Paternal Gift Farm

Jan 3, 1986

This house is located in Highland, Maryland, on land that was once owned by Dr. Charles Alexander Warfield. The land was patented under the name Paternal Gift because Dr. Warfield acquired it as a gift for his son, Gustavus. Dr. Warfield was one of the Marylanders involved in the burning of the Peggy Stewart in 1774, an act of rebellion against British authority.

The house is a large frame structure, built in the classical style of the colonial farmhouse in upstate New York but without the symmetrical lines and formal arrangement of rooms characteristic of those homes.

Paternal gift was a working farm and remained in the possession of Gustavus for 37 years. Later owned by the Harding family until 1937 and then the Scheidt family from 1946 until the late 1990s. The land was developed into a residential community in 1995 with a significant portion preserved for farming and equestrian use. The house was sold following the showhouse.

The show house was held from September 27 th to October 26. The Chairman was Enalee Bounds.