Group Worries Slave Site In Maryland Could Be Lost
OXON HILL, Md. (AP) -- Development plans for a once-thriving plantation site near the National Harbor resort on the Potomac River's Maryland shore are drawing scrutiny from preservationists who say slave quarters left at the site could be destroyed.
The Prince George's County Historic Preservation Commission will hear from both sides at a hearing Tuesday evening.
The plantation was once owned by physician and slave owner John H. Bayne. In 1834, a 14-year-old slave girl was hanged for killing Bayne's three children in a revolt.
Harbor developer Milton Peterson seeks permission for an in-depth archaeological study of the site. The land was rezoned for development years before he bought the property.
The county's African American Heritage Preservation Group wants to have the site preserved.
An attorney for Peterson says he hopes to reach a compromise.
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