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Willow Lake Farm, Davidsonville, Maryland

Hi Steven,
What kind of farm was Willow Lake Farm? Does the property look the same at all today?

Originally this farm was started about 1820 by Dr John Henry Sellman, son of Jonathan Sellman who fought in the Revolutionary War with George Washington. In fact it is quite possible that the money used to purchase this land is directly attributed to General Jonathan Sellman war service. His son, Dr John Henry Sellman and decendants lived & farmed this land for over 102 years. About 1939/40, Ben Hundley purchased this farm & built the tennant farmer house along with the cow barn pictured. He installed a large lake & built a house for himself which is 3588 Birdsville Rd. The beef was for consumption, not dairy. In 1967, Dr Alfred Suraci purchased the farm and has been in that families hands ever since. It looks like this today except for being much grown over and minus the fencing. Layers of history with this land!

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Do you have a connection to this photograph? Maybe you grew up here or know someone who did? What has changed in the 57 years since this photo was taken? Tell us!