Beverly of Somerset

Description

This historic home is located 3 miles south of Princess Anne, Somerset County, Maryland, United States. It is a 21⁄2-story, Federal-style, Flemish bond brick dwelling measuring 40 feet by 60 feet. It was built by Nehemiah King II between 1785 and 1796. The interior of the house was partially destroyed by fire in 1937 but was restored from plans. The house was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973. King became a friend of Jérôme Bonaparte through his marriage in 1803 to Betsy Patterson of Baltimore. The home was included in a plot to rescue Napoleon from exile on St. Helena Island, when plans were made for the Emperor to be transported up the Chesapeake Bay and into the Manokin River, where he was to arrive at Beverly through a tunnel leading under the house from the nearby creek. Napoleon died before the rescue was attempted.