Guide to Indigenous Maryland

Guide to Indigenous Maryland is an educational project made possible by the Maryland State Library Agency and public libraries across the state. The project is led by Dr. Elizabeth Rule, an assistant professor at American University and member of the Chickasaw Nation.

The project has developed an app for Android and Apple devices that highlights indigenous historical sites across Maryland. One site listed by the project is located in Dorchester County: Handsell House, an 18th century brick house built at the site of a Cicone village creatively named “Indian Town” by European colonists.

Cicone Village at Handsell House

The land upon which Handsell House sits originally belonged to the Cicone and Nanticoke indigenous people. It was granted to Thomas Taylor in 1665, and designated a reservation from 1720-1768. Shortly thereafter, the land was given to Henry and Ann Steele. The Steele family built the original Handsell House, which was by all accounts a large brick mansion.

The current structure came to be after the original burnt to the ground around 1780. It is speculated that the house was burnt by British privateers operating in the area after the Revolutionary War. While most of the mansion was destroyed in the fire, the front facade and East wall were incorporated into the new, smaller house.

For more information, visit the website for the NHPA and Handsell House at www.restorehandsell.org.

The house and property changed hands multiple times over the years, eventually falling into disrepair. In 2009, the property was sold to the Nanticoke Historical Preservation Alliance, a nonprofit group created for the purpose of honoring and preserving the history of the site and the people who lived there.