From H. Pyle's book quoting an article in THE TIMES CRESCENT, 7 September, 1972, by James C. Wilfong, Jr. "Sarum. The manorial seat of the PILE family was originally patented in 1658 to John who was a Privy Councillor to Lord Baltimore. Madame Sarah Pile was granted Seigniory at Sarum in 1680, one of the few women so honored. The house has an extremely high-pitched roof and unusual dormer windows, characteristics of 17th century Maryland. The original rooms of the dwelling may go back to about 1660; the two rear rooms and part of the paneled room were added some time between 1724 and 1750. A small brick annex, which is now part of the kitchen, has a dated brick in its outside wall reading 1762. Fastened to an ancient brick wall high on a dominant hillside in lower Charles County is a small brass plate, measuring about 5 x 7 inches. It contains a stamped text, which reads:" 'Sarum. 1150 acres on St. John's River, Newport Hundred, Charles County granted to Joseph Pile, gentleman of St. Mary's County and first erected as a manor 20 November, 1680. Original grant to Pile's father, John, 13 August 1662.' "There are not many homes which carry such a plaque, large or small. DeLaBrooke in St. Mary's is an exception, because of the visits of the late president, Franklin D. Roosevelt there. In the case of Sarum, though, there is no particular historic note recorded other than the great age and it is provocative in the extreme to speculate on who cared so much for Sarum needed no other attention. In 1949, a long porch spanned the house and its removal in recent years greatly enhanced its attractiveness. The December, 1949, issue of THE MARYLAND HISTORICAL MAGAZINE had on its cover a likeness of its earlier appearance. There are now displayed boxed cornices of distinction and lines more in keeping with its Ca.1724, building date." "In Maryland, "A GUIDE TO THE OLD LINE STATE, the following appears: '.....a one and a half story house, with brick ends and wide clapboards, built before 1724.' This is all. The brevity of the note could discourage the curious or it could pique the curiousity to a degree that Sarum simply must be seen. The house is long and low to the ground. It probably measures some 75 feet from end to end, not including the wing added in 1970, to replace the screened porch shown in the photograph. There are five well- placed and well-proportioned dormers breaking the long front roof line. An oddity is the placement of the front door; it should, by rights, line up with the central dormer, but it is quaintly off-center. One would not wish it otherwise, however. " "The center hall here must, in turn, be a few feet off center but the fact is not noticeable. To the right, on entering, is a superb living room, paneled from floor to ceiling on all sides. The mantel-piece over the modest fireplace opening is in keeping. Across the hall, a dining room of similar dimensions lacks the paneling, but has two excellent features to counterbalance the other. A natural pine corner cabinet with door and original hardware in in one corner. A notable ceiling cornice circles the four walls and it is beautifully executed. This could have been done by the same unknown craftsman who left such perfect work at Mount Calvert in Lower Prince George's County. This room, too, has a mantlepiece in keeping." "Sarum has a very long roofline at the rear slope to create what in Maryland and the south would be described as 'Cat-side'. New Englanders would regard it as Salt-Box. A patio of flat laid brick spans most of the rear plateau and below this--far below--A series of natural terraces drops to the marshland around St. John's River. There is a stupendous view of miles and miles of valley farmland and a ribbon of water to underscore this wide expanse between these Charles County hillsides. This rear roof drops very low and front and rear walls retain their ancient beaded edged siding of random width." "Sarum is a reminder that this is the area of Maryland's very beginnings and one can assume that John and Joseph Pile found things much to their liking here 258 years ago on their picturesque hilltop." End of article. Will send more on this subject in another post. Sara