Maryland Historical Trust



Maryland Historical Trust Inventory No. PG: 81A-006

Maryland Inventory of

Historic Properties Form

1. Name of Property (indicate preferred name)

historic Joseph Stephenson House

other      

2. Location

street and number 7411 Clinton Vista Lane    not for publication

city, town Clinton    vicinity

county Prince George's County

3. Owner of Property (give names and mailing addresses of all owners)

name Nathan and Kristin Whiting

street and number 7411 Clinton Vista Lane telephone      

city, town Clinton state MD zip code 20735-2715

4. Location of Legal Description

courthouse, registry of deeds, etc. Prince George's County Courthouse liber 17302 folio 194

city, town Upper Marlboro tax map 116 tax parcel 165 tax ID number 09 0861674

5. Primary Location of Additional Data

   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

X Other: Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission, Prince George's County Planning Department

6. Classification

Category Ownership Current Function Resource Count

   district    public    agriculture    landscape Contributing Noncontributing

X building(s) X private    commerce/trade    recreation/culture 1      buildings

   structure    both    defense    religion           sites

   site X domestic    social           structures

   object    education    transportation           objects

   funerary    work in progress 1 0 Total

   government    unknown

   health care    vacant/not in use Number of Contributing Resources

   industry    other: previously listed in the Inventory

1

7. Description Inventory No. PG: 81A-006

Condition

   excellent    deteriorated

X good    ruins

   fair    altered

Prepare both a one-paragraph summary and a comprehensive description of the resource and its various elements as it exists today.

The Joseph Stevenson House, constructed c. 1877, is located at 7411 Clinton Vista Lane where Tall Cedar Lane dead ends. The house is situated on the highest point of the large grassy lot, which slopes down toward Clinton Vista Lane. Located at the southwest corner of Clinton Vista Lane and Spring Acres Road, the lot has a screen of mature vegetation at the northwest corner. Mature trees and shrubs are found throughout the property. A modern prefabricated gambrel-roofed shed (not surveyed) is located in the western portion of the yard at the end of a gravel driveway. Two modern outbuildings mentioned in the 1985 are no longer extant.

Dwelling

Constructed c. 1877, this vernacular house has a rectangular, front-gabled form with a two-story side addition. Set on a stretcher-bond brick foundation, the two-and-a-half-story house is constructed of wood framing and features little applied ornamentation. Three bays in width, the dwelling was reclad with aluminum siding prior to a survey conducted in 1985. A front-gabled roof caps the main block. The roof is covered with standing-seam metal and has a raked and boxed cornice with returns. An interior-center chimney of brick construction pierces the roof. The main block is fronted by a one-story, three-bay porch with a half-hipped roof. The porch has chamfered wood posts and decorative scrolled brackets.

The off-centered main entrance on the façade (north elevation) is a single-leaf wood door with a Colonial Revival-style surround. The surround consists of pilasters topped by an entablature. The house no longer has the original 2/2 windows that were present in 1985. Two 4/4 vinyl-sash replacement windows are located west of the main entrance on the first story of the façade (north elevation). The second story features a 4/4 vinyl-sash replacement window and a smaller-sized multi-paned decorative window set within a standard-size window frame. The gable end of the façade features a 4/4 window. All windows on the façade retain their original square-edged surrounds. The second story of the main block’s west elevation has three 4/4 vinyl-sash replacement windows; the central window is smaller than the two surrounding windows. A one-story addition on the west elevation of the main block obscures the elevation’s original first story fenestration. The south rear elevation has a single-leaf entrance and a 4/4 vinyl-sash replacement window on the first-story. The second story of the rear elevation has two 4/4 vinyl-sash replacement windows, while the gable end features a 4/4 window. All the windows on the rear elevation retain their original square-edged surround.

The two-story shed-roofed addition constructed on the east (side) elevation of the main block dates to c. 1890 as evidenced by its form. The addition is built of wood framing and has been re-clad, like the main block, in aluminum siding. The roof is covered by standing-seam metal and has overhanging eaves. Fenestration on the addition, like the main block, consists of 4/4 vinyl-sash windows that have replaced the original 2/2 windows. The first and second stories of the addition’s façade (north elevation) each have one 4/4 vinyl-sash window with a square-edged surround. The south (rear) elevation of the addition has fenestration identical to that of the façade. The east (side) elevation has a single-leaf wood door on its first story. The first story also has two 4/4 vinyl-sash windows. The second story of the east elevation has two 4/4 vinyl-sash windows. Like the façade, the windows on the east elevation retain their original square-edged surrounds.

A second addition is located on the west side elevation of the main block. The one-story addition was constructed c. 1950 as evidenced by its design and materials. Covered by a half-hipped roof with asphalt shingles, the addition is wood-frame construction clad in aluminum siding. Two metal pipes pierce the roof, which features overhanging eaves. The façade (north) and rear elevations each have a single 4/4 vinyl-sash window. A single-leaf door, located on the west side elevation of the addition, leads to a wood deck that extends the length of the addition. The door is set within an inset porch. The west elevation also features two 4-light vinyl casement windows. The interior of the house was not accessible at the time of the on-site survey.

Integrity

The Joseph Stephenson House retains a moderate level of integrity. The house, constructed c. 1877, retains its integrity of design and workmanship. The replacement of original materials with synthetic siding prior to the 1985 survey has compromised the integrity of materials on this vernacular house. The reduction in the property’s lot size, and the loss of the 2/2 windows since 1985, has compromised its integrity of location and setting as it is currently surrounded by residential development. A former working farm, the property has lost its integrity of association. The house retains a sufficient level of integrity to convey its significance as a good example of a common building type found throughout the county.

8. Significance Inventory No. PG: 81A-006

Period Areas of Significance Check and justify below

   1600-1699    agriculture    economics    health/medicine    performing arts

   1700-1799    archeology    education    industry    philosophy

X 1800-1899 X architecture    engineering    invention    politics/government

   1900-1999    art    entertainment/    landscape architecture    religion

   2000-    commerce recreation    law    science

   communications    ethnic heritage    literature    social history

   community planning    exploration/    maritime history    transportation

   conservation settlement    military    other:      

Specific dates c. 1877 Architect/Builder Unknown

Construction dates c. 1877, c. 1890, c. 1950

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

The Joseph Stephenson House at 7411 Clinton Vista Lane is a vernacular front-gabled house with a rectangular form. The dwelling was built c. 1877. The house has applied ornamentation on the porch. It is a good example of a common building type constructed throughout Prince George’s County in the last quarter of the nineteenth century. Surrounded by early- to mid-twentieth century development, the dwelling has lost its integrity of association as an agricultural site. Despite replacement materials, the house has a sufficient level of integrity to convey its significance as a good example of a common building type.

Historic Context

The Joseph Stephenson House is located in Clinton, Maryland, a community in the southern portion of Prince George’s County. Changes to the county’s economy that occurred from the end of the Civil War (1861-1865) to the turn of the twentieth century are still visible in the county’s landscape. During this period, agriculture, while remaining the dominant form of livelihood, transitioned from large plantations to small farms. Freed African Americans operated a large number of these small farms, but during the Reconstruction period, both white and black newcomers to the county purchased the majority of small farms.[1] Constructed on a 157-acre tract, the Joseph Stephenson house and farm illustrates the transition to smaller farms that occurred throughout the county. Stephenson, a white newcomer to the county purchased a small farm in the early-1870s.

At the time of the 1880 census, 41-year-old Joseph Stephenson, a farmer by trade, owned and worked the 157-acre farm on what is now Clinton Vista Lane. Stephenson and his family resided on the farm.[2] Stephenson, a native of New York State, lived on the farm with his wife Annie, and their four children – Charles, Joseph, William, and Sarah – ages 13, 12, 9, and 7 – respectively.[3] Based on the dwelling’s form and materials, and that the dwelling first appears on the 1878 Hopkins Map, the farmhouse was constructed c. 1877.

In 1888, Stephenson’s farm was auctioned off due to a non-payment of taxes. Amos Wellen, who owned 114 acres adjacent to Stephenson’s farm, acquired the 157-acre tract for $200.[4] Wellen, a Civil War (1861-1865) veteran, was a grocer in Baltimore City prior to acquiring land in Prince George’s County.[5] At the time of the 1880 census, Amos Wellen, age 36, lived in Baltimore with his wife Sophia and three children – Lilly, Alfred, and Amos – aged 9, 4, and 2 respectively.[6] Having purchased the Stephenson farm, Wellen owned 271 contiguous acres. Wellen owned the property until 1901, and probably constructed the two-story addition on the east (side) elevation. The form of the addition indicates it was constructed during the last decade of the nineteenth century.

Between 1901 and 1937, the Stephenson farm changed ownership seven times. During this period, the acreage of the property remained the same and no alterations were made to the dwelling. In 1937, the property was sold to James G. Ballard. The 1930 census indicates Ballard was a 58-year-old bachelor. He was a farmer living in Marlboro District 3 of Prince George’s County.[7] Ballard only owned the property from 1937 to 1943, but he subdivided and sold multiple parcels of land. When Ballard sold the Joseph Stephenson House to Caroline Mister in 1943, the property contained only 3 ½ acres. At the time of sale, a covenant was added to the deed stating that in the future, the property would never be “rented, leased, sold or devised to any person or persons of the colored (Negro) race.”[8]

The Joseph Stephenson House had seven more owners between 1943 and the present. The Hamby family constructed a one-story addition on the west side elevation c. 1950 as evidenced by the design and materials of the addition. Prior to 1985, the house was reclad in aluminum siding. The last alteration to the house occurred after 1985, when 4/4 vinyl-sash windows replaced the original 2/2 windows. The house has been owned and occupied by Nathan and Kristin Whiting since 2003.

9. Major Bibliographical References Inventory No. PG: 81A-006

| |

|Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission and Prince George’s County Planning Department, Historic Sites and Districts Plan, 1992. |

|G.M. Hopkins. Prince George’s County, from Atlas of Fifteen Miles Around Washington. Philadelphia: G.M. Hopkins, C.E., 1878. |

|Prince George’s County Land Records. |

|1880 and 1930 U.S. Federal Census (Population Schedule). Online: The Generations Network, Inc., 2007. Subscription database. Digital scan of original records |

|in the National Archives, Washington, DC. . |

|1890 US Veterans Schedule. Online: The Generations Network, Inc., 2007. Subscription database. Digital scan of original records in the National Archives, |

|Washington, DC. . |

10. Geographical Data

Acreage of surveyed property 0.33

Acreage of historical setting 157

Quadrangle name Anacostia Quadrangle scale: 1:24,000

Verbal boundary description and justification

| |

|The original 157-acre tract has been subdivided over time and now consists of 0.33 acres. This smaller lot containing the Joseph Stephenson House is bordered |

|by Clinton Vista Lane to the north, Spring Acres Road on the south, and residential lots to the south and east. The house has been associated with Parcel 165 |

|on Tax Map 116 since its construction. |

11. Form Prepared by

name/title Elizabeth Breiseth, Paul Weishar, and Saleh Van Erem, 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

Chain of Title

Deed ABN 11 Charles Calvert to George H. and Charles B. Calvert, trustees. (parcels of land

November 11, 1837 known as “His Lordships Kindness”)

Deed FA 1:420 George H. and Charles B. Calvert to Francis Duckett.

September 23, 1862

Deed WAJ 3:593 Francis E. and Martha Duckett to Amos Wellen

April 13, 1882

Deed JWB 9:550 James S. Perkins, trustee, to Amos F. Wellen (repossessed land of Joseph

April 27, 1888 Stephenson sold to Wellen for $200)

Mortgage JWB 26:482 Mortgage between Amos and Sophia Wellen and Lillie G. Wellen and R.B.B.

October 19, 1895 Chew, Jr., trustee

Deed 5:198 Wellens to Henry E. Nichols and Henry M. Baker

September 12, 1901

Deed 43:412 Henry M. Baker to Galen E. Green

March 14, 1908

Deed 119:372 Galen R. Green to William A. Simpson

April 9, 1917

Deed 164:471 William A. and Elizabeth Simpson to Beryl Marquis

September 14, 1921

Deed 443:289 Beryl Marquis Kinnear to Matilda Duvall

March 28, 1936

Deed 443:290 Matilda W. Duvall to Beryl Marquis and David W. Kinnear

March 28, 1936

Deed 471:169 Beryl Marquis and David W. Kinnear to James G. Ballard

April 21, 1937

Deed 713: 187 James G. Ballard to Caroline Mister

October 23, 1943

Deed 929:184 Caroline Mister and James S. and E. Pearl Smith to Hilyard M. and Lucres Mary

July 11, 1947 Hamby

Deed of Trust 2377: 129 Thomas L. and Elsie J. Wilkinson to Charles C. Elderkin and Chalmers F. Groff

September 1959

Corp. Deed 2377:126 Cadaed Enterprises, a Maryland Corporation to Thomas L. and Elise J. Wilkinson

September 9, 1959 (tenants)

Deed 3217: 391 Cerrito Enterprises, Inc., a Maryland Corporation to Leo Clifton and Sharon Lee

October 1, 1965 Carter

Deed 7095:808 Leo C. Carter to Michael Willard and Constancia R. Doyle

September 20, 1988

Deed 9007:712 Michael Willard and Constancia R. Doyle to Raymond D. and Pamela A. Miller

August 26, 1993

Deed 17302:194 Raymond D. and Pamela A. Miller to Nathan and Kristin Whiting

May 1, 2003

[pic]

Photo: Joseph Stephenson House, view of the northeast corner, looking southwest.

[pic]

Photo: Joseph Stephenson House, view of the north elevation, looking south.

[pic]

Photo: Joseph Stephenson House, view of the west elevation, looking southeast.

-----------------------

[1] Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission and the Prince George’s County Planning Department, Historic Sites and Districts Plan (1992), 53.

[2] G.M. Hopkins, Atlas of Fifteen Miles Around Washington, Including the County of Prince George Maryland (Philadelphia: G.M. Hopkins, C.E., 1878).

[3] 1880 US Federal Census, Surratts, Prince Georges, Maryland, Series T9, Roll 514, Page, 196.1, Enumeration District: 129, Image 13, Joseph Stephenson.

[4] James S. Perkins, trustee, to Amos Wellen, Prince George’s County Land Records, JWB 9:550.

[5] 1890 Veteran’s Schedule, District 9, Prince George’s County, Maryland, Roll 10, Page 1, Amos F. Wellen.

[6] 1880 US Federal Census, Baltimore City, Maryland, Series T9, Roll 504, Page 528, Amos Wellen.

[7] 1930 US Federal Census, Marlboro, Prince George’s County, Maryland, Roll 877, Page 9B, James G. Ballard.

[8] James G. Ballard to Caroline Mister, Prince George’s County Land Records, 713: 187.

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