Mount Lubentia

Mount Lubentia is a historic house in the Largo area of Prince George's County, Maryland. It is not a commercial brand in the conventional sense; the name identifies a preserved historic property associated with the Magruder family, colonial Maryland, and the region's plantation-era built environment. The main house is an elegantly detailed two-and-a-half-story brick building combining Georgian and Federal characteristics. Its Flemish-bond brickwork and surviving architectural fabric reflect an early construction date, while substantial alterations and refinements made in the late eighteenth century account for much of the appearance visible today. The house was probably built around 1760 by Enoch Magruder. Enoch and his son Dennis Magruder are associated with the property's construction and later development. Family tradition held that Dennis was born there in 1759, although that claim is presented as tradition rather than definitive documentary fact. Dennis received the house and property from his father when he married in 1779, during his service in the Maryland Line in the American Revolutionary War. Mount Lubentia gained particular historical importance through its connection with the Reverend Jonathan Boucher, an Anglican clergyman and educator who occupied the house from 1771 to 1773. Boucher hosted pupils there, including Jackie Custis, the stepson of George Washington. Boucher referred to the building as a tolerable residence in his reminiscences, while the pupils reportedly gave it the nickname “Castle Magruder.” George and Martha Washington visited Mount Lubentia on several occasions, as recorded in Washington's diary. The property also contains significant agricultural outbuildings. An octagonal frame dairy was moved to Mount Lubentia during the 1970s from the nearby former Graden plantation. It is regarded as an unusually strong surviving example of an architecturally deliberate eighteenth-century domestic dairy in Prince George's County and possibly Maryland. An eighteenth-century corncrib, documented in the 1798 tax records, also survives on the property. These structures broaden the site's importance beyond the main residence by illustrating domestic and agricultural practices of the period. Restoration work undertaken by the owner over approximately fifteen years revealed evidence of earlier room arrangements, materials, and finishes beneath later eighteenth- and early nineteenth-century work. This investigation helped clarify the property's architectural evolution. Mount Lubentia was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1987. It is consequently best understood as a historic place and heritage property rather than a consumer-facing brand, with significance grounded in architecture, local history, colonial-era associations, and surviving outbuildings.

Mount Lubentia is an historic house in the Largo vicinity of Prince George's County, Maryland. The principal residence was probably constructed around 1760 for Enoch Magruder and is associated with his son Dennis Magruder, who later became the property's owner. The structure is a two-and-a-half-story brick house whose Georgian and Federal elements reflect both its original eighteenth-century setting and later alterations. Its Flemish-bond masonry and carefully composed details distinguish it within the county's surviving domestic architecture. The property became connected with important figures in the political and educational life of the colonial Chesapeake during the early 1770s. The Reverend Jonathan Boucher lived at Mount Lubentia from 1771 to 1773. Boucher was an Anglican clergyman and tutor whose students included Jackie Custis, George Washington's stepson. The pupils reportedly called the residence “Castle Magruder,” a nickname that reflects the impression made by the house's scale and architectural character. George and Martha Washington visited the property several times, with the visits noted in Washington's diary. Boucher later recalled the residence in his reminiscences of an American Loyalist. Family tradition reported in the late 1930s by Forrest Bowie, a direct descendant of Enoch Magruder, stated that Dennis Magruder was born at Mount Lubentia in 1759. The same historical account records that Dennis received the house and land from his father upon his marriage in 1779, while serving in the Maryland Line during the Revolutionary War. These details place Mount Lubentia within the intertwined military, family, and landholding history of late colonial and revolutionary Maryland. Architectural investigation has shown that the house underwent substantial renovation in the late 1790s, with additional work continuing into the early nineteenth century. During a restoration carried out by the owner over roughly fifteen years, earlier configurations, construction materials, and finishes were found beneath the later work. These discoveries provided evidence of how the residence had changed over time and helped explain the mixture of Georgian and Federal features visible in the restored building. The surrounding property retains additional historic resources. An octagonal frame dairy was moved onto the site in the 1970s from the nearby former plantation known as Graden. The dairy is considered an especially important surviving example of an architecturally conscious eighteenth-century domestic outbuilding in Prince George's County and possibly in Maryland. The property also includes an eighteenth-century corncrib mentioned in the 1798 tax records. Together, the house, dairy, corncrib, and related agricultural setting convey both domestic life and the productive functions of an early Maryland estate. Mount Lubentia was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1987. Documentation associated with the site includes records from the Maryland Historical Trust and Historic American Buildings Survey materials, including photographic and measured documentation of the house, corncrib, and stable. The available evidence supports treating Mount Lubentia as a historic site and architectural resource, not as an operating brand with products, corporate leadership, financial disclosures, or commercial campaigns.

• 1987

  National Register listing

  [1]Mount Lubentiaen.wikipedia.org

  Mount Lubentia was listed on the National Register of Historic Places, formally recognizing its architectural and historical significance.

• 1798

  Corncrib recorded in tax records

  [1]Mount Lubentiaen.wikipedia.org

  An eighteenth-century corncrib associated with the property was documented in the county's 1798 tax records.

• 1779

  Transfer to Dennis Magruder

  [1]Mount Lubentiaen.wikipedia.org

  Dennis Magruder reportedly received the house and property from his father upon his marriage while serving in the Maryland Line during the Revolutionary War.

• 1773

  End of Boucher's residence

  [1]Mount Lubentiaen.wikipedia.org

  Boucher's period at the property ended after approximately two years. During this period, the house acquired the reported nickname “Castle Magruder.”

• 1771

  Jonathan Boucher begins residence

  [1]Mount Lubentiaen.wikipedia.org

  The Reverend Jonathan Boucher occupied Mount Lubentia from 1771 to 1773 and taught pupils there, including Jackie Custis.

• 1760

  Probable construction of the main house

  [1]Mount Lubentiaen.wikipedia.org

  Mount Lubentia was probably built around this time for Enoch Magruder as a substantial brick residence in what is now Prince George's County, Maryland.

A documented Maryland historic property and heritage site rather than a commercial product or consumer brand.

1. 1Mount Lubentiaen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Mount Lubentia, Prince George's County, Inventory No. PG:73-16mht.maryland.gov
3. 3Historic American Buildings Survey documentation for Mount Lubentia, HABS No. MD-638loc.gov