Wheatfield

Jan 4, 1987

In 1695 a tract of land was patented to Samuel Chew as ‘Chew’s Resolution Manor’ and ‘Chew’s Vineyard’ and upon this tract now stands Wheatfield, a circa 1830 country farmhouse. Built on a knoll in the middle of a wheat field, the house is an example of what is known as a telescopic house where one section fits into the other like a telescope.

Caleb Dorsey inherited the land in 1718. In 1850 the 2020-acre farm was purchased for $9000 by James Clark. One son left the farm to join the Confederate Army, surviving prison camp to return as a cattle broker. His other son John Lawrence Clark (1855) was born at Wheatfield. He maintained the farm, raising a family that would be closely associated with Howard County business and politics. From 1856 until 1948 the property remained in the Clark family.

The farm was then sold to the Widdup family for $50,000. In 1977 the property was owned by the Doll family who subdivided the land to 11 acres. The house still stands amid residential neighborhood of the same name The Show House was held from September 26 to October 25. The Chairman was Enalee Bounds.