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Cedar Point Farm is a rare, intact nineteenth-century Chesapeake farmstead set along the Big Annemessex River between Manokin and Upper Fairmount. Approached by a long, tree-lined lane from Fairmount Road, the property encompasses upland fields, mature woodland, tidal marsh, ponds, and more than 2,200 feet of protected river frontage. The landscape is one of the most historically significant and ecologically rich tracts remaining in lower Somerset County. Originally constructed in the third quarter of the nineteenth century, the farmhouse reflects the architectural transition of rural Somerset during this period. Tradition and documentary evidence associate its principal construction phase with the 1881 marriage of Mary "Mollie" E. Ballard and Charles A. Curtis, descendants of the long-established Waters and Ballard families of Tudor Hall. The two-story side-hall/parlor plan features original arched doorway trim, turned newel post, walnut stair rail, rear service wing, and a two-story porch with lattice balusterwork. Subsequent early-twentieth-century improvements added a west wing and shed dormers while retaining the overall historic character. Accompanying the residence are several nineteenth- and early-twentieth-century outbuildings, including a board-and-batten barn, beaded weatherboard smokehouse, pump houses, sheds, and remnants of an earlier detached kitchen chimney. These structures reinforce the authenticity and continuity of the farm as a working Chesapeake landscape. Cedar Point Farm consists of two contiguous parcels-Tax Map 39, Parcels 363 and 193-held together as a single historic property. Both parcels are protected in perpetuity under a 2016 Conservation Easement granted to the Maryland Environmental Trust (MET) and the Lower Shore Land Trust (LSLT). The easement was established to preserve the property's agricultural productivity, forest resources, wetlands, wildlife habitat, and scenic Chesapeake shoreline. The easement safeguards approximately: 111 acres of mature forest, 36 acres of tidal and forested wetlands, 2 acres of ponds, 2,280 linear feet of Big Annemessex River frontage, and Habitat for Forest Interior Dwelling Birds and State-significant species. The land lies within a Targeted Ecological Area designated by Maryland DNR and sits adjacent to the Fairmount Wildlife Management Area and Chesapeake Forest Lands, forming part of a more than 5,000-acre protected block of conserved Chesapeake habitat. A mandatory 100-foot natural buffer along the river restricts disturbance and maintains the property's scenic and ecological integrity. Property is subject to a no hunting covenant held by the current owner. Additional information and documents available through listing agent. |
