A Maryland home with a kitchen that’s older than the U.S. is headed to the auction block next month.
The property, known as the P.A. Bowen Farmstead, spans 97 acres and encompasses a working farm and an 1870s mansion with a kitchen wing that predates the American Revolution. It’s in the Washington, D.C., suburb of Brandywine, about an hour outside of the nation’s capital.
The property’s origins date to 1665, and its original structure still stands today as part of the main home, housing the now-modernized kitchen. Thomas Truman—a politician, military officer and early settler of the Maryland colony—was the property’s original owner, according to Elite Auctions, which is handling the sale.
The expanded Italianate-style house was built by the next owner—Philander A. Bowen, for whom the farm gets its name—in the 1870s, according to the listing with Bob Lucido and Tracy Lucido of Keller Williams Lucido Agency. Though it’s been restored, the 5,500-square-foot home retains many original details, including its 13-foot ceilings, crown moldings, seven fireplaces and hardwood floors in the front hall, parlor, dining room and three of the six bedrooms.
The seller is Sally Fallon Morell, co-author of the 1999 cookbook “Nourishing Traditions” as well as several other nutrition-related books. Morell bought the property in 2011 for $720,000, according to records with PropertyShark.
Morrell, who is also co-founded of the nutrition education nonprofit Weston A. Price Foundation, which promotes the benefits of preindustrial and animal-based foods, with her late husband, Geoffrey, is “retiring after 15 years of transforming the estate into a nationally recognized regenerative farm,” according to Elite Auctions. Morell wasn’t immediately available for comment.
Since acquiring the property, the Morrells have operated a chemical-free boutique farm, producing goods without the use of pesticides, herbicides or synthetic chemicals. The farm’s products, including cheese, beef, chicken, eggs and seasonal turkey are sold at the on-site farm store (also included with the sale) and local farmers markets, according to the farm’s website.
Other features include a restored event barn, a detached three-car garage, a pond with a dock, a pool, a greenhouse and several other outbuildings, according to the listing.
“Properties like this simply don’t come to market,” Tara McLean, president and co-founder of Elite Auctions, said in a statement. “Just an hour outside of Washington, D.C., you have a residence steeped in American history, a working award-winning farm with an established team in place, and a rare no-reserve auction that lets the market determine its value.”
The no-reserve auction will be held at P.A. Bowen Farmstead on April 9. The property was listed for sale earlier this month for $7.5 million.
