Pioneer Point, Maryland

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Pioneer Point, Centreville, Maryland
Hartefeld House from papers of John F. Kennedy.jpg
Pioneer Point, Maryland
Coordinates: 39°4′39″N76°8′37″W / 39.07750°N 76.14361°W / 39.07750; -76.14361
CountryUnited States
State Maryland
Area
 • Total
0.07 sq mi (0.18 km2)
Time zone UTC−5 (Eastern (EST))
 • Summer (DST) UTC−4 (EDT)

Pioneer Point, also called Hartefeld Hall and Hartefeld House, is a Georgian style [1] house and surrounding 45-acre estate near Centreville, Maryland, on Maryland's Eastern Shore lying on a peninsula formed by the confluence of the Corsica and Chester rivers. [2] The property is owned by the Russian Government as a recreational place for its diplomatic staff in the United States and activities there are protected under diplomatic immunity.

Contents

History

Pioneer Point is the former estate of wealthy business executive, and builder John J. Raskob who is best known for building the Empire State Building in New York City. Raskob constructed the 19 room mansion originally known as "Hartefeld Hall" after purchasing a 1600-acre tract of land on the Eastern Shore in 1925. [3] Raskob later built another large house nearby to accommodate his 13 children. [1]

After Raskob's death in 1950, the estate was subdivided and the mansion changed hands several times - at one point it was owned by millionaire industrialist R.J. Funkhouser. [4]

In 1972, the property was bought by the Soviet Government, with subsequent Soviet additions to the property being funded by granting two properties in Moscow to the United States State Department. [2]

In 1991, following the collapse of the Soviet Union, the property came under ownership of the Russian Government, with the property valued at $3 million at that time. [5] In 2007, the property was likened to a dacha by Yuri Ushakov, the Russian ambassador to the United States. [6]

On December 29, 2016, Russian access to the site was commuted in the wake of the alleged Russian involvement in the 2016 United States presidential election as part of a number of sanctions taken by the United States against Russian diplomatic personnel. [7] [8] [9] [10] President Barack Obama, in announcing the sanctions, stated that Pioneer Point and another compound in New York were "used by Russian personnel for intelligence-related purposes." [11]

On May 31, 2017, six months after the sanctions, The Washington Post reported that President Donald Trump and his administration had decided to return Pioneer Point back to the Russian government. [11]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Meils, J.F. (27 October 2017). "Russian compound on Md.'s Eastern Shore gathers dust, awaits its fate". WTOP News.
  2. 1 2 Taylor, Adam (December 29, 2016). "The luxurious, 45-acre compound in Maryland being shut down for alleged Russian espionage". The Washington Post. Retrieved December 31, 2016.
  3. ↑ "Historic Sites of Qeen Anne's To Be Visited: "Pioneer Point"" (PDF). Queen Anne's Record-Observer. April 29, 1937. Retrieved June 9, 2025.
  4. ↑ "Old Raskob Land Place On Sale" (PDF). The Queenstown News. July 22, 1955. Retrieved June 9, 2025.
  5. ↑ "What do we know about the Russian compounds in the US?". CNN.com. 30 December 2016. Retrieved June 20, 2025.
  6. ↑ "Dacha Sweet Dacha". Washington Life Magazine. 2007. Retrieved June 20, 2025.
  7. ↑ "U.S. shuts Russian compounds in Maryland, New York over hacking". CBS News. Associated Press. December 30, 2016. Retrieved December 30, 2016.
  8. ↑ Sanger, David E. (December 29, 2016). "Obama Strikes Back at Russia for Election Hacking". The New York Times.
  9. ↑ Mazzetti, Mark; Schmidt, Michael S. (December 29, 2016). "Two Russian Compounds, Caught Up in History's Echoes". The New York Times.
  10. ↑ Duncan, Ian (December 30, 2016). "Shut down Russian Eastern Shore retreat offers glimpse at spy battles". Baltimore Sun.
  11. 1 2 DeYoung, Karen; Entous, Adam (May 31, 2017). "Trump administration moves to return Russian compounds in Maryland and New York". The Washington Post. Retrieved May 31, 2017.
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