The Singleton Matthews Farm is owned by McDaniel College and is located just ten minutes from the campus, yet many students don’t know it exists.
McDaniel College acquired a sixty acre farm more than two decades ago for a net cost of slightly less than zero. It has yet to be used for academic purposes.
“It’s a beautiful place. It’s so close to campus and I don’t understand why we haven’t been able to use all that is has to offer,” said Matthew Brown, an alumnus who frequently took fishing trips to the property during his time at McDaniel.
The Singleton Matthews Farm is located about five miles south of Westminster and is a ten minute drive from campus. Approximately half of the land was gifted to the college and the rest was purchased from Johns Hopkins University.
“The latter half had been gifted to Johns Hopkins by a former Hopkins faculty member. Hopkins sold it to us, since the two farms were contiguous, close to McDaniel, and not really convenient for Hopkins to use in any way,” said Dr. Ethan Seidel, Vice President of Finances and Administration at McDaniel.
The 30-some acres purchased from Johns Hopkins cost McDaniel more than $200,000. After the sale of seven one acre lots on the periphery of the property, the college recouped more than they had originally paid.
The farm features a variety of terrain, a pond stocked with fish, and could be a great place for students to go to relax and enjoy the great outdoors. Additionally, three houses are located on the farm that the college has considered converting for academic purposes.
The college also owns the land on which the local College Square shopping center was built. McDaniel worked in conjunction with the company Black Oak USA, who specializes in the development of sustainable buildings.
The Environmental Policy and Science (EPS) department at the school has suggested turning one building at the Singleton Matthews Farm into either a greenhouse or an affinity house for their majors. However, at this time all three houses are occupied by residential renters, providing a source of additional revenue for the college.
The college has also discussed other uses for the farm ranging from a retreat site, to a field site for the study of biology topics.
“Since the introduction of the EPS major, the possibility of making some academic use of part of the property is again being discussed,” said Dr. Seidel.
The adage “better late than never” most definitely applies in this situation. Though it is a move in the right direction, some may argue that the college’s renewed interest in the property has been delayed for too long.
As Sophomore Sean Whalen says, “If we purchased it for so little and have had it for so long, then the real question is: why haven’t students heard of it or been able to use it at all?”
