History and Archaeology at Chapman Forest

The exceptional natural resources and historical resources of Chapman Forest make each other more valuable. The large expanses of unfragmented natural land have protected the integrity of the historic landscape and the rich archaeological resources from disturbance.

From 1989 until 1998, developers attempted to win approval for the "Chapman's Landing" development, which would have established a new edge city on the Potomac River -- destroying Chapman Forest as the spectacular natural and historical site it now is. However, with the purchase of Chapman Forest by the State of Maryland on October 28, 1998, we now have the opportunity of assuring that the integrity endures.

Chapman Forest is divided by Indian Head Highway, Maryland Route 210, into two distinctive parts. The riverside portion, about 800 acres, is referred to as the "north side" and the remaining 1400 acres, which drains into Mattawoman Creek, is the "south side." This is illustrated in a 1995 map generated by the Army Corps of Engineers. Most of the north side is made up of Mount Aventine, the historic plantation on which the Chapman family lived for over 150 years.

Both the north side and the south side are important ecologically. Both sides are important historically. And keeping the north side and the south side together was an important issue in the struggle to save Chapman Forest. Because this point was important to citizens across Maryland and around the region, the State eventually discarded proposals to buy only part of Chapman Forest, and instead bought it all.

So far most of the historical information on Chapman Forest has been developed about the north side, where the historic Mount Aventine house is, and where the historic Mount Aventine plantation was; and most of the archaeological information has been developed on the south side, the only part that has been the subject of an archaeological survey. There is much more archaeological and historic information still to be uncovered about the entire property. The more this land is studied, the greater its public interest value turns out to be.

Immediately below, read first about the history of Mount Aventine and then a little bit about the archaeology of the south side of Chapman Forest.

Mount Aventine

In 1673, Charles Calvert (Third Lord Baltimore) granted Luke Gardiner of St. Mary's County 580 acres of land on the Potomac River known as Grimes Ditch. (Note: A resurvey of the property in 1800 established the property as containing 703 acres including Craney Island in the Potomac). This is the same land that we now refer to as the historic Mount Aventine plantation. The Augustine Herrman map (1673) of the area identified Indian "long houses" in the approximate location of the Mount Aventine property. The Mount Aventine property is surrounded by boundary ditches. The digging of such ditches was a custom used in early England for identifying the limits of an estate. To read a letter from historian Lorena Walsh about boundary ditches, click here.

By 1732 the property had been acquired by Edward Neale of Aquinsick. In 1750 Nathaniel Chapman purchased Grimes Ditch. Members of the Chapman family would reside on the property for the next 165 years. The Grimes Ditch property is what we now refer to as the Mount Aventine estate.

Nathaniel Chapman was a descendant of a Thomas Chapman I who is thought to have come to Virginia on the ship "Tryali" in 1610. Nathaniel was the son of Jonathan and Jane (Taylor) Chapman. Nathaniel Chapman was an ironmaster and for 25 years (from 1735 until his death in 1760) was the manager of one of the largest iron companies within the colonies. The iron industry during this period is considered the beginning of the American industrial revolution. Nathaniel Chapman was one of the industry's leading figures.

In 1747, Nathaniel Chapman was one of the founders and the first treasurer of the Ohio Company of Virginia. Included in the company's original membership were representatives of some of the leading families of the area. including Lee, Washington and Fairfax, The main purpose of the company was to seek land grants from the crown in order to develop lands west of the Alleghenies into the Ohio valley. The Ohio Comps;»y is credited with restricting the French from colonizing the west.

Following purchase of the Grimes hitch property in 1750 Nathaniel built a home on the river near the present family cemetery. The Chapman house was being built at the same time their close friends George and Ann Mason were building Gunston Hall on the opposite side of the Potomac.

Nathaniel Chapman's wife, Constantia Pearson Chapman, was the daughter of a wealthy northern Virginia merchant. Her mother was a half sister of Mary Ball Washington the second wife of Augustine Washington and mother of George Washington. Nathaniel and Constantia's daughter Lucy married Sam Washington, brother of George Washington.

The Chapmans are related to many prominent families. Susan Chapman, daughter of George Chapman and great granddaughter of Nathaniel Chapman married her distant cousin John Grant Chapman of La Plata, The Chapman's of La Plata owned more than 6,000 acres of land. The Town of La Plata was built on part. of the Chapman land holdings. John Grant Chapman was a. noted political figure serving as speaker of the Maryland House of Delegates, speaker of the Maryland Senate and served for two terms as a U. S. Representative.

The current house was built by Pearson Chapman in 1840, the great grandson of Nathaniel Chapman. The house is an excellent example of antebellum architecture. During the Chapman ownership of the property they developed and operated a working plantation, installed a ferry system between Chapman Point and Hallowing Point in Virginia, and operated one of the major

fisheries on the Potomac. Records indicate that in 1800 there were 49 slaves living on the property.

Following the Chapman ownership of the property the land was subdivided and owned by a succession of out of state interests. In 1954 most of the original plantation was purchased by the Countess Margit Bessenyey of Hungary Who Used the property as a part‑time residence, horse farm and wildlife refuge.

In 1987, 634 acres of the remaining plantation were lumped together in a 2,250-acre real estate venture. For more than ten years the property was aggressively pursued as a major residential and commercial development first under the name "Riviera" and then as "Chapman's Landing.

In 1998, after many hearings, court battles and campaigning by environmental groups at the local, state and national levels the property was purchased by the State of Maryland and is today under the management of the Maryland Department of Natural Resources.

Archaeology:

During the time when development of the site was attempted, the developers, in seeking a wetland permit from the Army Corps of Engineers, did an archaeological survey of the south side required under the permitting process. It was done only on the south side, because the developers and the Army Corps agreed that portion would be considered for development first. This type of survey requires digging to be done at points of a 20-meter grid laid out over the land. This survey reported 86 finds of archaeological material and the remains of a log cabin. The Maryland Historical Trust noted that the 86 new sites accounted for nearly 20% of the archaeological sites so far identified in Charles County. One member of the Board of Trustees of the Maryland Historical Trust noted that the sites should be considered as a whole, rather than as unconnected. There is a real possibility that Chapman Forest may be over an extraordinarily important archaeological site.

However the public enjoys Chapman Forest in the future, the rich archaeological potential of the site must be considered carefully, and nothing should be done that would lose this treasure for future generations.

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