Taney Place

Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court famous for the Dred Scott decision.

Chef Justice

Roger Brooke Taney

Chief Justice Of The Supreme Court

Just north of Battle Creek, overlooking the Patuxent River, sits Taney Place. The present house dates to about 1750, although it may incorporate portions of an even earlier dwelling.
It became the home of one of the most prominent families in early Calvert County history: the Taneys.
One notable man born and raised here was Roger Brooke Taney, who eventually became Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court.
Taney is remembered today primarily for writing the majority opinion in the infamous Dred Scott v. Sandford decision of 1857. The notorious decision held that Dred Scott, and all people of African descent, could not claim United States citizenship or sue in federal court. The decision also struck down federal restrictions on slavery in the territories. The ruling further inflamed the already bitter national debate over slavery. Historians consider the decision one of the major events that intensified the sectional crisis leading to the Civil War.
But I want to share another, lesser-known story about Taney Place.
This one involves Chief Justice Taney's father, Michael Taney, and the killing of his neighbor, John Magruder, on July 1, 1819.
There are several versions of what happened that day.
The story goes that John Magruder and his two brothers, from nearby St. Leonard, spent the day at Taney Place. They drank tea in the parlor, went swimming in the Patuxent and enjoyed a day of laughter, food and friendship.
As the Magruders prepared to leave and began saddling their horses, Michael Taney reportedly asked John to come back inside. He had something he wanted to discuss with him. The invitation appeared so friendly that no one suspected what was about to happen.
After some time passed and John had not returned, his brothers began to wonder what was taking so long. Just then, a servant came running from the house screaming.
The brothers rushed inside and found John Magruder stabbed through the heart.
One version places the killing inside the house. Another says the confrontation occurred beneath a cedar tree outside the back door.
Michael Taney fled on horseback. Magruder's furious brothers pursued him, but Taney escaped, eventually making his way to Virginia.
Michael Taney died in Virginia the following year. According to later accounts, Taney's body was secretly returned to Calvert County and buried in the family cemetery. The Magruder brothers, wanting proof that their brother's killer was actually dead, dug up the coffin.
After confirming that the body was Michael Taney, they struck the corpse in the face with a rock, knocking the dead man's teeth in.
Why did Michael Taney kill John Magruder?
The most frequently repeated story involves a woman. An account published in 1923 identifies her as Barbara Dorsey, a Southern Maryland belle whom both men supposedly loved. After Taney confronted Magruder over his intentions with Barbara Dorsey, it was said that Magruder slapped Taney and Taney drew a knife and stabbed Magruder in the heart.
The story didn't end with the death of John Magruder. It became one of Calvert County's ghost legends.
For generations there were stories of a bloodstain on the floor of Taney Place that could not be removed.
Local ghost lore claims that the spirits of Michael Taney and John Magruder have been seen beneath the cedar tree where one version of the story says their fatal confrontation occurred.
Taney Place has seen quite a lot in its nearly 300 years.