Woodford Farm

Mar 11, 2007

One of the three-foot tall stone markers placed in the ground to mark the present-day boundaries of the farm has the inscription, “IB 1776,” which may represent the initials JB. Adam Barnes granted the land to his son John Barnes. In later deeds, this tract of land, known as Woodford, was mentioned by names such as William Loney to Charles Hobbs, Arthur McLean to Benjamin Hess and the Hess to Rhine deed of 1923.

It is believed that the present-day house was built between 1885 and 1893. The Hess family celebrated their 10th Wedding Anniversary there which is believed to have been before 1893. Benjamin Hess was a County Commissioner in 1891 and listed in the 1880 Federal Census as a “Farmer” and his wife, Georgie, as “Keeping House.” Benjamin Hess Slack was bequeathed the property known as Woodford Farm. In 1923, Jessie L. Rhine and his wife, Beulah, purchased the farm and house from the estate of Benjamin F. Hess. The Rhine family property was 139 1/3 acres bordering the present-day Route 99. They purchased an additional 1 1/3 acre from the Thomas family. The home is located at 12885 Old Frederick Road, Sykesville, Maryland.

John Lee Rhine, son of Jessie, and his son, John Lee Rhine Jr., born in 1945, carried on the farming and dairy operations. Jay Rhine, son of John Lee Jr., placed the farm in Howard County Land Preservation and continues to raise cattle in addition to his “Rhine Landscaping and Design Company” business. Although the Jay Rhine family home has gone through a complete renovation, the original footprint and layout has been left pretty much intact.

The Decorator Show House ran from September 22 to October 21, 2007. Chairperson of the Show House was Wanda Mathews. Just over 5,000 guests visited Woodford Farm.