Darnall's Chance was built between 1741-1742 by James Wardrop, a Scottish immigrant, who amassed a fortune as a merchant and entrepreneur in the bustling port-town of Upper Marlborough, Maryland. In 1748, he married Lettice Lee, daughter of Phillip Lee, the progenitor of the Maryland branch of the illustrious Lee family of Virginia.
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The house was remodeled in 1857 and produced such a drastic change that the original Georgian appearance of the Wardrops' home was soon lost to common knowledge. In 1986, the house was saved from demolition and returned to its 1742 appearance.