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Harmony Hall and the site of Want Water are in the Broad Creek Historic District, the first historic district formed under Prince George's County preservation law. Harmony Hall is an 18th century Georgian country house that architecturally ranks as one of the great early plantation houses and an outstanding early colonial house of Maryland. The front of the house faces the Potomac River and remains much as it appeared in 1766, the estimated time of construction.
Want Water (Lyles house) is one of the oldest, if not the oldest, dwelling house remaining in the vicinity of Washington. The house, as it stands today without the wings, is in external form exactly the same house which was first built.
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Want Water was patented on October 16, 1708 by Colonel Thomas Addison, the only son of Colonel John Addison, a privy councilor of Lord Baltimore, and one of the founders of Broad Creek Church. The old house (Lyles), or Want Water, was probably constructed in the late 17th century or early 18th century.
Want Water as originally patented was a long narrow strip of land which embraced almost all of the east bank of Church Branch of Broad Creek. The church itself (founded in 1692) first built of wood, was built directly on this body of water with a landing known as Church Landing at the door of the church. The water was navigable from the channel of the Potomac River to the church.
After the time that the Addisons disposed of Want Water in 1736, the most prominent owner was Colonel William Lyles, a wealthy landowner and son-in-law of Enoch Magruder. He lived here at the time of the Revolution but some time before 1800 he moved to Alexandria where be was a stockholder Farmers Bank of Alexandria.
The distance from the church to the Lyles House (Want Water) is only a leisurely stroll of about ten minutes and there appears to have been a pathway following the banks of Church Branch to the door of the church. This stream has long ago been abandoned for navigation and access to the church has been by roadway for over a century.
The parkland surrounding the historic home and ruins of Harmony Hall and Want Water, respectively, is a rich site for birds and other wildlife, especially for species associated with wetland habitats. During the breeding season, Red-winged Blackbirds are common in the cattail marshes, Prothonotary Warblers nest in the swampy woods, Common Yellowthroats and Song Sparrows nest in the shrubs at wetland margins, and swallows forage over the marshes and tidal waters.
The waters of Broad Creek, some of which lie within the park, are used by waterbirds throughout the year. In spring through fall, Great Blue Herons and Great Egrets forage in shallow waters, and a few herons linger through ice-free winters. Bald Eagles, gulls, and terns loaf on mudflats exposed at low tide, which also provide foraging habitat for migrating shorebirds. Locally nesting Canada Geese, Wood Ducks, and Mallards are joined in the near-shore waters by American Black Ducks, Green-winged Teal, Hooded Mergansers, and occasional Gadwalls, Wigeons, Shovelers, and Pintails. Deeper waters beyond park boundaries are frequented in the fall by thousands of Ruddy Ducks, Canvasback, Lesser Scaup, Bufflehead, Tundra Swans, American Coot, and several other species, and in winter by Common Mergansers.
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