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5626 Bell Station Road, Glenn Dale, MD 20769
301-464-5291; TTY 301-699-2544; Fax 301-464-5654
HISTORY
Marietta House
Built between 1812 and 1816 by Judge Gabriel Duvall. Probably built with slave labor and from bricks manufactured on the property or nearby.
Grandson Edmund Bryce DuVal inherited the house and 325 acres upon the death of his grandfather in 1844.
Edmund and his wife Caroline Lansdale DuVal lived at Marietta after their marriage in 1846. Their eleven children were born and raised there. EBDII died in 1878 and his wife Caroline in 1890.
Great grandson and oldest surviving son of Edmund and Caroline, Gabriel DuVal bought the house and 95 acres from his mother's estate in 1892. He and his wife Elizabeth lived there with her two children and their four children. Elizabeth died in 1896; Gabriel sold the house in 1902 and moved his family to Baltimore.
 William and Mary Bowie bought the house and 95 acres for $5,250 in 1902 . They owned the house until their deaths in 1930. Having no children they left the house and property to a nephew.
Hunter Bennett from West Virginia inherited the property in 1930. He never lived in the house but rented it as a tenant farm.
Tenants, the Dodd family lived at Marietta from 1935-1941.
The first electricity and flush toilet were installed in 1936.
William and Mary-Eula Blair purchased the house and 95 acres in 1941. Among their improvements to the house were oak flooring over the worn and damaged pine floors, installing three full bathrooms, central heat and book shelves in the parlor.
The last private owners of the house were Paul and Margaret Hale Scherer. They continued improvements to the property. In the 1950's Mr. Scherer designed and built a geothermal central air conditioning system for the house. Members of the 1950's NASA "brain trust" met and socialized in the parlor of Marietta.
 In 1968 the Scherers sold the house and 25 acres to the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission for $165,000 with a life tenancy clause. The Scherers that same year removed the old kitchen and built an apartment wing. They resided at Marietta until 1978 when they moved to Oregon.
In 1980 the National Quilting Association entered into an agreement to use the house as their headquarters. That agreement was terminated in 1983.
In 1985 the Prince George's County Historical Society were invited to make Marietta their headquarters. In 1989 with approval of the Commission they opened the house as a museum.
In 1991 the Commission hired the first part time museum manager.
The Life of Gabriel Duvall
Public Life
Read the law with John Hall in Annapolis 1772-'74
Admitted to the Prince George's County Bar in 1778
Admitted to the Annapolis' Mayor's Court by 1781
 Admitted to Anne Arundel County Bar by 1783
Appointed Clerk of the House of Delegates 11/17/73; reappointed 3/74; and 1777.
Elected member of the Council of Safety in Annapolis 8/29/75 (Served 1775-77)
Clerk of the Maryland Convention (Executive body of the aforementioned) 1775
Named Musterman and Commissary of Stores for the Maryland Militia 1/3/76
Served in Md. Militia at Morristown and Brandywine
Elected Clerk of the Commission to Preserve and Sell Confiscated British Property 2/27/81
Elected Commissioner of the aforementioned 7/13/81 (Served as an agent of this Commission from 1781-1785)
Appointed Prosecutor of Mayor's Court (1781-1785)
Elected Recorder of Mayor's Court 10/8/87; Reelected 1/9/89; Reelected for terms 1790-1794 and again 1797-1799 and in1802
Selected as member of Governor's (William Paca) Council 11/21/82 (1782-1783); reappointed 11/27/83 (83-84); resigned 7/2/84 over law giving the Governor too much power
Elected member of Governor's (Wm. Smallwood) Council 11/25/85 (1785-1786);
resigned 4/20/86
Elected Delegate to the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia 4/23/87 - declined the
position along with the other 4 persons elected with him; new elections were held for a
different slate of five persons, three of whom eventually signed the U.S. Constitution.
Elected Delegate to the Md. General Assembly's House of Delegates 10/4/87 (1788-1789); one of two persons representing the city of Annapolis (Served 5 terms); Reelected 10/8/89 (1790-1791); Reelected 10/6/91 (1792-1793); Reelected 10/4/92 (1793-1794); Reelected 10/7/93 (1794-1795) Resigned to serve in the US House of Representatives
Clerk of the Annapolis Corporation Council , 1790-1794 and 1801-1802
Appointed Major in the Militia of Anne Arundel County 6/12/94
Elected Representative to the U.S. House of Representatives 5/ 23/94 upon the resignation of John Mercer representing the 2nd District of Maryland
Seated in Congress Hall, Philadelphia 5/31/94 , 3rd U.S. Congress; reelected for full term 10/10/94 (4th U.S. Congress); resigned seat 3/28/96
Appointed Judge of the Maryland General Court 4/2/96. (Served 1796-1802)
Elected 11/12/96 as an Elector in the Presidential election 1796 representing Anne Arundel County and Baltimore City. (Defeated Charles Carroll of Carrollton, 76 to 41) Controversy as Duvall was sitting judge and electors cannot hold positions of "public trust" and serve as electors) Duvall cast his vote for the losing Presidential candidate, Thomas Jefferson.
 Reelected as Elector in 1800 representing the 5th District; defeated Jeremiah Chase in Baltimore City, 1,497 to 439. Total in District (Baltimore.& A. A. Co.) for G.D. - 2,379 votes. Again cast his vote, this time for the successful Presidential candidate, Thomas Jefferson
Appointed Chief Judge of D.C. 3/13/01 - DECLINED
Appointed Elector to select Md. Senator to U.S. Senate. Convened 9/24/01 - Duvall elected President of the elector panel.
Named Commissioner (one of three) to ascertain Maryland's western and southern borders
(boundaries with Virginia)
Appointed first Comptroller of the U.S. Treasury by President Thomas Jefferson, 12/15/02; Resigned 11/21/1811
Elected Trustee (one of 12) of "Permanent Institution for the Education of Youth in the City of Washington" (1st District of Columbia Public School board) 8/14/05
Appointed Chancellor and Judge of the Land Office 1806 DECLINED
Appointed Chancellor and Judge 1st District Court of Maryland - 1806 DECLINED
Appointed Chancellor and Judge of the Court of Appeals - 1806 DECLINED
Appointed Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court by President James Madison 11/15/1811; confirmed 11/18/1811
First case heard 2/3/1812; Resigned 1/15/1835 and retired to Marietta
Private Life
 Born December 6, 1752 to Benjamin (1719-1801) and Susannah Tyler (1718-1794 ) Duvall, probably at father's farm on the Northwest Corner of Darnall's Grove. Grandparents: Benjamin (c. 1687 -1774) and Sophia Griffith 1692-1730) Duvall. Great-grandparents: Mareen DuVal (called the Immigrant) who was born in France. He was a Huguenot and went to England to escape religious persecution. He changed his name to Duvall, indentured himself to John Covell and came to Maryland in the 1650's. He completed his indenture in 1659 and received 50 acres of land. By the time of his death in 1694 he was considered a gentleman and was a major landowner in Anne Arundel County. He married Susannah in 1673 and with her had seven children of whom Benjamin was the youngest.
Had 9 siblings; he was the 2nd son, 6th child
Received a classical education under tutelage of Alexander Irwin and Samuel Duvall Beck
Read the law in Annapolis under supervision of John Hall- 1772
Pledged funds for the building of St. John's College in Annapolis in 1786
Married Mary Brice (1761-1790) of Annapolis July 24, 1787
Only son Edmund Brice Duvall born January 25, 1790
Wife Mary died March 24, 1790
Pledged funds for the building of St. Anne's Church (Episcopal) in Annapolis, 1790
Sent infant son to family farm in Prince George's County to be raised by grandparents and aunts Sarah and Delilah
Married Jane Gibbon (1757-1834) of Philadelphia, May 5, 1795
Moved to Annapolis with Jane after resigning from Congress and accepting appointment to Maryland General Court, 1796
Official records and other documents showed that Duvall owned 9 enslaved people in 1799; his father owned 8. The 1828 tax list showed that he owned 34 enslaved people, and 37 enslaved people were listed in the inventory taken of his property after his death in 1844. In 1818 he advertised in the National Intelligencer on October 12 for an overseer to manage a farm of about 700 acres and 20 slaves. When Edmund and Augusta died their 9 slaves then belonged to their children. Six of them resided at Marietta.
 Moved to Washington D.C. after accepting appointment as Comptroller of the US, 1802
Accepted appointment as Associate Justice on the United States Supreme Court,
Nov. 1811
c. 1812-1815 began building Marietta on property owned in Prince George's County
Son Edmund married August Caroline McCausland of Baltimore in January 1818
A grandson, born prematurely, died in August 1818
A grandson, who lived 6 days, died in July 1819
Granddaughter, Augusta Caroline died at 2 months in August 1821
Grandson, Gabriel died on June 14, 1825, aged 2 years 5 months
Grandson Marcus born, December 3, 1824. Died January 1, 1873.
Granddaughter, Mary Frances died on June 16, 1825 at 4 years and 11 months
Grandson Edmund Bryce II born March 20, 1826. Died May 23, 1878
Granddaughter Mary Frances born April 6, 1827. Died in adulthood.
Son Edmund Bryce DuVal died, February 5, 1831
Granddaughter Gabriella Augusta born July 18, 1831
Daughter-in- law Augusta C. McCausland DuVal died October 7, 1832
 Grandchildren, Marcus, Edmund and Gabriella came to Marietta to live under the guardianship of their grandfather, Gabriel Duvall. Granddaughter Mary Frances went to Norfolk VA to live under the guardianship of her uncle John Southgate.
Wife Jane Gibbon Duvall died April 17, 1834
Gabriel Duvall died March 6, 1844 at Marietta. His remains are buried at the Duvall Memorial Garden on the grounds of Marietta.
Land Acquisitions
Nov. 1784 - Purchased 150 acres called the Northwest Corner of Darnall's Grove from father, Benjamin Duvall.
Sept. 1787 - Purchased a 500 acre tract, Hollyday's Choice warranted to Ninian Beall but assigned to Thomas Hollyday in 1688; owned by Mordicai Jacob and sold to pay his debts.
Sept. 1787 - Sold 257 1/4 acres of Hollyday's Choice to Nathan Soper for 900 pounds, 4 shillings, leaving 242 3/4 acres as a part of Gabriel's estate.
Dec. 1788 - At public venue, purchased 63 1/4 acres of Hill's Choice which lay adjacent to and on the western side of his section of Darnall's Grove from Thomas Sweringen.
 1792 - At public venue, purchased 50 acres known as the Forrest otherwise known as Hill's Choice. T. Sweringen III had sold 50 acres of The Forrest to Benjamin Jacob.
1792 - Purchased 145 acres of Hill's Choice, Orphan's Gift, Plague Enough (20 acres from James Wilson) combined - from Basil Cross.
1796 - Acquired another 20 acres of Plague's Enough.
1829 - Edmund B. DuVal acquired parts of Evan's Range and Higgins Lot, 100 acres contiguous to the Northwest Corner of Darnall's Grove to the north.
1798 Prince George's County Tax Assessment
Occupant: Benjamin Duvall (Gabriel's father)
Owner: Gabriel Duvall
Pt. Darnall's Grove - 1.5 acres
-frame house: 28' x 24'
-nursery adjoining: 24' x 26'
-kitchen: 20' x 16'
-negro house: 16'x12'
-meat house: 16' x 12'
-stable: 24' x 16'
-corn house : 24' x 16'
-carriage house: 16' x 12'
Pt. of Darnall's Grove - 161 acres
Pt. of Hill's Choice - 110 3/4 acre
Pt. of Hollyday's Choice - 242 4/5 acre
Part of Orphan's Gift and Plague's Enough - 156 1/2 acres
Total acreage: 672.55
1828 Prince George's County Tax List
Proprietor Name: Gabriel Duvall
Names of the Lands:
Pt. of Darnall's Grove
Pt. of Hill's Choice
Pt. of Hill's Choice
Pt. of Orphan's Gift
Pt. of Hollyday's Choice
Pt. of Orphan's Gift
Total acreage: 648
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