Richard Snowden (1688–1763) was the grandson of Richard Snowden Sr (1640–1711), one of

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; ...

's early colonists, who arrived in 1658. By Articles of Agreement dated July 5, 1705, Snowden and four other partners – Joseph Cowman, Edmund Jenings, John Galloway, and John Prichard – founded the

Patuxent Iron Works The Patuxent Iron Works was an ironworks along the Patuxent River in Maryland, United States. History Some sources that say the company was founded before 1734 by Richard Snowden and family on the site of their family's earlier iron works.Cook, W ...

on the site of Maryland's oldest iron forge. Together they founded one of Maryland's first industries, and settled the land now known as

Laurel Laurel may refer to: Plants * Lauraceae, the laurel family * Laurel (plant), including a list of trees and plants known as laurel People * Laurel (given name), people with the given name * Laurel (surname), people with the surname * Laurel (m ...

and

Sandy Spring, Maryland Sandy Spring is an unincorporated community in Montgomery County, Maryland, United States. Geography Sandy Spring's boundaries are roughly defined as Brooke Road and Dr. Bird Road to the north and west, Ednor Road to the south, and New Hampshi ...

Foundation

On the January 11, 1669, of land called "Iron Mine" were patented from George Yate to Richard Snowden Sr. and Thomas Linthicum, "farmers", for of tobacco. Linthicum sold this land to Snowden Sr. in 1675. In 1685 King Charles (via Lord Baltimore) granted Richard Snowden Sr. of land on the

Patuxent River The Patuxent River is a tributary of the Chesapeake Bay in the state of Maryland. There are three main river drainages for central Maryland: the Potomac River to the west passing through Washington, D.C., the Patapsco River to the northeast ...

(Robinhood's Forest). On this land, the

Quaker Quakers are people who belong to a historically Protestant Christian set of Christian denomination, denominations known formally as the Religious Society of Friends. Members of these movements ("theFriends") are generally united by a belie ...

Richard Snowden Sr. built the plantation "Birmingham Manor". On August 14, 1688, Snowden Sr. acquired called Godwell. On April 19, 1715, Snowden Sr. purchased called "Burgess Choice". On December 10, 1715, of land known as "Snowden's Manor" were surveyed for Snowden Sr. near

Ashton Ashton may refer to: Names *Ashton (given name) *Ashton (surname) Places Australia * Ashton, Elizabeth Bay, a heritage-listed house in Sydney, New South Wales *Ashton, South Australia Canada *Ashton, Ontario New Zealand * Ashton, New Zealand ...

. Altogether, Richard Snowden Sr. amassed an estate worth over 2,000 pounds by 1715. In 1719, Richard Snowden Jr. was granted in Maryland.

Property

In 1720, Richard Snowden inherited Birmingham Manor and all the accumulated lands of his father, Richard Snowden Jr. In October 1723, Snowden Hill was surveyed and granted to Richard Snowden, including of land by the Columbia road with the West Point Branch running through it. In 1724, Richard Snowden sent workers to build a log core that became "Greenwood", north of

Brookeville, Maryland Brookeville is a town in Montgomery County, Maryland, United States, located north of Washington, D.C., and north of Olney. Brookeville was settled by Quakers late in the 18th century and was formally incorporated as a town in 1808. Historicall ...

establishing Sandy Spring's and Montgomery County's oldest surviving residence. On May 19, 1729, Richard Snowden, Peter Hume, and Daniel Dulaney the Elder advertised as agents for the sale of "two hundred choice slaves" newly arrived in the South River. Snowden's ironworks employed a mixed workforce of

indentured servants Indentured servitude is a form of Work (human activity), labor in which a person is contracted to work without salary for a specific number of years. The contract, called an "indenture", may be entered "voluntarily" for purported eventual compensa ...

convicts A convict is "a person found guilty of a crime and sentenced by a court" or "a person serving a sentence in prison". Convicts are often also known as "prisoners" or "inmates" or by the slang term "con", while a common label for former convic ...

, and

enslaved Africans The Atlantic slave trade, transatlantic slave trade, or Euro-American slave trade involved the transportation by slave traders of enslaved African people, mainly to the Americas. The slave trade regularly used the triangular trade route and i ...

. In 1736, Snowden, Joseph Cowman, and three other partners founded the "Patuxent Iron Work Company", and built a new furnace on the site of their c. 1705 furnace (Maryland's first

ironworks An ironworks or iron works is an industrial plant where iron is smelted and where heavy iron and steel products are made. The term is both singular and plural, i.e. the singular of ''ironworks'' is ''ironworks''. Ironworks succeeded bloome ...

.) A 1753 letter by

Charles Carroll of Annapolis Charles Carroll II (1702–1782) known as Charles Carroll of Annapolis to distinguish him from his similarly named relatives, was a wealthy Maryland planter and lawyer. His father was Charles Carroll the Settler, (I – the first), (1661–17 ...

noted that Snowden's forge was the only one in Maryland to have ore near navigable waters (i.e. the Patuxent River). In 1737 Snowden partnered with his son-in-law James Brooke to build a

gristmill A gristmill (also: grist mill, corn mill, flour mill, feed mill or feedmill) grinds cereal grain into flour and middlings. The term can refer to either the grinding mechanism or the building that holds it. Grist is grain that has been separated ...

and biscuit factory on the Hawlings River. On March 5, 1743, "Snowden's Manor Enlarged" including the original "Snowden's Manor" was resurveyed. This totalled . A "Laurel road" (now Sandy Spring Road) was described. In 1748 Snowden sold of land called "Snowdens Fourth Addition" to his son-in-law and daughter, Samuel and Mary Thomas in Colesville. Samuel was a Quaker minister and founder of the Sandy Spring meeting of friends. In 1752, he sold 507 acres on the South River named "Snowden's Reputation Supported" along with 265 acres along Elkridge, and 236 acres of "Gander's Delight" in Montgomery County. Snowden died at his home on January 26, 1763. His obituary may be found in the January 27, 1763 ''Maryland Gazette''. At Richard Snowden's death, his estate included Snowden Hall, Fairland, Montpelier,

Oaklands Oaklands may refer to: Places: * Oaklands, Carmarthenshire, Wales * Oaklands, Gauteng, a suburb of Johannesburg, South Africa * Oaklands, Hertfordshire, England * Oaklands, New South Wales, a town in Australia * Oaklands, New Zealand, a suburb of ...

, Snow Hill, Avondale, Woodland Hill, Alnick, Elmwood, Brightwood, Maple Grove, and most of the land that comprises modern

Laurel, Maryland Laurel is a city in Maryland, United States, located midway between Washington and Baltimore on the banks of the Patuxent River. While the city limits are entirely in northern Prince George's County, outlying developments extend into Anne Arun ...

Legacy

Richard Snowden is buried in the family cemetery on the grounds of the former Birmingham Manor. The Snowden family cemetery sits just to the east of the former

Suburban Airport Suburban Airport was a public-use airport located in Anne Arundel County, Maryland, United States, two miles (3 km) southeast of the central business district of Laurel. This airport was privately owned by Suburban Air Park LLC. The airpor ...

, and was in its traffic pattern. After Snowden's death, from the 1760s to the 1780s the ironworks were managed by his sons, Samuel, John and Thomas Snowden. At its peak, Snowden's ironworks produced an annual output of 1200 tons. The owners dismantled the furnace in 1856 due to a lack of wood and ore.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Snowden, Richard Anne Arundel County, Maryland Howard County, Maryland Montgomery County, Maryland Prince George's County, Maryland Laurel, Maryland 1688 births 1763 deaths People from Laurel, Maryland People from Sandy Spring, Maryland