Montgomery County Fire & Rescue Services (MCFRS) responded to a fire incident at approximately 7:15 p.m. at the end of Meeting House Road off Route 108 in Sandy Spring. The fire occurred at the historic Harewood Farmhouse.
According to MCFRS Chief spokesperson Pete Piringer, the incident involves a farmhouse experiencing heavy fire conditions. Multiple units were dispatched to the scene, including PE704, PE740, PE725, PE718, HCE52, AT704, PT725, RS742, A704, BC704, BC701, and SA700.
An update on the incident indicates that a Water Supply Task Force has been deployed at the Meeting House Road location, with additional support provided by MCFRS units EMS704, W704, HCW5, W717, and E724. Units T715, AT724, A740, PE715, HCW13, and HCW11 are also on scene assisting with a structure fire. The status of the occupants was initially unknown; however, it has been confirmed that all occupants have been accounted for.
Per the Library of Congress: “Significance: Erected in 1793-1794, Harewood is the historic homestead of the influential Stabler family and is among a handful of extant dwellings built by the early founding families of the Friends community of Sandy Spring. Harewood is located in the very heart of the community; it is adjacent to the meeting house that formed the center of both spiritual and social life, and the spring, an important source of water that was also the derivation for the town’s name. The original section of the house was erected in the vernacular hall-and-parlor plan that was prevalent at the time. Harewood’s design reflects other local building traditions including log/timber frame construction and the plain-style detailing indicative of the Quaker tenets. The house received dining room and kitchen additions in 1821, expanding it to meet the rising social expectations of the era and those of subsequent generations of Stablers. Changes and additions were also made in the early twentieth century, and yet it is a remarkable survivor of early period dwellings in this region, retaining its basic configuration and much of its original fabric including doors, hardware, mantels, and molding profiles. In 1925, Harewood was sold to Washington, D.C. lawyer Dean Acheson and his wife Alice who used it as their summer and weekend retreat. While in residence at Harewood, Acheson served between 1949 and 1953 as Secretary of State under President Truman, whom he occasionally entertained at Harewood. Acheson played a key role in defining foreign policy during the Cold War era, including involvement in the development of the post-World War II Marshall Plan and in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).”