Saving Rich Hill

[Dave Taylor]

Michael Mazzeo, vice president of the Charles County Historical Society, said the house was built in the early to mid-1700s by Rev. Richard Brown, the brother of Dr. Gustavus Brown, who was one of George Washington’s physicians. The name Rich Hill comes from Richard Brown.

Actually, the house was built by Rev. Richard Brown's father, Dr. Gustavus Brown, Sr. Both Rev. Richard Brown and Dr. Gustavus Brown, Jr. (Washington's physician) grew up in the house. When their father died, Rev. Richard Brown inherited the house and made improvements on it.

Also the name "Rich Hills" was around before Rev. Richard Brown was born and even before the house was built. In April of 1666, a recent immigrant from Wales named Hugh Thomas was assigned and patented “600 acres of land, called Rich Hills, on the west side of the Wicomico river, in Charles county, Md.”

For more, see my article "A History of Rich Hill" in the Surratt Courier, January 2014.