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Nestled on a gentle bluff on Barstow Road in Calvert County – and nearly a stone’s throw from the Patuxent River – sits an exquisite example of 17th Century architecture. Now more than 300 years old, Cedar Hill Plantation was originally known as “Miles End” and was obtained from Lord Baltimore by John Bigger, a horse trader and appraiser who once owned numerous properties scattered throughout Southern Maryland. Bigger and his wife Ann Stoakley, the namesake for Stoakley Road, eventually left the estate to their son who augmented an additional 700 acres to the property’s original 350 acres, creating what became known as the “Bigger Plantation” in the 1700s. The property was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1973 and was noted as being “one of the few remaining cruciform dwelling houses existing in Maryland.” A visit to the property today reveals an aged beauty that has been carefully restored and preserved to its former grandeur. Now privately owned, Cedar Hill Plantation has a new mission as a bed and breakfast, meeting hall and intimate gathering place for corporate retreats, receptions and weddings. Cedar Hill’s unique, Colonial ambiance and historical relevance make it an attractive location for a wide range of events and activities. The property has a number of working fireplaces, a wine cellar, gazebos, a rose garden and 75 acres of tranquil countryside – the perfect setting for formal, casual and even educational events. But perhaps the most impressive feature of the property is the abundance of historical artifacts that decorate the hallways, parlors and bedrooms. Cedar Hill is a living museum with a stunning collection of antiques, paintings and other memorabilia from the earliest days of Maryland’s founding. The parlor contains a studio portrait of Henrietta Maria for whom Maryland is named, the Hall is decorated with a plantation deed that bears the signature and seal of Lord Baltimore and there is also an impressive collection of early American maps. |