Publisher's Synopsis
"This book is the summation of nearly 50 years of architectural survey in Charles County, Maryland. It includes an overall historic context for the county, as well as detailed descriptions of building types within the county, including dwellings, agricultural structures and landscapes, religious institutions, and public, commercial and industrial buildings. By looking at the county's buildings collectively, clear patterns and themes have emerged, reflecting the social and economic development of the county. Characterized by its remote location, first as a British colony and later as a rural county, Charles County residents were relatively conservative and therefore, slow to adopt national architectural styles. For the first two centuries Charles County residents chose instead to build in familiar vernacular forms. As transportation networks improved, first with steamships, then railroads and automobiles, architectural pattern books arri
