The cottages were built on an original 2,500-acre land grant named the Valley of Owen.

The Gothic Revival Lilburn Mansion was built on College Avenue for Baltimore foundry owner Henry Richard Hazlehurst in 1857.

The original 20-acre site has been subdivided down to 8 acres, and the guesthouse and carport outbuildings demolished.

[3] In 2013, owners Ronald and Gail Spahn allowed the Howard County Department of Fire and Rescue Services to burn the historic structures, including the adjacent Lilburn (Hammond) Cottage and Grimes house, before subdividing the property.

Spahn's Autumn Development Corporation used Howard County slope stabilization legislation to help fund clearing the historic wooded site for single-family homes.