“Ever wonder what lies hidden within a seemingly ordinary suburban community?” That’s the question Waters House Special Park answers. It is a 3.9-acre park that protects a unique slice of Montgomery County’s past. Here, a house and farm structures whisper tales from over 100 years of agricultural and equine racing history.
Today, Montgomery Parks offices occupy Waters House. The grounds are open to the public from sunrise to sunset. This allows everyone to wander through this historic landscape.
Let’s journey back to the mid-1790s. Basil Waters, the original owner, inherited 200 acres from his father, William Waters of Brookeville. Basil built the small brick section of the house. He named his farm Pleasant Fields. Many Waters descendants built houses in this area. Only Basil’s house remains from that era.
In 1799, Basil Waters married Anne Pottinger Magruder. She was the daughter of Revolutionary War hero Zadok Magruder. Basil and Anne had six children. Upon Basil’s death, his youngest son Zacariah inherited the plantation. It then consisted of about 656 acres.
Zacariah Waters married his cousin, Eliza Waters. She was the daughter of Basil’s brother, Ignatius. Sometime before 1858, Zacariah added a two-story addition. This brick and frame structure became the center of the house. After Zacariah’s death, Eliza sold Pleasant Fields to her brother, Dr. William Alexander Waters in 1882.
Dr. Waters expanded Waters House in the 1890s. He built the large three-story frame addition. It included a magnificent staircase in the center hallway that extends to the roof. Porches and ornamental details in the Victorian Italianate style were added. These included carved brackets and scrolls. This unified the exterior of Waters House.
Charles Clark Waters, Dr. Water’s son, was a horseman. He raised and bred standard-bred horses at Pleasant Fields. His most famous stud horse was Kinster. Kinster was a record-setting trotter. The Pleasant Fields Stock Farm gained renown in racing circles around the turn-of-the-century. The bank barn, carriage house, and loafing shed were added during Charles’s time.
Before 1920, Charles and his son William shifted their business. They moved from horses to automobiles. They opened a Buick dealership in Gaithersburg. The business faltered in the late 1920s. This occurred near the start of the Great Depression. In 1932, the Waters’ house and 988 acres were sold at public auction. This was to pay the family’s debts.
Over the next 65 years, the farm passed through several owners. In 1997, 3.9 acres were deeded to the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission. It became an amenity for the developing suburban community. The transfer included all the historic buildings. The farmhouse was recently renovated.
A small family burial plot sits on Hawk’s Nest Lane. It is the final resting place of Basil and Anne Waters. Their children Susannah, Robert, Zacariah, and Mary are also buried there. Eliza Zacariah and her son Bazil rest there too. Dr. William Waters is also buried in the plot.
Waters House Special Park is more than just a park. It’s a portal into the lives of those who shaped this land. Take a stroll through the grounds. Imagine the horses thundering across the fields. Envision families working and living within those historic walls. Feel the echoes of the past. It is a place where history comes alive.