In 1852, Frederick Tschiffely purchased a large parcel of land from the Clagett family. In 1901, his son, Frederick A. Tschiffely, Jr. had this impressive brick mansion constructed. The Tschiffely's called their farm The Wheatlands. In 1942, a Washington lawyer named Otis Beall Kent bought the 600-acre estate and changed the name to The Kentlands.
| Name | Date | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Jack Toomey | 5/18/09 | After Otis Beall Kent purchased the property he gradually turned much of the land into a wildlife preserve. All sorts of animals, not native to this area, were on the grounds. As late as the 1970's there were sightings of the descendants of the animals that had lived there during the 40's and 50's Mr. Kent also established his own fire department on the property and offered its service to Montgomery County. |
| Andrew Odom | 5/25/11 | Interesting! What kind of animals? I had wondered about what was clearly a firehouse. The whole area is so restored I thought it was fake retro! I wonder what Mr. Tschiffely and Mr. Kent would think of the residences that now dot their farmland? |
| Suzanne Cissel Brodt | 10/8/11 | As the great granddaughter of Frederick and Dolly Tschiffely, I can tell you he is probably rolling over in his grave. The picture on the left is what happened to the beautiful Georgian home after Kent bought it. The beautiful columns are gone and have not been restored to the house. The home had Italian marble fireplaces, and parquet floors that Kent ripped out. The staircase was open from the foyer to the widow's walk. That was my father's favorite part of this classic, originally Georgian home. |
| Bill McCoskey | 3/6/14 | Mr. Odom: As a teenager I knew Mr. Kent. We had long talks on many varied topics, and I used to help work on the one remaining fire engine. Mr. Kent always wanted to create a utopian town on his property, along the lines of what is there today. I believe Mr. Kent would be satisfied with what he sees today. |