 1922. At the time, Henry Ferguson worked as a geologist for the U.S.
Geological Survey and Alice Ferguson was a trained artist from the Corcoran School of Art.6 The Fergusons
loved the area so much they soon purchased more land.
In 1925, Alice Ferguson purchased the 82 ½-acre Auburn farm tract, earlier known as Piscataway Manor, which
is currently known as Longview. The farmland had been the Underwood homestead in the nineteenth century
and transferred hands three times before Mrs. Ferguson purchased the tract.7 Jack Pierce, a local builder,
designed and built the Neo-classical house at Longview c. 1930.8 The Fergusons never lived in the dwelling,
choosing instead to use another property they owned, Hard Bargain Farm, in Accokeek as their summer and
weekend retreat. Longview was used as a rental until 1943 when it was sold to William and Nora Breese.9 The
property remains in the Breese family and is currently held in a trust for the benefit of the Breese children.10
Beginning in 1930, Alice Ferguson, an amateur archaeologist, began a series of excavations on her properties
along the Potomac River shoreline. Her findings along with later interpretations of her fieldwork performed by
the Smithsonian Institute and the University of Michigan showed Native Americans had occupied the area for
more than 10,000 years. This information led to the designation of the Accokeek Creek Site as a National
Historic Landmark in 1966.11
After World War II (1941-1945), the Fergusons purchased an additional 500-acre tract of land known as Bond’s
Retreat, which they renamed Moyaone Reserve. The Fergusons parceled the land into 5-acre lots and sold these
parcels to individuals who shared their values about environmental conservation. Many who purchased land
built houses and became permanent residents, eventually helping to prevent industrial development on the
Potomac shoreline in the 1960s.12
After Alice Ferguson’s death in 1951, Henry worked to establish a foundation focused environmental education.
The Alice Ferguson Foundation (AFF) was chartered in 1954. Although the organization’s main focus was
education, it also supported conservation efforts to preserve the Potomac River. The AFF donated land to the
U.S. Department of Interior in order to establish the Piscataway Park in 1968. The park had scenic easements to
protect the Mount Vernon viewshed. Some land within the park boundaries remains privately owned, like
Alice Ferguson Foundation, “The Ferguson Era: An Overview,” http://www.fergusonfoundation.org/ferguson_era.html (accessed
July 2, 2007).
7
Gustav A. and Kate H. Smith to Alice L. L. Ferguson, Prince George’s County Land Records, 233:359.
8
Susan G. Pearl, “Longview,” (PG: 83-3) Maryland Historical Trust State Historic Sites Inventory Form (1985), 8:1.
9
Pearl, “Longview,”8:1.
10
Donald K. Graham, trustee for the William F. Breese estate, to Penelope Breese, Peter A. Breese, and Belinda Breese Bull, Prince
George’s County Land Records, 14198:199.
11
Alice Ferguson Foundation, “The Ferguson Era: An Overview,” http://www.fergusonfoundation.org/ferguson_era.html (accessed
July 2, 2007).
12
Alice Ferguson Foundation, “The Ferguson Era: An Overview,” http://www.fergusonfoundation.org/ferguson_era.html (accessed
July 2, 2007).
6
Maryland Historical Trust
Maryland Inventory of
Historic Properties Form
Inventory No. PG: 83-003
Longview
Continuation Sheet
Number 8 Page 3
Longview, and the AFF continues to have an agreement with the National Park Service to use portions of the
park for educational purposes.13
Alice Ferguson Foundation, “The Ferguson Era: An Overview,” http://www.fergusonfoundation.org/ferguson_era.html (accessed
July 2, 2007).
13
9. Major Bibliographical References
Inventory No. PG: 83-003
Alice Ferguson Foundation. “The Ferguson Family: An Overview.” http://www.fergusonfoundation.org/ferguson_era.html.
Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission, Historic Contexts in Prince George’s County, 1991.
McAlester, Lee and Virginia. Field Guide to American Houses. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, Inc., 1984.
Pearl, Susan G. “Longview” (83-003) Maryland Historical Trust State Historic Sites Inventory Form, 1985.
Prince George’s County Land Records.
10. Geographical Data
Acreage of surveyed property
Acreage of historical setting
Quadrangle name
2 acres
82.5 acres
Mount Vernon
Quadrangle scale: 1:24,000
Verbal boundary description and justification
Longview is bounded on the south by Bryan Point Road and to the north by the Piscataway Creek and
Potomac River. The original tract extended 82 ½ acres to the east and west between these boundaries. The
present property has been reduced to two acres, which encompass the house lot on the bluff and the
surrounding wooded areas. Longview is located within Piscataway Park.
11. Form Prepared by
name/title
Elizabeth Breiseth and Paul Weishar, Architectural Historians
organization
EHT Traceries, Incorporated
date
October 2007
street & number
1121 5th Street NW
telephone
202.393.1199
city or town
Washington
state
DC
The Maryland Inventory of Historic Properties was officially created by an Act of the Maryland Legislature
to be found in the Annotated Code of Maryland, Article 41, Section 181 KA,
1974 supplement.
The survey and inventory are being prepared for information and record purposes only
and do not constitute any infringement of individual property rights.
return to:
Maryland Historical Trust
DHCD/DHCP
100 Community Place
Crownsville, MD 21032-2023
410-514-7600
Maryland Historical Trust
Maryland Inventory of
Historic Properties Form
Inventory No. PG: 83-003
Longview
Continuation Sheet
Number 9 Page 1
Chain of Title
Deed JWB 7:534
November 6, 1886
Daniel M. Underwood to Mary E. Underwood ($2,800)
Deed 41:11
May 21, 1907
Mary E. Underwood, widow, to Lewis E. Smoot
Deed 61:456
June 20, 1910
Lewis E. and Mary Smoot to Lewin W. Walker
Deed 152:427
April 3, 1920
Lewin W. Walker to Gustav A. and Kate Smith
Deed 233:359
June 18, 1925
Gustav A. and Kate H. Smith to Alice L. L. Ferguson
Deed 647:318
March 19, 1943
Alice L. L. and Henry G. Ferguson to William F. and Nora M. Breese
Deed 14198:199
November 13, 2000
Donald K. Graham, trustee for the William F. Breese estate (#57445)
to Penelope Breese, Peter A. Breese, and Belinda Breese Bull
Maryland Historical Trust
Maryland Inventory of
Historic Properties Form
Longview
Continuation Sheet
Number 9 Page 2
Photo: Longview, view of the southeast corner, looking west.
Inventory No. PG: 83-003
Maryland Historical Trust
Maryland Inventory of
Historic Properties Form
Longview
Continuation Sheet
Number 9 Page 3
Photo: Longview, view of the façade (south elevation), looking northwest.
Inventory No. PG: 83-003
Maryland Historical Trust
Maryland Inventory of
Historic Properties Form
Longview
Continuation Sheet
Number 9 Page 4
Photo: Garage, view of the north elevation, looking south.
Inventory No. PG: 83-003
Maryland Historical Trust
Maryland Inventory of
Historic Properties Form
Longview
Continuation Sheet
Number 9 Page 5
Photo: Shed (1), view of the west elevation, looking east.
Inventory No. PG: 83-003
Maryland Historical Trust
Maryland Inventory of
Historic Properties Form
Longview
Continuation Sheet
Number 9 Page 6
Photo: Hay barn, view of the east elevation, looking south.
Inventory No. PG: 83-003
Maryland Historical Trust
Maryland Inventory of
Historic Properties Form
Longview
Continuation Sheet
Number 9 Page 7
Photo: Shed (2), view of the west elevation, looking east.
Inventory No. PG: 83-003