Anne Turkos

Q.On page 12 of the 150th Anniversary book, there is a photo of the Rossborough Inn from the 1920s. The building has stenciled across its topside “Rossburg 1798.” Why the discrepancy in names?

Note the Rossburg 1798 inscription, the purported construction date for the inn. By the late 19th century, it served as home to the Maryland Agricultural Experiment Station.

A.The name “Rossburg” stems from that of the owner of the tract of land where the inn sits in the late 18th/early 19th century, Richard Ross. This property changed hands on several occasions during this time period, and it is referred in the various deeds as either “Rossburg” or “Rossborough,” so both names are technically correct. We are more familiar with the longer version, which was the name used when Ross sold the property to John Davis in 1814.

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