Bohemia Farm, also known as Milligan Hall, is a historic home located on the Bohemia River at Earleville,

Cecil County, Maryland Cecil County is a county located in the U.S. state of Maryland at the northeastern corner of the state, bordering both Pennsylvania and Delaware. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 103,725. The county seat is Elkton. The ...

. It is a five bays wide,

Flemish bond Flemish bond is a pattern of brickwork that is a common feature in Georgian architecture. The pattern features bricks laid lengthwise (''stretchers'') alternating with bricks laid with their shorter ends exposed (''headers'') within the same cou ...

brick Georgian style home built about 1743. Attached is a frame, 19th century gambrel-roof wing. The house interior features elaborate decorative plasterwork of the Rococo style and the full "

Chinese Chippendale Thomas Chippendale (June 1718 – 1779) was an English woodworker in London, designing furniture in the mid-Georgian, English Rococo, and Neoclassical styles. In 1754 he published a book of his designs in a trade catalogue titled ''The Gen ...

" staircase. It was "part-time" home of

Louis McLane Louis McLane (May 28, 1786 – October 7, 1857) was an American lawyer and politician from Wilmington, Delaware, Wilmington, in New Castle County, Delaware, and Baltimore, Baltimore, Maryland. He was a veteran of the War of 1812, a member of t ...

. The estate was founded by

Augustine Herman Augustine Herman, First Lord of Bohemia Manor (Czech: Augustin Heřman, c. 1621 – September 1686) was a Kingdom of Bohemia, Bohemian European colonization of the Americas, explorer, merchant and cartography, cartographer who lived in New Amsterd ...

, a Bohemian-born cartographer from

Mšeno Mšeno (; ) is a town in Mělník District the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 1,400 inhabitants. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected as an Cultural monument (Czech Republic)#Monument zones, urban ...

. Ephraim, the oldest son of Herman, was among the principal converts to the Labadist faith, a Frisian

Pietist Pietism (), also known as Pietistic Lutheranism, is a movement within Lutheranism that combines its emphasis on biblical doctrine with an emphasis on individual piety and living a holy Christianity, Christian life. Although the movement is ali ...

sect that practiced a form of

Christian communism Christian communism is a theological view that the teachings of Jesus compel Christians to support religious communism. Although there is no universal agreement on the exact dates when communistic ideas and practices in Christianity began, man ...

that emphasized asceticism,

plain dress Plain dress is a practice among some religious groups, primarily some Christianity, Christian churches in which people dress in clothes of traditional modest design, sturdy fabric, and conservative cut. It is intended to show acceptance of trad ...

, gender equality, and

universal priesthood The priesthood of all believers is the common priesthood of all Christians (a concept broadly accepted by all churches), while the term can also refer to a specific Protestant understanding that this universal priesthood precludes the ''ministeri ...

. In 1683, Augustine Herman granted 3,750 acres (15 km2) of land to the Labadists to form a colony. The Labadist commune never managed to gain more than 100 settlers and ceased to exist after 1720. It was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

in 1973.

References

External links

*, including photo from 1970, at Maryland Historical Trust * Christian communism Communism in Maryland Czech-American culture in Maryland Dutch-American culture Frisian diaspora Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Maryland Houses in Cecil County, Maryland Houses completed in 1743 Georgian architecture in Maryland Historic American Buildings Survey in Maryland National Register of Historic Places in Cecil County, Maryland 1743 establishments in Maryland {{CecilCountyMD-NRHP-stub