Following a catastrophic fire that was first contained Wednesday night, firefighters returned Friday morning to put out hotspots when a fire restarted at Sandy Spring’s Harewood Farm.
When about 75 firefighters arrived on the scene of the initial incident, they discovered that the two-story farmhouse was heavily burned. The property was severely damaged and was situated between 4,000 and 5,000 feet from Olney-Sandy Spring Road in an area without fire hydrants. A thorough search of the building was conducted after initial reports indicated a potential missing tenant; it was later determined that the house was vacant at the time. There were no reported injuries. The cause of the fire is still unknown, however it was found to be accidental.
Built between 1793 and 1794, Harewood was the homestead of the powerful Stabler family, according to the Library of Congress. One of the few surviving houses constructed by Sandy Spring’s original Quaker families, it has timber frame construction, straightforward details that are in line with Quaker principles, and a hall-and-parlor layout that was popular at the time. Dean Acheson, President Truman’s Secretary of State, bought it in 1925 and used it to host the president on occasion while he was in office. The home is regarded as a rare and important example of early regional architecture and still has a lot of its original charm.
Sandy Spring, Maryland This morning’s aerial photo shows 17600 Meeting House Road, the location of the building that was rekindled after the fire on Wednesday.#mcfrs@MoCoFireWire@[email protected]/W48yEGuiex @mcfrsPIO@HHFireProds@ArmisteadIsaac@mcfrs#ac
June 20, 2025 MyDrone.Pro (@MyDronePro)
