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WELCOME to Port Deposit's
Historic Walking Tour
WALKING TOUR
NORTH MAIN STREET
SOUTH MAIN STREET
GRANITE AVE.
HIGH STREET
CENTER STREET
SCHOOL HOUSE ROAD
PORT DEPOSIT HERITAGE CORP
PAW PAW MUSEUM
CANDLELIGHT TOUR
LOWER SUSQUEHANNA GREENWAY
HERITAGE
PORT DEPOSIT INFORMATION
Port Deposit is a historic town, extending for approximately one mile along the east
bank of the Susquehanna River. Having several names prior to 1813, when the
governor gave the town its present name, Port Deposit was not an overnight
boomtown, for it served mostly as a collection point for lumber floating down
river from Pennsylvania. Fortunately, it was too inconsequential to attract the
attention of the invading British in 1813, who bypassed the town in favor of
burning a warehouse across the river.
Within the span of a quarter century, however, Port Deposit had risen to
importance that rivaled even the county seat. It was the junction point for
lumber, grain, coal, whiskey, and tobacco trade, being the furthest point
downstream on the Susquehanna River, and the furthest navigable point upstream
for ships plying the Chesapeake Bay.
While the lumber floating down river provided the country with building
materials, one of Port Deposit’s own industries produced building material of
unmatched quality. By the early nineteenth century the granite deposits of the
town were, from an engineering standpoint, to have few rivals. It was, however,
the tone and texture of the stone that made it a favorite aesthetic choice. The
quarries, located north of the town, provided the granite used for many
churches, schools, and buildings in Baltimore, Washington, and Philadelphia.
Many of Port Deposit’s buildings are constructed of granite. Nowhere in the
county was there a stronger stone masonry building tradition than in this small
town along the Susquehanna. With all the work available in the mills,
factories, fisheries and lumberyards of Port Deposit the town grew into
prominence. On the eve of the Civil War, it was the eighth largest city in all
of Maryland. Most Cecil County men who fought in the Civil War joined the Union
Army. By the 1850’s a large concentration of free blacks were to be found in
Port Deposit, where they numbered over 21 per cent of the population, well in
advance of President Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation.
An early testament to the commercial success of “Port” was its prominence in the
financial community. In 1834 the town had its first bank and for many years was
the only place between Wilmington and Baltimore where banking could be
conducted.
While progress in commerce and finance grew rapidly the progress in public
education was slow. Throughout the early nineteenth century, efforts to
establish public-supported education in the county was spotty and disorganized.
It was not until 1889 that the first countywide free school system was put into
place.
An outspoken critic of the school system was
the industrialist, Jacob Tome. He arrived in town in 1833 on a log raft,
penniless but ambitious. Tome joined with men of greater capital and entered
the lumber business. He was later to become one of the wealthiest men in the
country but he never forgot the town of his beginnings. In 1889 he endowed the
town with a substantial part of his amassed fortune to establish a separate free
school system and five years later the Jacob Tome Institute opened its doors to
Port Deposit children. Within four years over 600 area children attended school
in the various institute buildings. At Tome’s death in 1898, another sizable
amount was bequeathed to the school system and was used to establish a boarding
school for boys on the high bluff overlooking the town. It was considered the
most beautiful “Prep School” in the United States.
By the end of the nineteenth century, railroads had taken over a large portion
of the county’s shipping business, but Port Deposit was to benefit immeasurably
by this new convenient source of transportation. The railroad that passed by
the quarry connected it with major markets to the north and south,. while the
light-draft vessels tied up at the town wharf provided shipments to points as
far away as Richmond, often at a fraction of the railroad rates. It wasn’t
until 1927 that “Port’s” river connection to the north was brought to a final
close with the completion of the Conowingo Dam.
Within a year, however, the dawn of the electric age was darkened by the
Depression; the national economy collapsed. “Port” struggled through these
times as did the quarries, for concrete had replaced stone as a building
material.
In 1941, only a year after the Tome School for Boys closed, the sprawling campus
was taken over by the U.S. Navy to become the principal training center on the
East Coast. For Port Deposit, World War II was brought right to its
doorstep. At its peak, the center housed nearly 35,000 recruits and by the
end of the war more that half a million had passed through the Bainbridge Naval
Training Center. In 1947 the recruit-training section was closed, and
thereafter used only sporadically by the Navy, finally closing in 1976.
In 1980 Wiley Manufacturing Company occupied much of the water front in Port
Deposit. This expanded operation was to manufacture tunnels for under the
Harbor along I 95, the largest project on the interstate system. Again, the
river was the focus of industry.
Now a peaceful, slow-paced town, Port Deposit continues to bask in the sparkle
of the river. A condominium community makes its home on the former site of
Wiley Manufacturing and the Lower Susquehanna Heritage Greenway will soon
complete a “Riverwalk” that will link recreation and open space areas along
shore in both Cecil and Harford Counties.
Walking Tour
North Main
Street
14 North Main Street Abrahams Building
c. before 1867
This is the present
site of House #1 of the Water Witch Fire Company. The fire company has
remodeled the second floor for a social hall. Earlier, it was here that the
Roman Catholics first held local services. It was once a home, a hardware
store, and in 1867, a Post Office. It was also, the location for The National
Durant Sales by Hipkins and Paxton, the place where Hipkins invented the Hipkins
Traction Device for tanks which was used by the Army. and later the home of
Hagerty Buick Sales.
20 North Main Street
The Banking House c. before 1834
The circa date of 1834 is known only through reference to
the building as having housed the “the first bank in Port Deposit”. In 1856 the
property was owned by Edwin Wilmer who “owned wharves from which vessels
sailed.” and later became a trustee of the Methodist Church and is believed to
have been the building in which early services were held. The 1860 census shows
the property being owned by Nathaniel Gilmore, a 49 year old Sea Captain and, by
1880, the property owner is noted as J.J. Abrahams. In the 1890’s it became
part of the Jacob Tome Institute and housed faculty. The construction of the
wings enlarged the building to house the Junior School and was named Jefferson
Hall. The completed project was not seen by Jacob Tome for he died in 1898, but
the structure remained a school until 1969 at which time it suffered a serious
fire and was left in ruins until 1985. The building has been rehabilitated as a
20 unit apartment building. The building is constructed of Port Deposit granite
with an impressive Greek
Revival portico, supported by stuccoed brick
columns that extend across the facade.
29 North Main Street
The
Bees Nest c. 1902
Built towards the end of the
Victorian
era, this 14 room home has the structure of a painted lady without the
trimmings. It’s original owner was a young dentist, who made his office on the
left side of the building. Today the property serves a single family
residence. To the rear of the property is a cottage being considered for a
commercial use. This property is currently being restored by Mr. Bruno, the
current owner and ardent community volunteer.
32 North Main Street Buck
House c. 1887
Built by George H. Buck for his wife and six children,
this house was a place of refuge for the entire neighborhood during flooding,
an almost annual event until 1928. Terracing behind the house provided space
for gardening and a site for the spring which furnished water to this large,
spacious home. The basement was used for food preparation as is evident by the
large cook’s fireplace. All of the woodwork in the house is American Chestnut
and the main staircase, as well as the floors, are heartwood oak. As was
typical of the era, there is a clear distinction between the moldings used in
the upper floors and those used in the main level; the higher the level the less
fanciful is the detailing. Also of interest, on a similar note, is the
detailing of the cornices adorning the exterior of the house. The sides facing
the public have a great deal of
Victorian scroll work; the other
sides are less ornate.
36 North Main Street
c. 1838
Originally the land was part of the estate of John
Creswell. A deed of September 4, 1838, recorded a 99 year lease on the lot of
ground and premises. As was the practice of the time, the first floor provides
space for commercial enterprise while the upper floors serve as living
quarters. In the early 1920’s the Flabbi’s operated a shoe shop in the store
front and lived upstairs. The Graybeals had a bait and tackle shop in the
middle of the century and today the store front serves a commercial endeavor.
41 North Main Street
c. 1850’s
This two-story, two-bay brick house has stone trim and a
dentiled cornice. A
Greek Revival period door is flanked by paneled
shutters. The one-story
Victorian porch, with a wealth of jig-sawn
decoration, is probably a later addition.
53 North Main Street The
Former
Municipal Building c.1868
The buildings cost was shared equally by: The Board of
Town Commissioners, who owned the first floor and used it as an engine and wheel
house; and the Board of County Commissioners, who held school on the second
floor; and The Harmony Lodge, which owned the third floor. The Knights of the
Golden Eagle purchased the second floor in 1897 and they sold it to Harmony
Lodge in 1920. Harmony Lodge still owns both the second and third floors and
the town still owns the first floor.
58 North Main Street
c. early 1800’s
This very old three-story and basement frame house is in
good condition. In the dining room is a large fireplace with crane still
intact. The ceilings are low and the stairs narrow, steep and winding. There
is a spring up the hill which once supplied the house with water. Mr. George
McCullough bought the property March 3, 1867 and it remained in his family until
1952. Mrs. Minnie McCullough Campbell bought the ground rents in March 1923
from Mrs. Sidney Johnson upon expiration of the 99-year leases, seeming to
indicate that these lots were first rented in 1824.
68 North Main Street
c. 1894
Known locally as the Swiss Chalet, this house was built as
the office for McClenahan Quarry Company and a granite vault with 30 inch thick
walls was located in the west end of the room now the kitchen. The building was
converted to a home about 1915. In the modernizing, the original fire brick,
steel beams and granite window bars were retained. It contains a handsome Port
Deposit granite fireplace with a polished granite mantle. This was the home of
Mrs. Grace Humphries, founder of the Port Deposit heritage Corporation.
71 North Main Street
c. 1860
This property consisted of two lots, Nos. 5 & 6, and was
surveyed in November of 1833 by John Janney. The building is a 12-room duplex
built by the Vannort Brothers just prior to 1860. It is constructed around a
large six-unit chimney built of both bricks and granite. The floor joist were
shaped by using a pick ax or mattock, then notched and pinned together. Floor
boards were shimmed to ensure leveling. The basement is equipped with two large
open fireplaces. The ceiling and walls were finished with plaster suggesting
that the basement was used as a summer kitchen to escape the heat of the
season.
73 North Main Street
c. 1905
This granite and brick house was built by Millard McDowell
on a lot originally part of the property of the older home beyond, and was
designed by his son. For a time it was occupied by Dr. Clarence Benson. Note
the Palladian window in the third floor.
75 North Main Street
c. early 1800’s
This
Greek Revival house was reportedly
one of the thirteen homes when Port Deposit officially became a town in 1812.
Walls of the stone section are 26-inches thick. The frame part was rebuilt in
1881 by Clinton McCullough and the roof is covered with sheet iron from the
McCullough Rolling Mills in Rowlandsville. There was a cistern in the kitchen
attic to which water was piped from the spring up the street (58 North Main
Street). Since 1830 this house has had eleven different owners, six of them
being women.
88-94 North Main Street
c. late 1800’s
This four-part, two-and-a-half story row house, in
Second Empire
style, is covered with German siding and has a high mansard roof with bracketed
eaves. The pedimented dormers have decorative bargeboards, and a one-story
porch with jig-sawn woodwork stretches across the front of all four units. The
tall windows on the first story have triple-hung sashes.
93 North Main
Street The Vannort House c. 1840
This distinguished frame house is of the
Greek Revival
period with a small porch of the Ionic Order-a Greek temple. The home has front
and rear dormers and tripartite windows. Originally built as a duplex, the side
nearest Nesbitt Hall was destroyed by a fire. For over 100 years this was the
home of the Vannort family including two sons known as “skilled woodworkers and
craftsmen” and a daughter Laura. It is the two brothers that built the 71 North
Main St. After the passing of the elder Vannorts the children remained living
together, at times “none too peacefully” it is rumored. None of the offspring
ever married and Miss Laura was the last to leave, upon her passing; she was in
her 90’s.
98 North Main Street
Paw Paw Building c. 1821
Originally this was a one story building. When owned by
I.O.O.F. the second story was added and the outside stuccoed and is
characteristic of many buildings dating to the 1840’s and 1850’s in Port
Deposit. Its name derives from two paw paw bushes which flank the entrance. .
It was built in 1821 as the town’s first Methodist Church and had separate
entrances for men and women. There was a high pulpit on one side of the balcony
where slaves sat, reached only by an outside entrance. The building was later
used as a meeting hall by Harmony Lodge (1852-67), as an academy, a store and a
restaurant. In 1975 the building was purchased by the Port Deposit Heritage
Corporation to be restored for use as a museum and library,handsome Port Deposit
granite fireplace with a polished granite mantle. This was the home of Mrs.
Grace Humphries, founder of the Port Deposit Heritage Corporation.
99 North Main Street
Nesbitt Hall c. 1837
In 1837 the Methodists raised money to build their 2nd
church. This handsome structure was built of Port Deposit Granite and remained a
house of worship until 1872 when Tome Memorial Church was built. It then became
Port Deposit Academy, a public school. In 1902 it was refurbished, named
Nesbitt Hall and presented to Tome Church by Mrs. Evelyn S. Nesbitt, in memory
of her parents. The building is now used for church related and community
affairs and is the meeting place of the Port Deposit Lions Club.
104 North Main Street Tome
Memorial Methodist Church c. 1872
With its tall tower of stone, this church of Port Deposit
granite was rendered in a revival of its architectural style,
German Romanesque.
A gift of Jacob Tome, it cost $65,999.00. It houses a John Steere organ built
in 1910. Under the floor cover in the lower hall one used to notice several one
inch holes bored to accelerate recession of frequent flood waters.
North Main Street Old Sorrel
before 1803
This was an old inn and, according to Cecil County,
Maryland- A Study in Local History by Alice Miller, it was alluded to in the
following reference: “In 1803, mails for Brick Meeting House, Rising Sun,
Unicorn, Black Horse, and Sorrel House closed every Friday at 12 o’clock noon.”
Mr. Ernest Baker, who was born in this house, said his mother was also born
here. His grandparents started out housekeeping in this house. He recalls a
small poster in the cellar which stated that the stage left once a week for
Conowingo, Rising Sun, etc. He thinks it gave the day and the time. He knows
that in the cellar a mahogany bar was across the back and that his family used
the part behind it as a coal bin. One side of this house was once a bake shop;
a stone oven was in the back wall.
160 North Main Street
The Springhouse c. 1856
This granite springhouse was used by the Old Sorrel, an
inn that was built around 1803. The structure, built over a spring, was
probably used for cool storage of dairy products and meat. The eagle above the
door of the Springhouse gives the date of 1856. The exterior and granite were
restored in 1991 with a grant from the Cecil County Historical Society.
162
North Main Street St. Teresa’s Roman Catholic Church c. 1867
This beautiful, late
Federal
style, church of St. Teresa of Avila was constructed of Port Deposit Granite and
was the mother parish for Good Shepherd. Sunday mass was first offered here by
the priest from Havre de Grace. Father John D. Carey was the first Elkton
pastor to officiate regularly in Port Deposit. Services were first held in
Abrahams Building (now Water Witch Fire Company) and later in the Bank House.
196 North Main Street
Bethel A.M.E. Methodist Church c. 1911
In 1911 the congregation moved to this location. Prior to
its construction, members came together at many sites around town. As reported
in a book compiled by the membership for their 100th anniversary...”It was in
the year 1848 when slaves were rampant and friends of the race were few, and
despite the fact that they were all slaves they had an inner urge to pray to God
and hope for a better day. A few of the slaves met secretly and prayed to
God.” After their number swelled, they decided to meet in the home of Rachel
Gibson where the first praying Mission was started. The first Bethel A.M.E.
Church was built in Bethel Hollow (at the extreme south end of town). In 1966
this building suffered major damage caused by a fire. One year later while
undergoing reconstruction, the congregation moved back in although the project
was not completed until 1970.
282 North Main Street
First Baptist Church c. 1872
This large stone church was originally a Presbyterian
House of Worship. The construction date is linked to a Rev. John Squire for
that is the date this first pastor “assumed charge." In 1902 it became the
First Baptist Church. There was probably an earlier church near this site as
evidenced by a letter from Guyas Cutas to the editor of the Cecil Whig, dated
1876, entitled Port
Deposit: Forth Years Ago and Now...” there are two
churches belonging to the colored people...”. Over the speaker’s platform in
the first floor meeting room are three pictures, one of which is of Rev.
Benjamin Brown who was chairman of the meeting in 1898 at which the First
Baptist Church was legally organized. Rev. Brown is said to have mortgaged his
home to obtain this building for his congregation in 1904. For many years, in
the mid-twentieth century, Rev. St. Paul Freeman shepherded this church. The
church has recently undergone a meticulous restoration.
300 North Main Street Old
Mill c. 1700’s
There was probably a mill here by 1731. The following is
quoted from a letter written by Rumsey Smithson in 1938: “A survey of 1735
mentions a grist mill at Rock Run in possession of John Steele; `In that year
some of the uppermost inhabitants of Cecil County on the Susquehanna River
presented a petition which sheweth that a ferry is kept at a place called Rock
Run, which place being the nearest navigable water that any vessel of any
considerable burden can come up to, to which place they were obligated to roll
their tobacco, in order to be shipped off’ they therefore prayed for a road from
Peach Bottom (now Lancaster County, Pa.) to the said Rock Run Mill and from
there to the said ferry place.”
In the Revolutionary Period: “Those in favor of the King were
requested to leave the area. They moved to Harford County. General Washington
crossed the river at this point on his long marches. Lafayette also made it a
point to stop at this section, as old Annie Presberry was a good cook.”
1799: “At this point was the beginning of the
Pennsylvania-Maryland Canal, the first artificial inland waterway in the United
States. The Old Mill was used for making flour, a section later for making
early American furniture and later the complete mill was used for a brush
factory, then for flour making in 1900, then in 1905 brush making again and in
1912 the making of flour and in 1916 to the making of sausage and scrapple and
general butchering.”
Center Street
Center Street serves as the divide between
North and South Main Street. Proceeding toward the Susquehanna River will take
you across the railroad tracks to the “Riverwalk” at Tome’s Landing. This
public walkway offers outstanding waterfront vistas.
1 Center Street Mrs. Murphy’s
Hotel early 1800’s
The stone part of the house is constructed in the
Federal
style. Documents found in the Paw Paw Museum show that Mr. John
Creswell owned this house in the 1820’s. John A.J. Creswell, his son, was born
here in 1828 and became Postmaster General under President Grant. His father
died in 1836 leaving the house, a wharf and property, including most of the
land on the upper side of the street as far as Rock Run, to Rebecca E. Webb
Creswell, his widow. In 1850 Rebecca married Mr. Murphy and later established
Murphy’s Tavern. The property was sold to Dr. G.H. Richards, Sr. in 1920. He
added a large wing to turn it into a hospital. Following his death the building
was converted to an apartment house. Dr. G.H. Richards, Jr. had offices here
from the late 1940’s until his death in 1971.
Points
of Interest
In addition to Mrs. Murphy’s Hotel there are two additional
sites of interest on Center Street. On the right, just above the rear of the
bank, is a cellar hole of the Howard M.E. Church, and underground railroad
site. A hundred yards further, on the left, granite ruins mark the place of
Armstrong Foundry.
South Main Street
Town Square
Drinking Fountain c. 1903
Erected by Martha Beach, a teacher and artist, in memory
of her mother, the fountain is inscribed, “In Remembrance, Miranda E. Beach,
1903”. It was built to refresh horses, people and dogs. From the bank steps
one can see a bird bath carved out of the top.
6 South Main Street
Cecil National Bank c. 1906
This building was constructed of Port Deposit Granite,
faced in limestone and served the community some 78 years. The Cecil National
Bank merged with The First National Bank of Maryland in 1981. After Wiley
Manufacturing closed, the town could no longer support a full service bank and
The First National Bank of Maryland closed this branch in 1984. In 1986 they
made a gift of the structure to the town.
8 South Main Street
Carson Building c. late 1800’s
Constructed right before the turn of the century, this
quaint and charming building was home to Carson’s Pharmacy for many years. The
facade has been recently restored. Note the initials “CP” carved on the sides
of the stone front step.
10 South Main Street
Oldham Building c. before 1897
This large 3«
story Victorian
was built by George Oldham. The first floor has always been a space for
commercial enterprise, having originally be used for a general store. The upper
floors are living quarters. Though the living quarters have been renovated many
times, the formal rooms, which include a parlor, have been retained.
16 South Main Street
Gerry House c. 1813
This house is of late
Georgian
architectural style with
Greek Revival porches. Lafayette was entertained
here when he was a guest of the nation in 1824. At that time it was the home of
Daniel and Mary R. Megredy. Lt. L.A.C. Gerry of Snow’s Civil War Battery B
inherited it from Cornelius Smith, who added the porches and railings. The
columns were from trees razed on his land, and the cast iron porch railing,
embellished with sheaves of wheat between lyres, denotes Mr. Smith’s pride as a
farmer. The railings were said to have been cast in Baltimore. Note the
granite slabs used to support the second story. In 1981 the Port Deposit
Heritage Corporation received this property from Miss Janette Westerfield,
grand-daughter of L.A.C. Gerry and descendent of Mrs. Cornelius Smith. The
exterior of this beautiful and historic house was restored by the Port Deposit
Heritage Corporation and is now a private residence.
15-17 South Main Street
Winchester Hotel c. 1860’s
When William Winchester bought the building in 1911 it was
in use as a double dwelling. He opened a candy making business on the north
side and later installed a soda fountain, and the family lived over the store.
He did a lot of business with guests at the Falls’ Hotel and the Tome “School
for Boys”, his homemade Easter eggs were famous. Ackers Dry Goods Store was on
the south side. When Ralph, William’s son, inherited the place he ran a bar on
the south side until he retired about 1966. In the meantime Bittner’s
Restaurant was also flourishing. Six Bittner sisters had worked in the north
side establishment from 1918, when Ella was employed to help, Alice and Anna
became clerks when they were old enough. Mary and Gertrude Bittner Hopkins
became proprietors of the restaurant in the 1940’s. By 1946 Dorothy Bittner
Luglio had come from Media to take over in Gertrude’s place, Anna continued
there, and about 1966 Ed and Dorothy Luglio bought the building. They found
candy making equipment put away in the basement, including Easter egg molds and
marble slabs for cooling chocolate.
19-21 South Main Street
Rappaport Building c. 1850’s
This three-story, two-bay brick structure is
characteristic of the
Italianate period. The cornice is bracketed and
has a lovely long side porch (several additions were added to the rear later).
The display windows on the ground floor partially conceal two cast iron
columns. The upper floors are now apartments.
20 South Main Street
c. 1857
This
Federal style building was
constructed on a lot sold by Cornelius Smith and was originally part of the
Gerry House property. When constructed as a private residence the house had a
gabled roof. The now present mansard roof was added to give more room when the
property was converted to four apartments. After a fire, in 1991, the property
was renovated to have a commercial space on the first floor and one apartment
above.
26 South Main Street
Falls Hotel c. 1818
This building was erected by Cornelius Smith as a hotel
and, until 1859, it was called Commercial and Farmers Hotel and was rented to
Joseph McMullen of Perryville. From 1859 to 1876 it was owned by Robert Smith
and was named Smith’s Hotel. In 1892 John Falls bought it and it’s name changed
again, and remained Fall’s Hotel until 1920. According to Mary Hohn Brady,
granddaughter of John Falls, the hotel had an additional section extending south
toward High Street. Its roof outline is still visible on the south end of the
building. Over the years it has also served as a hardware store, restaurant and
apartments.
23 South Main Street
The Rowland House Presbyterian Manse c.1856
James H. Rowland built this house and lived here until
1904 when the Presbyterian Church bought it for use as a manse. The pastors
lived here until 1983, when the property was sold to a private owner. It is an
example of a style of architecture which was popular in Port Deposit, Greek
Revival, characterized by the three story height with the top story having very
small windows. The closed shuttered windows are dummies used to achieve
symmetry. The porch with its wide eaves and brackets and the ornamented columns
give it its Italianate
style.
38 South Main Street c.
1840’s
Although this is an early house, it has been altered with
the addition of a bold
Italianate porch with
Romanesque
columns and heavy bracketed eaves, brackets along the cornice, and two-story bay
window with bracketed cornice at the south end. Quadruple brick chimneys rise
at either end.
42 South Main Street
Nesbitt House c. 1888
Built in 1888 by Henry Clay Nesbitt whose parents lived
next door, this house is a very fine example of
Victorian Queen Anne
architecture. In 1902 Evalyn Tome France, Jacob Tome’s widow and the daughter of
Mr. Nesbitt, bought the house and added the south bay window rooms and tower.
In 1927, Mr. Chester T. Kimble bought the home and converted it to three
apartments with the 3rd floor having its own entrance on High Street as well as
a separate address (#6 High Street). The house was later owned by Mrs. Ryan,
the daughter of C.T. Kimble, and her husband, H.F. Ryan (a past Mayor). The
home has four very ornate tiled fireplaces, two sets of pocket doors, and
beautiful carved arches as well as many other original details and its own bomb
shelter, a relic of the Russian-U.S. confrontation over Cuba in the 1960’s.
44 South Main Street Port
Deposit Presbyterian Church c. 1902
This church of Port Deposit granite, erected in 1902 in
the Norman
style, was largely a gift from James Harvey Rowland. The
sanctuary has a handsome wooden beamed ceiling. The organ, with decorated
pipes, was a gift from Mr. Rowland’s son, Samuel, while the pews were donated by
his daughter, Mary Rowland Platt. Most of the stained glass windows were
commissioned as memorials. This was not the first Presbyterian church in town.
The first one was built of stone in 1836, rebuilt in 1872, on a site where the
First Baptist Church of Port Deposit now stands. As early as 1804, having no
church building of their own, the Presbyterians were preached to from horse-back
or standing on an upturned box by Rev. James Magraw, the minister from West
Nottingham. When Rev. Magraw died in 1835 the congregation, in one month,
raised $1924.58 to be used as part of the construction cost for their own
church.
46-48 South Main Street
Touchstone House c. 1857
This lovely house is another example of the street level
floor being built for storage with the living quarters in the upper floors
because of floods and the granite underlying the town. There is now an
apartment on the first floor. The upper stories are brick walled. The graceful
bracketed eaves are typical of the
Italianate period. Due to the
narrow lot the porch was located on the side, permitting a front yard which for
three generations has been a rose garden. The graceful iron fence was made by
great-grandfather Touchstone at a neighboring foundry.
50 South Main Street
Schaeffer House c. 1836
The roof pediment distinguishes this house which was
erected, in the
Italianate style, as a single dwelling. There are
five gables. During the 19th
century it was expanded to its present size, 18 rooms. Two wings, the bay
windows and curved windows were added. The house has wide white pine flooring,
a black walnut staircase, five fireplaces and two attics. In the early 1930’s
the house was heated by steam piped from a lumber mill across the railroad
track. An inspection plate to the original steam line can be seen on the
sidewalk in front of the property.
52-58 South Main Street
Red Brick Row c. early 1800’s
Red brick with granite accents lends color and texture to
this Greek Revival
style building. Note the pattern of brick on the street level floor and
granite pillars. The cornice is also of brick. As in so many Port Deposit
houses the basement is built at ground level with steps leading up to the living
quarters above. It was impossible to dig a cellar through the granite ledge on
which the town rests and the second stories were at a safe level when ice gorges
came down the river. After Donaldson Brown purchased Mt.Ararat Farms, in 1936,
he bought the Row House for employee housing. It was sold by Frank Brown after
the milk processing plant closed in 1979.
60-62 South Main Street
McClenahan - Nesbitt House c. 1880’s
This large double house was built by John McClenahan.
The northern half he built for his son, John, and the southern half was built
for his married daughter, Mrs. Nesbitt. The homes are mirror images of each
other. The first floor front room has a frescoed ceiling and a wide curving
stairway with a stairwell open all the way up three flights. There is a
fireplace in the entrance hall.
66 South Main Street
Adams Hall c. 1905
This building was constructed for use as a gymnasium by
the Jacob Tome Institute. It included the first indoor swimming pool in Cecil
County, a basketball court, locker rooms and showers. It was a gift to the town
from Wiley Manufacturing Company. This stone building has typical
Georgian Revival
details including the dentiled and modillioned cornice, keystone lintels, and a
Palladian window arrangement on the center gable. After interior renovations,
completed in 1983, it serves as the municipal offices, library and public
meeting room of the town.
Opposite 66 South Main
Street Site of Washington Hall c. 1894
The carved columns, located across the street are all that
remain of Washington Hall. The brick and granite school building opened for
admission of pupils in 1894. The carvings are a likeness of Institute founder
Jacob Tome and his wife, Evalyn Nesbitt Tome.
Next to 66 South Main
Street "The Steps" c. early
1900’s
Constructed to climb from Main Street to High Street and
then to Tome School for Boys, this dramatic stairway of 75 steps begins with a
series of wide ramped brick steps followed by a curving stone series leading to
a first landing. They continue to a higher overlook offering a marvelous view
of 4 bridges and the Susquehanna River to its mouth. (To avoid an arduous
climb, walk up High Street, enjoy the view and descend on the stairs.)
80 South Main Street
Tome Carriage House c. 1850
A
Victorian example of
Carpenter Gothic,
this structure was probably built when the Tome mansion was erected in 1850. It
was once the carriage house of Jacob Tome. The street floor, changed only
slightly, is now one large room instead of having horse stalls. The upper story
is now a home. After Tome died, Will Moore operated a livery stable and taxi
business here.
Tome Gas House
c. 1850
Located across the railroad tracks from the carriage house
is the Tome Gas House. Very similar in appearance to the carriage house, it was
probably constructed during the same period. This stone building also features
wide bracketed eaves and a center cupola.
88 South Main Street
Vanneman House c. before 1816
For many years this was the home of John Vanneman who
owned the wharf opposite his house and from which lumber vessels sailed. The
architecture is Federal
in the Pennsylvania
Farmhouse style. The variation of the three-bay
design, with end chimneys integrated in the exterior walls, brought the
staircase forward allowing a full double parlor across the back. There were
frame additions to the stone portion in 1850 and 1900. The 1850 section retains
its original woodwork. The original kitchen in the basement has a large
fireplace. In all there are seven fireplaces in the stone section.
90 South Main Street McClenahan
Mansion c. 1880’s
This house really consists of two houses. The clapboard
part, a complete two-and-a-half story, hipped roof house with small
Greek Revival
attic story windows, faced Main Street in the early 19th
century, was turned around in the 1880’s and placed against the cliff. The
McClenahans constructed the new part of Port Deposit granite. This tall
Queen Anne
style house has three stories and a partial fourth floor, sixteen
rooms, eleven-foot ceilings on the first floor, mahogany woodwork and mantel
pieces, nine-foot mahogany doors, and oak staircase, crystal chandeliers,
stained glass windows, five walk-in closets, marble washbasins and interior
shutters which fold into window recesses. Much admired is the
Queen Anne
chimney with ornate decorative corbeling.
Granite Avenue
9 Granite Avenue Burlin
Carriage House c. 1860’s
This property was built for use as a carriage house for an
adjacent property that was destroyed by fire. Visible from the basement level,
dug long after the completion of the original structure, is the early foundation
which was constructed from barge lumber. It is a post and beam construction.
The property was later used as an automobile repair shop and was converted in
1962, to a private residence.
33 Granite Avenue
c. before 1853
A structure at this sight appears on the 1853 Bicentennial
map of Cecil County as “The Valley Hotel, J. St. Clair, Proprietor”. In 1856,
Mr. St. Clair sold both the building and his business, including furniture,
beds, pillows, boats, barrels of fish, even a cow and a pig for the sum of
$987.00. Research indicates an earlier owner, John J. Steels, who also owned
the mill (c. 1700’s) and much of the surrounding land. A water race still runs
from the old dam up on the hill, through the property, to the mill. The
property later became part of the J. R. Coulson quarry which could have been
when it was reported to have housed 18 quarry workers. Evidence of other
buildings are still visible on the property.
School
House Road
School House Road
Freeman Hall c. 1938
This Port Deposit Elementary School was built as an
educational facility for “the colored.” At the time of its construction it was
thought to be “state of the art, having running water, electricity and heat”.
The student body was large enough to require three teachers who taught grades
1-7. After W.W.II, the beginning of “High School”, grades 8 - 12 were bused to
Elkton. The school closed in the early 60’s. Now the property of the town,
Freeman Hall serves as a meeting place for community seniors and scouts. It is
named after a respected Baptist Pastor, Saint Paul Freeman.
High Street
33 High Street
White House c. 1840’s
Being one of the highest properties in Port, this 1840’s
house offers a picturesque view of the river. In the 1850 Captain David White
was the steamship captain of the newly commissioned ferryboat “Port Deposit”,
which ran between Havre de Grace and Port Deposit. Sometime in the 1860’s he
and his family moved to Anne Arundel County and opened a ship chandler business
known as D. White & Sons. After the death of the captain, in 1876, his estate
was forced to auction to satisfy creditors. In 1880 the McClenahans purchased
the house from the estate and it is believed a relative of the White family
remained in the house until it was sold to St. James Church in 1912. The church
added the stone section to square the house. The property was used as the
church rectory until 1951. The property still has many of the original details
including floors, moldings and five fireplaces, one of which was used for
cooking,
39 High Street
Miller House c. early 1800’s
Tradition has it that beams from arks which had been used
to float produce from Pennsylvania to “Port” were used in construction of this
house. The Misses Alice, Emma and Mary Miller lived here from the late 1930’s
after their retirements; Miss Alice from being the first supervisor of
elementary schools in Cecil County, Miss Emma after service as a Social Worker
in Philadelphia Settlement House, and Miss Mary after being secretary to the
headmaster of the Tome School for Boys. Miss Alice Miller had written
Cecil County
- A Study in Local History. After her death in
December of 1947, her sisters “decided to preserve the results of her research
by bringing out the edition”. It is an excellent history of Cecil County.
Port Deposit Heritage Corporation
The Port Deposit Heritage
Corporation was organized in 1975 by Mrs. Grace Humphries. Mrs. Humphries was a
“newcomer”, by some standards, to Port Deposit, having not been born in town.
Perhaps, this was the source of her vision. She had a deep love for the town
and a fear that its rich history would be lost to future generations if left
unprotected.
A retired educator, having once taught at the Jacob Tome
Institute, and later at Perryville Elementary, Mrs. Humphries focused her
energies and went about the process of having the town placed on the National
Register of Historic Places, a task that would consume several years.
Under her guidance, the gradually deteriorating Paw Paw Building was purchased
for restoration, to be used as a library and museum. Today the building stands
not only as a fine example of rubble fieldstone construction techniques, but as
proof of Mrs. Humphries’ commitment to the preservation of Port Deposit’s
heritage.
The Port Deposit Heritage Corporation continues to serve as a guardian of the
past with a membership numbering in the hundreds. Monthly meetings are open to
the public, and all who are interested are invited to attend.
For information about becoming a member, write to:
Port Deposit Heritage
Corporation
Post Office Box 101
Port Deposit, Maryland 21904
or phone: 410-378-4480
Paw Paw Museum
The Paw Paw Museum is open from 1:00 PM to 5:00 PM every second and
fourth Sunday from May through October and on the first Saturday of the month
year-round from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM. The museum exhibits a collection of Indian
Arrow Heads, Civil War memorabilia including original letters from soldiers, and
an extensive collection of photographs of the town and those who visited and
lived in Port Deposit. The museum is also available for research projects.
For more information, write to
Heritage Corporation.
Admission is free, but
donations are greatly appreciated.
Candlelight
Tour
Each year on the first Saturday in December the Port Deposit Heritage
Corporation sponsors a Candlelight Tour of Homes. The tour presents homes and
other historic structures all decorated for the holidays. This outstanding
event offers an authentic look at early nineteenth century living and will most
certainly bring on your holiday spirit
For information and/or tour tickets,
contact Heritage Corporation.
Tickets may be purchased on the day of the tour
at the Paw Paw Museum.
Lower Susquehanna Heritage
Greenway
Established in 1992 and incorporated in 1997, Lower Susquehanna Heritage
Greenway, Inc. works to develop a greenway concept along the Susquehanna River
by focusing on natural resource conservation while offering an approach that
combines heritage tourism and economic development with preservation. By
providing a network of trails, scenic byways and tour routes, visitors to both
Cecil and Harford Counties can enjoy extraordinary natural and scenic resources,
dotted with charming historic towns and places, a variety of museums, and a
compliment of major recreational parks and facilities.
For information, please write to:
Lower Susquehanna Heritage
Greenway, Inc.
Conowingo Visitors Center
4948 Conowingo Road
Darlington, Maryland 21034
Port
Deposit Information
For additional information about Port Deposit please contact:
Port Deposit Town Hall
64 South Main Street
Port Deposit, Maryland 21904
or phone: 410-378-2121
or e-mail: townhall@portdeposit.org
Or visit
http://www.portdeposit.com
In recognition of Port Deposit’s importance as a valuable and tangible
reminder of a well-preserved mid-nineteenth century industrial town, the entire
town was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978. This will
ensure that its physical charm and special character is maintained.
The architecture of the town - rich in its diversity - evidences artistry and
craftsmanship, and contains an assortment of Georgian, Greek Revival, Federal,
Victorian, Italianate, and vernacular styles. Our descriptions include
architectural features as well as details of interesting local history. In
addition to the terraced gardens which form unique backgrounds for the
buildings, please note intricate porch railings and distinctive doors and
windows. Be sure to look up!
All structures described in this “Walking Tour Guide” are listed by street
address, and we ask that as you tour, please, remember that most of the
buildings you are observing are private residences.
Kindly do not intrude upon the privacy of the owners.
Walking Tour Guide
compliments of
The Port Deposit
Heritage Corporation
Revised
addition due Summer 2004
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