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My father, William H. Park II and mother, Frances T. Bell at Historic Belair Mansion in Bowie, MD with Dad's prized 1966 Vintage VW Bug on Sat., Aug 19, 2006. His rare VW has been featured in parades & car shows and is an entertaining conversation piece with VW enthusiasts everywhere! The Belair Mansion represents Bowie’s earliest history (circa 1745), the beautiful five-part Georgian plantation house of Samuel Ogle, Provincial Governor of Maryland. Enlarged in 1914 by the NY archit. firm, Delano and Aldrich, the Mansion was the home of Wm. Woodward, famous horseman in the first half of the 20th century. Restored to reflect his 250-year old legacy, the Mansion is listed on the Natl Register of Historic Places. It is located at 12207 Tulip Grove Drive; open Wed. through Sun. from noon - 4 p.m., and for groups of 10 or more by appointment. A donation is requested at the door. The Belair Stable Museum nearby was owned and operated by William Woodward. Belair Stable was part of the famous "Belair Stud," one of the premier racing stables in the 30’s, 40’s and 50’s. Belair Stable was home to Gallant Fox and Omaha, father and son horses that won the Triple Crown, to Nashua, who was "Horse of the Year" in 1955, as well as to many other well-known race horses. Until its closing in 1957, Belair was the oldest continually operated horse farm in the United States, where horses were raised for racing purposes. Its history extends over two hundred fifty years. The Stable has been restored and is open as a museum. Heritage Day, a festival celebrating the history of Bowie, is held at the Stable as well as the other two city museums. The Stable is located at 2835 Belair Drive.It is open free of charge to the public year round, Wed. - Sun. noon - 4 p.m. The Stable is accessible to people with disabilities. Like the Belair Mansion, the Stable is supported by the Friends of Belair Estate. For more information, call 301-809-3089. (Picture taken and dona
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