Marlborough Towne Chapter, NSDAR, was organized on October 15, 1966, by Mrs. Robert Bowie Ghiselin Sasscer, in the town of Upper Marlboro, Maryland. 

Marlborough Towne History

Two and one-half centuries ago, on the twenty-eighth day of March, 1721, the Justices of Prince George’s County, according to the directions of the act of assembly,”…adjourned Themselves from Charles Town to MARLBOROUGH Towne…there to meet at three o’clock in the afternoon…” at the new courthouse. Charles Town, now gone, had served as the county seat since April 23, 1696, when Prince George’s County was organized. During the ensuing years, Marlborough Towne, now listed by the Post Office as Upper Marlboro, was destined to witness events as the seat of county government.

The 1706 Act of the Assembly, which established the town as an official port, stated that it was to be located on the Western Branch at a place known as “Colonel Beall’s Landing.”  The legislation also provided that eleven commissioners were to purchase the land and have it surveyed into 100 lots of one acre each, leaving space for a church and market place.  The 1707 plat may now be seen at the Maryland Historical Society in Baltimore.  The name of the town was chosen to honor the Duke of Marlborough, hero of the Battle of Blenheim.

In 1756, while George Washington was a young Colonel in the Virginia Militia, he first visited Marlborough.  On his way to the First Continental Congress, he lodged here August 31, 1774, and again on May 4, 1775, while on his way to the Second Continental Congress.  Washington’s last visit to Marlborough was in 1793 while he was serving as the first President of the United States.

During the Revolutionary War, and again in 1813, extant state records show that Maryland public records and papers were moved to Upper Marlborough from Annapolis for safekeeping.

Daniel Carroll was born in Marlborough.  He was a member of the Continental Congress, signed the Articles of Confederation, was a delegate to the convention that framed our federal Constitution, and served in the first Congress of the United States.  Daniel Carroll was the brother of the Reverend John Carroll.  Archbishop Carroll was chosen by the second Continental Congress to accompany Carroll of Carrollton on a mission to solicit the cooperation of Canada during the War of Independence.

In 1814, Francis Scott Key, while attempting to obtain the release of Dr. William Beanes, a prominent resident of Upper Marlborough, was detained in Baltimore Harbor during the bombardment of Fort McHenry. On this occasion, Key wrote the words to our National Anthem. Dr. Beanes served on the committee of Prince Georgians to carry into effect the resolutions adopted by the First Continental Congress. He was a surgeon in the general hospital at Philadelphia during the Revolutionary War. His tomb is near the site of his home in Upper Marlboro.  The tomb was marked by Marlborough Towne Chapter, NSDAR, in 1971.

Past Chapter Regents

Membership

Our chapter welcomes new members and guests. Women interested in joining our chapter should email Membership - please use DAR Membership as a subject line and include your name, address, and telephone number. Refer to Eligibility for membership details. For chapter information, email Regent: Mrs. James Arnold Borer (Lucy).

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Revised: October 6, 2004