Belmont Estate

The Belmont Estate, now the Belmont Manor Historic Park, is a historic estate located at Elkridge, Howard County, Maryland, United States. Known in the Colonial period as "Moore's Morning Choice", it is listed on the Maryland Historic Trust (MHT), Inventory of Historic Properties (MIHP), and is on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) as part of the Lawyers Hill Historic District, Elkridge, Maryland.From the late 17th century until 1962, the property was privately owned. The property was then successively owned and maintained as the Belmont Conference Center, by the Smithsonian Institution, the American Chemical Society, and Howard Community College. It is now the Belmont Manor Historic Park, owned by the Howard County and its Department of Recreation and Parks.OverviewThe Belmont Estate, now called the Belmont Manor Historic Park, has been associated with important personages from the late 17th century to the 20th century, including Dr. Mordecai Moore, Caleb Dorsey, Alexander Contee Hanson, and David K. E. Bruce. Built in the 1730s, it is one of the oldest colonial plantations in the region and one of the oldest sites in Howard County, Maryland. The plantation house, built in 1738, is one of the finest examples of Colonial Georgian architectural style in Maryland. The Belmont Estate now comprises approximately 68 acres, and adjoins Patapsco Valley State Park. Facilities on the estate include the Belmont Manor House, a carriage house, a cottage, a large barn, formal gardens, a pond, and an aqua garden.