Rose Hill, a historic home near Port Tobacco in Charles County

Charles County, Maryland

Charles County is a county in the south central portion of the U.S. state of Maryland.As of 2010, the population was 146,551. Its county seat is La Plata. This county was named for Charles Calvert , third Baron Baltimore....

, Maryland

Maryland

Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...

, United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

. It is a five-part, Georgian

Georgian architecture

Georgian architecture is the name given in most English-speaking countries to the set of architectural styles current between 1720 and 1840. It is eponymous for the first four British monarchs of the House of Hanover—George I of Great Britain, George II of Great Britain, George III of the United...

-style dwelling house. It has a two-story central block with gable

Gable

A gable is the generally triangular portion of a wall between the edges of a sloping roof. The shape of the gable and how it is detailed depends on the structural system being used and aesthetic concerns. Thus the type of roof enclosing the volume dictates the shape of the gable...

 ends. It was restored during the mid 20th century.

Rose Hill was listed on the National Register of Historic Places

National Register of Historic Places

The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...

 in 1973.

Notable events

It is known for three things:

• It was the home of Dr. Gustavus R. Brown
  Gustavus Richard Brown
  Gustavus Richard Brown was a lifelong friend of George Washington, a physician, helped found the hospital department of the Continental Army, and a botanist. He is best known as one of the doctors summoned to attend to George Washington the night he died.Gustavus Brown studied medicine in...
  
  , a life-long friend of George Washington
  George Washington
  George Washington was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, and presided over the writing of...
  
  , as well as one of his physicians.
• It was the home of Miss Olivia Floyd
  Olivia Floyd
  Annie Olivia Floyd was a Confederacy spy during the American Civil War. She was the daughter of David L. and Sarah Floyd. Her "disloyal" activities during the war led to an arrest warrant being sworn out for her capture.Olivia Floyd lived at Rose Hill in Charles County, Maryland...
  
   (born 1826, died 1905)
• It is the reputed site of the Port Tobacco Blue Dog Legend

Dr. Gustavus Richard Brown

Around 1780, Dr. Gustavus Brown bought and combined four tracts of land from his neighbor, now known as "Betty's Delight". Combining this land with his own, he built on it the home later named Rose Hill, which was completed in about 1783.

The house has been owned by a number of families since it was built, and was restored in 1937
and more recently by Charles Stuart.

Miss Olivia Floyd

The Maryland archives (and some less reliable sources) appear to show that Rose Hill Farm (with the manor) was sold to Ignatius Semmes, but do not provide a clear story, i.e., whether it was to the elder Semmes (born 1773), or the younger (born 1821), and when this took place (from 1804 to the early 1820s). Another Gustavus Brown is mentioned more than once in the same area, up to 1826. But the archives do show that older Semmes died in 1826, and the younger Semmes died in 1843, willing the property to his uncle and aunt (Holmes and Semmes) and her children.

Olivia Floyd was one of the latter.
She is best known as a Confederate agent.

The Blue Dog

Port Tobacco, which is at the bottom of Rose Hill, is a town.
In contrast, Rose Hill Road (which is outside Port Tobacco) passes a few widely scattered houses.

External links

• Lists several photographs of Rose Hill
• Description and photograph of Betty's Delight
• Rose Hill, Charles County, including undated photo, at Maryland Historical Trust
• Rose Hill, Rose Hill Road, Port Tobacco vicinity, Charles County, MD: 5 photos, 2 data pages, at Historic American Building Survey