Belair Mansion

Belair Mansion was built around 1745 as the plantation home of Samuel Ogle, who had been appointed as Maryland’s first governor by Charles Calvert in 1732.

Ogle lived in the house with his wife Anne Tasker and established a stable called The Belair Stud, which would go on to produce two Triple Crown Winners in the 20th century. Ogle left the property to his three year old son, Benjamin, upon his death in 1752.

The Ogle family continued to inhabit the plantation until 1864 when the ratification of the Maryland Constitution resulted in the emancipation of the 41 enslaved people living and working there. Lacking the resources to operate the plantation, then-owner George Ogle defaulted on his debts and was forced to sell the estate.

Belair passed through numerous owners, falling into disrepair before a family of significant means would  begin a second multigenerational dynasty of ownership.

James T. Woodward, a wealthy banker with residences in multiple states, bought the property for an undisclosed sum and spent a great deal of money rebuilding it, and making endowments to improve St. John’s college in Annapolis.

The house passed to his nephew, William Woodward, Sr. in 1910, who added wings to the mansion and purchased several tracts of land to expand the Belair Stud. He brought in legendary trainer “Sunny Jim” Fitzsimmons in 1923, who would go on to produce two Triple Crown Champion horses - Gallant Fox (1930) and Omaha (1935), the only father-son horse pair to win the Triple Crown.

“Sunny Jim” was the first person ever to train two Triple Crown Winners. The only other trainer with two Triple Crown wins is Bob Baffert, who made Calumet Farms in Lexington, Kentucky the second stable to achieve the feat, following in the footsteps of Fitzsimmons and Belair Stud.

William Woodward Sr. died in 1953 and left the property to his son, William Woodward, Jr. Only two years later, Woodward, Jr. was shot to death by his wife at their estate in Oyster Bay, New York.

The estate was purchased at auction by Levitt and Sons development company in 1957.  It was used as a base of operations for suburban community development until 1964 when they sold it to the City of Bowie for a dollar. Levitt’s success as a developer in suburban Bowie was tainted by his segregationist policies and refusal to sell homes to African Americans. He softened his approach following the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. but likely only in response to changes in housing laws that would have forced him to evolve.

Today, the mansion and nearby stable serve as museums that share the history and interpret the events that unfolded at Belair. There is a detailed exhibit on the basement level that explores the history of enslaved people who lived at Belair, ensuring this deeply regrettable part of Belair’s legacy is preserved for the edification of future generations.

The mansion includes many historical relics that date back to both the Ogle and Woodward eras, and there is an interpretive plaque near the garden that details architectural discoveries made on the property.

The Benjamin Ogle Cemetery, which is the final resting place of Benjamin Ogle II and his family, can be visited on the property.