More than 150 years ago, Woodlawn plantation was the envy of Montgomery County farmers and the pride of the Palmer family, with one of the county's grandest manor homes, productive fields, and several outbuildings. In 1832, Dr. William Palmer built the farm's centerpiece, a finely crafted stone barn that still stands. Surrounded by a vibrant community of progressive Quaker farmers at Sandy Spring, Woodlawn and the Palmers prospered, yet the farm also depended on enslaved laborers who toiled in the fields within reach of the Underground Railroad and a chance for freedom. The Palmers faced the choice of continuing to enslave men, women, and children for profit or freeing them as many Quakers had done. Over time, Woodlawn saw many changes, and its grounds include the Manor House from the first quarter of the 19th century, outbuildings such as a meathouse and springhouse, a tenant house, and a circa-1854 log cabin that may once have housed enslaved workers.
