In the summer of 1987, Michael and Danielle Hanscom bought the Kent County, Maryland property known as “Brampton” with the great idea to turn the antebellum house into a bed and breakfast inn. After the closing, the very first thing Michael did was hang an old fashioned rope swing on a huge and perfectly horizontal limb of the massive American Beech tree that sat on the western side of the equally massive house.
30 years later, the spring of 2017 will be remembered as the time the 200 year old tree was lost.
A strong, fast moving storm passed through: lightning struck and down it came, grazing the not-quite-year-old dining room extension, breaking only one new window, mangling the gutters and ripping down the railing on the entrance landing. It was a mess but it certainly could have been worse. Thankfully there were no guests in the building at the time.
An iconic symbol of old-fashioned fun, the swing and the truly magnificent tree inspired our logo. Everyone’s jaw dropped when seeing it for the first time. Its canopy was so huge, it almost felt like entering an outdoor room when you stood underneath it. Its giant and gnarled roots resembled elephants’ feet; crevices in them that held rainwater became impromptu water bowls for the resident inn cats Slipper, and later, Squeaky and Poppy.
Dozens, perhaps hundreds of Brampton wedding ceremonies have been performed under the Beech tree, earning it the somewhat obvious nickname, “the wedding tree”. We have plans in the works for another focal point for weddings in the future, but until then, there are plenty of beautiful spots for a ceremony and plenty of other fantastic trees.
The American Red Bud is a favorite of ours. Its blazing hot pink petals bloom in early April and herald the coming spring. It makes a heck of a backdrop for an event and we have several!
This Flowering Plum tree also blooms in the spring and is a fantastic spot.
More spring nuptials take place in front of the Flowering Pear tree. Spring is so beautiful here!
Some of the other specimens on the property include:
Catalpa Korean Dogwood
Viburnam, Crepe Myrtle, Flowering Crab Apple, Fruit Bearing Crab Apple, Wild Cherry, Pawlonia, White Pine, Silver Maple, Red Oak, Tulip Poplars, Sugar Maple, Hemlock, Native Holly, Red Maple, Deciduous Magnolia, Magnolia…. and more!
With all of our stunning east coast trees, it really is a miniature arboretum here at our Maryland bed and breakfast. We invite you to come and stroll the grounds of our elegant Maryland bed and breakfast to see how many tree varieties you can count, here in the Land of Pleasant Living! Book online now!