Montpelier has been a working farm for several hundred years. It was originally patented in 1673 as part of Calvert County (at the time, Prince George’s County did not exist). The first owner was James Moore of England, then the farm was sold to the Smith family of Dunkirk, formally Smithville. The mansion located on our property was built in the 1840’s by Stephen Belt. The farm has been owned by some of the most prominent Prince George’s County families and passed down through generations, such as Smith, Hilleary, Belt, Bowie and Rogers. Dr. Bowie of Providence Hospital remodeled the mansion in the 1940’s. He was one of the founding members of the Marlboro Hunt Club and lived to be 100 years old. Anne C. Rogers was one of the first female developers in Prince George’s County. She built communities such as Rogers Heights and owned Montpelier, along with several thousand acres of adjoining property. She also lived to be 100 years old. The current Montpelier of Moores Plains is a parcel of 125 acres. We also lease adjoining farms for agricultural purposes that stretch east to the Patuxent River. With the decline of tobacco, the farm has grown up with mature forestation. There is 80 acres of mature woodlands in the Preservation Program. These woodlands were open clear fields and pastures, but like the majority of Prince George’s County, the fields are now woodlands.
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