14800 Governor Oden Bowie Drive, Upper Marlboro, MD 20772
301-952-8010; TTY 301-454-1472; Fax 301-952-1773
darnallschance@pgparks.com

HISTORY

Darnall's Chance was built between 1741-1742 by James Wardrop, a Scottish immigrant, who amassed a fortune as a merchant and entrepreneur in the bustling port-town of Upper Marlborough, Maryland. In 1748, he married Lettice Lee, daughter of Phillip Lee, the progenitor of the Maryland branch of the illustrious Lee family of Virginia.

The Wardrops managed a large residential complex that included a substantial brick house, outbuildings, orchards, livestock and an ornamental garden. Their household included 32 slaves - house servants, skilled craftsmen and field hands. Following Wardrop's death in 1760, Lettice married Dr. Adam Thompson (creator of the "American Method" of smallpox inoculation) and later Col. Joseph Sim (ardent supporter of the American Revolution). She died on April 3, 1776 and willed her children the property, including the family burial vault.

The house was remodeled in 1857 and produced such a drastic change that the original Georgian appearance of the Wardrops' home was soon lost to common knowledge. In 1986, the house was saved from demolition and returned to its 1742 appearance.

Darnall's Chance Burial Vault
An 18th century underground brick burial vault was discovered in 1987 during an archaeological survey of the rear yard of Darnall's Chance. In 1990, an archaeological excavation of the structure was conducted in order to gather information for its future restoration and interpretation. During the excavation, it was discovered that the interior of the vault was filled with eight feet of 18th and 19th century household trash and building debris. The trash is thought to have originated from a nearby kitchen midden (trash pit) and was dumped into the vault through two large openings in the collapsed roof. Beneath the debris rested the remains of nine individuals who were exhumed by the National Museum of Natural History for study and analysis.

It is thought that the vault was built by James Wardrop, a wealthy Upper Marlborough merchant, who built the large brick dwelling house in 1742. The only archival reference to the vault is a 1788 deed that shows the transfer of the house and surrounding property from Alice Thomson Hawkins and her sister Mary Thomson Williams and their husbands to Walter Storey Chandler. Interestingly, the deed for the sale stipulated that one small area was exempt from the purchase:

"Except for a small square of ground in the garden which covers the family vault, to which vault, as a burying ground...heirs are to have from time to time free access..."

The deed does not mention who is interred in the vault, only that it is the "family vault". Based on historical and physical evidence, historians believe this is the final resting place of Lettice Lee (the wife of James Wardrop and the mother of Alice Thomson Hawkins and Mary Thomson Williams) who died in 1776 at the age of fifty. It is thought that the other eight individuals who rested alongside her are family members, but questions remain as to their specific identities.

The restoration of the roof, steps and sub-crypt were completed in 2002 and the remains were re-interred on June 18, 2004. See photos of the re-interment ceremony.

Exterior View of the Burial Vault Interred in the vault are nine Caucasians including one adult male, two adult females, two children and four infants (under the age of one year). Radioisotope readings taken of the teeth of the five oldest individuals determined that they were native-born Americans. The presence of numerous cavities and slight arthritis suggest that they lived a sedentary lifestyle featuring a sugar rich diet and light workload.

East View of Vault Interior (sub-crypt on right) The adult male (age 27-30) was interred in a wooden coffin and then buried in the brick sub-crypt. The remaining individuals were also interred in wooden coffins and placed on bricks that rested on the clay floor.