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Beall-Dawson House
Built c. 1815, for Upton Beall and his family. From a prominent Georgetown family, Beall was the Clerk of the Court for Montgomery County. The building is now home to Montgomery History.
Upton Beall passed away in 1827, leaving his family in debt. At an auction to settle the debt, his wife Jane and their three daughters—Matilda, Jane, and Margaret—bought back what they could, of their personal property. The purchases included household items, farming equipment, and 13 enslaved people.
Upton Beall
The Beall Sisters never married and remained in the mansion their entire lives. They continued to prosper through farming and from a mill on their land. By 1860, they had 330 acres of land, 52 people enslaved and three slave houses. For additional income, some of the enslaved were hired out to others.
Margaret Beall was paid $4,478.50 under the 1862 D.C. Compensated Emancipation Act, the settlement value for the people she had enslaved.
From 1870–1900, Beall divided and parceled out some of the land she owned. Several of Beall’s formerly enslaved purchased lots that now comprise “Haiti” (pronounced Hay-tie). It is Rockville’s oldest surviving Black community.