Long Reach, Columbia, Maryland
| Long Reach | |
|---|---|
| Village | |
| Long Reach Village | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Maryland |
| City | Columbia |
| Established | 1971 |
| Named for | Land grant of Edward Dorsey in 1696 |
Long Reach, one of ten villages composing Columbia, Maryland, is found in the northeast part of Columbia along Maryland Route 108. Started in 1971, it is one of the oldest villages, and comprises four neighborhoods: Jeffers Hill, Kendall Ridge, Locust Park, and Phelps Luck. The village, with an approximate population of 17,000, is governed by five elected village board members through "Long Reach Community Association, Inc." The Village Office is located in Stonehouse, the community center, which opened in 1974.
The village derives its name from a 448-acre (181 ha) land grant named Long Reach, patented to and surveyed by Major Edward Dorsey in 1696 next to Dorseys Search. Dorsey had built a small stone summer home named "Bethesda" on the site in 1682 passing it to Caleb Dorsey of Belmont. The property was divided between his three sons "John of Col Edward", Benjamin and "Nicholas of Long Reach" Dorsey in 1705. John's son Samuel inherited Dorsey's search in 1761. In 1782 John Lawrance Dorsey inherited the land. It was resurveyed as "Chew's Resolution".
In 1769, the "Bethesda Old Place Farm" home was expanded on the property and run as a tobacco-producing plantation with 26 slave workers. Mary Dorsey Pue inherited Belmont in 1771, and her husband Doctor Micheal Pue was appointed to run the county in 1775 (Anne Arundel). The estate was expanded again in 1830, struck by a tornado in 1858, and stayed in the Pue family until 1859. By 1943, the property had been subdivided to 237 remaining acres. In 1954, the Columbia Hills Corporation developed the land leaving just 7.3 acres surrounding the house. Howard Research and Development purchased most of the original Long Reach property between 1963 and 1966 for the development of Columbia.
In addition to the Long Reach grant, the 100-acre Brunner family farm, and a 200-acre apple orchard owned by Donald and Ethel Sewell since 1943, occupied the eastern section of Long Reach village. 28 acres were sold to Howard Research and Development in 1963. The apple orchard remained in operation until 1983 when it was sold for development because of liability from trespassers and drug use, leaving only street names named after varieties of apples.
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