Seton Belt Barn (01-26)

Historical narrative

Built circa 1880, the Seton Belt Barn in Mitchellville is a large, multiuse frame barn with a jerkinhead roof, decorated cupolas, and returned cornices that retain remnants of brightly colored paint. It was constructed as a livestock barn on Eleanor Lee Belt's home farm and later adapted for tobacco hanging. It is the only surviving example of such a highly decorated barn in Prince George's County and represents the shift in agricultural practices after the Civil War.

Watercolor

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