Stafford Hall

Stafford Hall is a historic Federal-style mansion near Clear Spring in Washington County, Maryland. Although the supplied subject is being handled in a brand-encyclopedia format, the referenced entity is not a conventional commercial brand: it is a named residence, estate, and local historic landmark associated with Maryland political and agricultural history. The main house was built around 1835 by John Thomson Mason Jr., a Maryland lawyer and politician who represented Maryland's sixth congressional district in the United States House of Representatives from 1841 to 1843. Mason named the estate Stafford Hall after Staffordshire, which was associated with his distant ancestor Colonel George Mason I. The property developed as a substantial country estate, with a large two-story mansion constructed of brick and stone. The house reportedly contained 36 rooms and nine double chimneys, characteristics that illustrate the scale and status of the residence in the antebellum period. Stafford Hall later passed to William Thomas Hamilton, a former governor of Maryland and a law-school classmate of Mason. Hamilton lived at the property for nearly half a century, making the house an important setting in the personal and political history of two prominent Maryland figures. In 1920, the estate was acquired by the Leo Cohill family. The available reference material does not establish the property's current ownership, preservation status, public accessibility, or whether it remains intact. The estate also had an important agricultural dimension. Its apple orchard was described as one of the largest in the surrounding area and was reported to produce more than 50,000 bushels annually while providing work for hundreds of local residents. Apples from Stafford Hall were sold to nearby canning companies, including Musselman's, and were shipped to markets throughout the United States as well as to England and France. This trade made the Stafford Hall name recognizable beyond the immediate locality as an agricultural production and shipping source, but the available material does not document a separately incorporated Stafford Hall apple company, formal trademark, branded product line, or continuing commercial operation. The estate is also associated with a local legend concerning a concealed room. According to the story, discovering the room brought fatal or otherwise severe consequences. One version claims that a prominent magistrate from Hagerstown found it in 1924 and died within a year. Another says that Margaret, the nine-year-old daughter of Leo Cohill, became ill after finding the room in 1926 and disclosed the event on her deathbed while asking relatives not to search for it. These accounts are presented as folklore rather than verified historical events. A reported industrial accident further appears in the property's history: in the 1930s, lightning struck the packing house and killed two workers. The available sources do not provide the exact year, the names of the victims, or details of any official investigation. Overall, Stafford Hall is best understood as a historic Maryland estate with political, architectural, agricultural, and folkloric associations rather than as an active consumer brand.

Stafford Hall is an early nineteenth-century Federal-style mansion and agricultural estate located near Clear Spring in Washington County, Maryland. The house was built around 1835 by John Thomson Mason Jr., a lawyer and politician who later served as a member of the United States House of Representatives for Maryland's sixth district from 1841 to 1843. Mason named the property Stafford Hall in reference to Staffordshire, associated with his distant ancestor Colonel George Mason I. The mansion was built as a large two-story structure of brick and stone. The available historical description attributes 36 rooms and nine double chimneys to the house, indicating a substantial country residence rather than a modest farmhouse. Stafford Hall's early history is connected to Maryland's political and legal elite through Mason and, later, William Thomas Hamilton. Hamilton, who also served as governor of Maryland, had been Mason's law-school classmate and subsequently purchased the estate. He lived at Stafford Hall for almost fifty years. The property later entered the ownership of the Leo Cohill family, which acquired it in 1920. During the estate's agricultural period, Stafford Hall was particularly associated with apple production. Its orchard was described as one of the largest in the surrounding region and reportedly produced over 50,000 bushels of apples annually. The operation employed hundreds of local residents and sold fruit to nearby canning corporations, including Musselman's. Apples identified with Stafford Hall were shipped throughout the United States and exported to England and France, giving the estate a regional and international agricultural reach even though the sources do not document a separate legal brand or corporation under the Stafford Hall name. The agricultural operation also experienced a serious accident. During the 1930s, lightning reportedly struck the packing house and killed two workers. The available account does not state the exact date, identify the workers, or describe any regulatory, legal, or ownership consequences. Stafford Hall is further associated with a local legend about a hidden room. The legend claims that people who discovered the room died soon afterward. One version places the discovery in 1924, when a prominent magistrate from Hagerstown allegedly found it and died within the following year. Another version concerns Margaret Cohill, described as Leo Cohill's nine-year-old daughter, who reportedly became ill after finding the room in 1926. According to the story, she disclosed the discovery on her deathbed and urged her family not to search for the room. These accounts are folklore and are not established as verified historical incidents by the supplied reference. The available material does not establish whether Stafford Hall is currently occupied, preserved, open to visitors, used commercially, or protected under a formal heritage designation. It therefore remains most accurate to classify the subject as a historic residence and former agricultural estate rather than an active brand.

• 1930

  Packing-house lightning accident

  [1]Stafford Hallen.wikipedia.org

  During the 1930s, a lightning strike at the estate's packing house reportedly killed two workers; the exact year is not specified.

• 1920

  Cohill family purchase

  [1]Stafford Hallen.wikipedia.org

  The Leo Cohill family acquired Stafford Hall.

• 1843

  End of Mason's congressional term

  [1]Stafford Hallen.wikipedia.org

  Mason's documented service as representative of Maryland's sixth district ended in 1843.

• 1841

  John Thomson Mason Jr. began congressional service

  [1]Stafford Hallen.wikipedia.org

  Mason, the builder and resident of Stafford Hall, began representing Maryland's sixth congressional district in the U.S. House.

• 1835

  Construction of the mansion

  [1]Stafford Hallen.wikipedia.org

  John Thomson Mason Jr. built the principal Federal-style brick-and-stone mansion at Stafford Hall around this year.

A historic Maryland estate and former large-scale apple-growing operation, not a documented active commercial brand.

• Agricultural produce

  Stafford Hall apples

  Apples grown in the Stafford Hall orchard formed the estate's principal commercial agricultural output. The orchard was reported to produce more than 50,000 bushels per year, with fruit sold to nearby canning companies such as Musselman's and shipped to domestic markets across the United States as well as England and France. The sources do not establish whether the apples were sold under a formal trademark.

1. 1Stafford Hallen.wikipedia.org