Existing comment:
Melwood Park:
Melwood Park, along Old Marlboro Pike, is significant for the prominence of its early owners and its early construction date. It was originally built by Ignatius Digges (1707-1785) around 1750, and was subsequently raised to its present two stories by his widow, Mary Carroll Digges, in about 1800. The British forces marching to Washington camped near Melwood on the night of August 23, 1814. Reportedly several British officers, including Major General Ross, invited themselves for dinner with the widow, Mary Carroll Digges. An American scout Thomas McKenny observed that Major General Ross and Rear Admiral Cockburn slept or rested in a shed near the Digges estate after dinner. |