{{Use American English|date=September 2025}} {{use mdy dates|date=November 2022}} {{Infobox historic site | name = Duvall Farm | nrhp_type = | image = | caption = | location= Laurel, Maryland | coordinates = {{coord|39|06|35|N|76|49|46|W|display=inline,title}} | locmapin = Maryland | area = Laurel | built = Early 19th century | architect= | architecture=Wood Frame | added = | governing_body = | refnum= }} The '''Duvall Farm''' was a historic farm located in North Laurel, Howard County, Maryland, United States, now the site of Coastal Sunbelt Produce.
==History== The Duvall Farm was a historic farm worked by descendants of one of Maryland's earliest settlers, Mareen Duvall (1625–1699).<ref>{{cite book |title= The founders of Anne Arundel and Howard Counties, Maryland|year= 1904|page= 51 }}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=The founders of Anne Arundel and Howard Counties, Maryland|url=https://archive.org/details/foundersofannear00warf|author=Joshua Dorsey Warfield}}</ref> The farm was situated on Whiskey Bottom Road, a historic path that once linked Mareen Duvall's Davidsonville plantation to other family plantations formed as settlers moved westward.<ref>{{cite web|title=Duvall Mill Historic District|url=http://msa.maryland.gov/megafile/msa/stagsere/se1/se5/036000/036600/036612/pdf/msa_se5_36612.pdf|access-date=August 18, 2014}}</ref> Simon J. Martenet's 1860 Map of Howard County Maryland shows the farm along the crossroads of Route One, where George Washington once travelled. Robert L. Duvall and his wife Margret owned the property against the B&O tracks giving it the name "Elm Ridge".<ref>{{cite book|title=Montpelier & the Snowden family|author=William Grover Cook|year=1976|page=51}}</ref> The site was the low point where barrels of Maryland Rye Whiskey would be delivered from nearby distilleries to load on trains, giving it the name "Whiskey Bottom".<ref>{{cite news|newspaper=The Baltimore Sun|title=Whiskey Bottom In Ferment, But Road Is Patuxent Still|date=December 7, 1950|author=Patrick Skene Catling}}</ref> In 1914, a freight train struck the barn co-owned by Dr. Warfield and Duvall containing {{convert|6,000|lb}} of tobacco.<ref>{{cite news|newspaper=The Baltimore Sun|title= Struck by a Freight Train' History Matters|author=Louise Vest|date=August 13, 2014}}</ref>
In 1991, a Laurel man was charged with killing and setting his girlfriend Cathy May Baier on fire next to the race track, which resulted in a brush fire.<ref>{{cite news|newspaper=The Washington Post|title=Body found In Laurel|date=January 20, 1991}}</ref>
In April 2013 the Duvall Farm was burned from large brush fires that were considered connected to arson on the Laurel Fuel and Oil Company. Fire investigators ordered the house demolished rather than stabilize the historic structure.<ref>{{cite web |title=Md. Abandoned House, Brush Fire Under Investigation |url=http://www.wusa9.com/news/article/254679/373/Md-Abandoned-House-Brush-Fire-Under-Investigation |date=April 15, 2013 |access-date=April 17, 2013 |publisher=WUSA |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130427074136/http://www.wusa9.com/news/article/254679/373/Md-Abandoned-House-Brush-Fire-Under-Investigation |archive-date=April 27, 2013 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news|newspaper=The Baltimore Sun|title= Laurel Fuel Oil open for business after March 6 fire. Cause of fire still not determined, owner said|author=Melanie Dzwonchyk|date=March 12, 2013}}</ref>
The farm was adjacent to historic Laurel Park race track and rezoned for high density "transit-oriented development" under growth policies of Parris Glendening. The agricultural farm was rezoned in anticipation of an unfunded rail stop adjacent to the already existing stop servicing Laurel Park requested by Howard County Executive Kenneth Ulman, whose father was on the Maryland Racing Commission.<ref>{{cite news|newspaper=The Baltimore Sun|title=Coastal Sunbelt breaks ground on North Laurel site|author=Amanda Yeager|date=August 18, 2014}}</ref>
In 2014, Ulman provided a "development fast track" to relocate Coastal Sunbelt's facilities from Savage, Maryland. The Transit Oriented Development zoning was rapidly amended to include light industrial uses in January 2014. Since spot zoning for the benefit of a single entity is illegal, the zoning law also included a provision to expedite former planning and zoning director's Joseph Rutter's housing development project around the Rosa Bonheur Memorial Park Cemetery.<ref>{{cite news|newspaper=The Baltimore Sun|title=Zoning change would help Coastal Sunbelt stay in Howard County|author=Amanda Yeager|date=January 29, 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|newspaper=The Baltimore Sun|title=Council approves zoning change to help business stay in Howard|author=Amanda Yeager|date=February 5, 2016}}</ref> Ulman was quoted in a newspaper saying "I think this was the fastest rezoning in Howard County history, because this about job creation. We had to get it done". Coastal Sunbelt Produce was offered $1 million in loans and $150,000 in Howard County tax credits to relocate to a {{convert|240,000|sqft|adj=on}} Preston Scheffenacker Properties facility built on the Duvall Farm with a 99-year lease.<ref>{{cite web|title=Coastal Sunbelt Produce to get $1M state loan for new Howard County facility|url=http://www.bizjournals.com/baltimore/blog/real-estate/2014/08/coastal-sunbelt-produce-to-get-1m-state-loan-for.html|access-date=August 19, 2014}}</ref> The new facility covering the majority of the 33-acre site had a groundbreaking on August 18 with Lieutenant Governor Anthony Brown attending.<ref>{{cite web|title=The Coastal Companies Expanding Into New Distribution & Processing Center|url=http://www.perishablenews.com/index.php?article=0038178|access-date=August 19, 2014}}</ref> The 900-employee Coastal Sunbelt operation said it would add 400 new jobs to meet the terms of its state loan.<ref>{{cite news|newspaper=The Baltimore Sun|title=Maryland sees one of nation's largest job declines in July|date=August 18, 2014|author=Jamie Smith Hopkins}}</ref>
==See also== *Duvall Bridge (Laurel, Maryland) *Belair Mansion (Bowie, Maryland) *Savage Mill
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== *[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pZsM1O7CfLQ YouTube video of Duvall Farmhouse demolishing]
Category:Howard County, Maryland landmarks Category:Houses in Howard County, Maryland Category:Duvall family