Sotterley History    |   People of Sotterley   |   Buildings and Grounds

Older than Mount Vernon, older than Monticello, older than the nation itself, Sotterley Plantation stands majestically on the banks of the Patuxent River. It is the only remaining Tidewater Plantation in Maryland that is open to the public with a full range of visitor activities and educational programs. Sotterley's significant architecture features the early 18th-century Mansion, a rare original slave cabin, and a full array of outbuildings set amidst 95 acres of rolling fields, gardens, and riverfront.

Sotterley History

18th Century

James Bowles, son of a wealthy London tobacco merchant and member of Maryland's Lower House of the Assembly, purchased a 2,000 acre tract that would become Sotterley Plantation. In 1703, he built the original two room house which today stands as a unique record of a method of construction called post-in-ground architecture, once common in the Tidewater regions.

Two years after the death of Squire Bowles in 1727, his young widow, Rebecca, married George Plater II. Over the years, the Plater family converted the simple residence into a charming 18th-century Mansion house, which they named after their ancestral home, Sotterley Hall, in Suffolk, England. It was under George Plater III, sixth governor of Maryland, that the house reached its distinctive form which was much admired by George Washington, and perhaps served as a model for Mount Vernon. The design of the Chinese Chippendale staircase and the shell alcoves in the drawing room is attributed to Richard Boulton.  They are considered among the finest examples of 18th-century American woodwork.

19th Century

In the late 19th century, Sotterley experienced a period of decline, and ownership was transferred to the W.H. Stone Briscoe family in 1826. It was during this era that the Plantation was site of one of the largest communities of enslaved African-Americans in the Southern Maryland region. While the traditional historical record contains scant information about members of this community, much is known about the Kane family. Hillery Kane, a skilled plasterer, his first wife Mariah; then his second wife Elsa; and fifteen of his twenty children, resided at Sotterley at mid-century. During this time, Sotterley continued to play a major economic role in the region as a busy steamboat landing.

View the genealogical records found in the Slave Statistics of St. Mary's County on the emancipation of the Kane family and other Briscoe slaves. (This information is provided through the AfriGeneas Slave Date Collection website).

20th Century

In 1910, Sotterley changed hands once again when it was sold to Herbert L. Satterlee and his wife Louisa, daughter of J. Pierpont Morgan. In a twist of fate, the Satterlees, like the Platers, traced their ancestry to Sotterley Hall in England. The Satterlees spent several years restoring the Mansion house and grounds to their 18th century condition, subsequently using it as their summer residence. Their daughter, Mabel Satterlee Ingalls, purchased the plantation in 1947. Having grown to love Sotterley through a childhood of summers spent amidst its charms, she determined to preserve it and to share it. In 1961, she created the non-profit Sotterley Mansion Foundation which holds the historic site trust for the public.

The People of Sotterley

18th Century

Richard Boulton (?-1801)
James Bowles (?-1727)
Elizabeth Rousby Plater (1751-1789)
George Plater II (1695-1755)
George Plater III (1735-1792)
George Plater IV (1766-1802)
George Plater V (1797-1846)

19th Century

Mary Blades (1814-1886)
Dr. Henry Briscoe (1832-?)
Dr. Walter Hanson Stone Briscoe (1801-1885)
George Briscoe (1839-1865)
Alice Elsa Kane (1840-1889)
Frank Kane (1848-1928)
Hillery Kane (1818-1889)

20th Century

Agnes Kane Callum (1925 - )
Mabel Satterlee Ingalls (1900-1993)
Herbert Livingston Satterlee (1863-1947)
Louisa Morgan Satterlee

Buildings and Grounds

Mansion House
Slave Cabin
Customs Warehouse
Formal Garden - Seasonal Bloom List and Map of the garden
Smokehouse
Necessary
Corn Crib

Plan to also visit the Sotterley Gift Shop!