CENTREVILLE — The Maryland House and Garden Pilgrimage will come to Queen Anne’s County on May 4. It is the second stop on the 2019 tour. Eight historic properties on Kent Island, in Queenstown and in Centreville will be open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
“Tour tickets make great gifts,” said local garden club member Janice Clark, who is selling ticket for the tour. “Buy one for you and one for a friend and create wonderful memories together.”
Advance tickets are on sale for $30 through February and $40 after that. Proceeds will help preserve historic Maryland properties. Clark can be reached by calling 610-299-7861 or by email, janicelclark@outlook.com.
Locally, proceeds will go toward the St. Peter the Apostle Church Restoration Project. St. Peter’s, 5319 Ocean Gateway, Queenstown, is the third site on the tour. St. Peter’s, which relies on private donations to fund its preservation efforts, will use the pilgrimage funds to help repair and restore the existing 1877 church structure. Restoration includes, among other things, repairing or replacing architectural elements, removing deteriorated paint, restoring the original 1877 English stained glass windows, and repointing/waterproofing the exterior brick work. Much of the work must be done by skilled artisans using present day materials that can replicate the original elements.
On the day of the pilgrimage, a box lunch will be available for $10 from 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. in The Raskob Memorial Room at St. Peter the Apostle Church. The menu includes chicken salad, roll, pickle, chips, dessert and a bottle of water. Advance reservations are encouraged by April 26, especially for groups to confirm availability. For information, contact Michele Shultz at 410-979-2673 or michele.h.shultz@gmail.com.
Stops on the Maryland House and Garden Pilgrimage in Queen Anne’s County include:
1. STOOPLEY-GIBSON, 142 Carriage Heath, Chester 21619.
Joining this tour for the first time, Stoopley-Gibson is a stately three-story 18th century Georgian brick home that was enlarged in the 19th century, with secondary restorations in the 20th and 21st centuries. Of particular note is the original all-header bond brick on the south facade, common in Annapolis homes from 1740-1780; and the two-story north-facing veranda reminiscent of Jefferson’s Monticello. The land can be traced to the mid-17th century when John Gibson and Henry Stoupe patented 150 acres via a 1656 land grant. Significant local history includes fugitive slave, Henry Massey, who escaped from the home in 1854, as well as the loss of the family cemetery to shoreline erosion. The home features original wood floors, six fireplaces, and an antique boathouse. The gardens feature magnolia, holly, and multiple centenarian trees, including one of Maryland’s largest English boxwoods. Owned by MacKenzie and Andrew Costello.
2. KIRWAN HOUSE AND GENERAL STORE, 641 Dominion Road, Chester 21619.
The Victorian home (c. 1879) of James E. Kirwan (Maryland’s State Senator 1900-1908) and the attached general store have had an ongoing restoration by present owners. The store is fully stocked as if it were 1900, and the home has all of the original furnishings, china, pottery, an Edison cylinder phonograph, family photos, and an 1821 manumission paper. Owner of a 300 acre farm, Kirwan had many varied enterprises, including the largest terrapin farm in Maryland. Three of the 21 outbuildings — the dairy, icehouse, and carpenter shed — still exist. The property gives visitors a real glimpse into the life of a prominent family on the rural Eastern Shore at the turn of the 20th century. Owned by the Kent Island Heritage Society.
3. SAINT PETER THE APOSTLE CHURCH, 5319 Ocean Gateway, Queenstown 21658.
Soon after William Claiborne founded his colony on Kent Island in 1631, a Catholic community was established, becoming the second oldest in the English speaking colonies. The establishment of St. Peter’s parish in 1765 was the fourth attempt by the Jesuits to found a mission center in the heart of the Eastern Shore for the Wye River area. A 1760 bequest of 50 pounds from Edward Neale of “Bowlingly” provided the land on which the brick chapel was built. The present church was built in 1823-1827, and jousting tournaments were held to help raise funds for the 1877 expansion into cruciform style. Distinguishing features include the steeply pitched slate roofs, decorated vergeboards, large rose windows, and a Victorian bell cupola. The interior contains the 1877 English stained glass and altar furniture, and four pews from 1827. The cemetery’s earliest grave dates to 1820 — many early benefactors are also buried there. St. Peter’s is on the National Register of Historic Places. Note: St. Peter’s staff will prepare for evening mass at 4:45 p.m. — all are welcome to the Catholic mass held at 5:30 p.m.
4. THE HERMITAGE, 120 Hermitage Farm Lane, Centreville 21617.
Settled over 350 years ago, The Hermitage is one Maryland’s oldest continuously inhabited thumb grants to be held by direct descendants of the original settler and still functions today as a working farm. The property was patented to Dr. Richard Tilghman, a surgeon in the British Navy, in 1658 by Charles Calvert, Lord Baltimore. The original deed for 400 acres can be seen at the house. The estate grew to 2000 acres in the mid-1800’s and today stands at just under 900 acres. Buildings were added over the years to accommodate its growing productivity — tennant houses, restored slave quarters, a smoke house, ice house, stables, and barns. The main house contains portraits of the Tilghman ancestors, family furniture, and other artifacts such as books belonging to both Richard Tilghman and Matthew Tilghman, a leader of the Revolution in Maryland. The view includes many old and elegant trees, among them the second largest ginkgo tree in Maryland. Owned by the Tilghman Family.
5. THE GUNSTON SCHOOL, 911 Gunston Road, Centreville 21617.
The Gunston Farm School was founded in 1911 by Sam and Mary Middleton on their farm along the Corsica River on Maryland’s Eastern Shore, in response to the disabling effects of polio on their daughter, and their refusal to accept that she receive anything but the highest quality education. Students were housed in “The Big House” c.1890 (the current day Middleton House) which remains at the heart of The Gunston School’s 35-acre campus. Headmaster Jeffrey Woodworth oversaw the renovation of Middleton House, which had fallen into disrepair. Refurbishment was completed in 2007 and the building became the Admissions and Administration building. The remodel maintained the integrity of the exterior of the Victorian Era building, including its mansard roof, and preserved several historic fireplaces in the interior space.
6. SILK FARM, 225 Corsica Neck Road, Centreville 21617.
Silk Farm is part of a 350-acre tract patented in 1665 as Barbadoes Hall by Christopher Thomas. The farm owes its present name to the Queen Anne’s County Silk Company, which was chartered in 1835 and which purchased the farm in 1836. The company soon disappeared from the records and the farm was sold in 1840 to Richard Tilghman Earle. The original brick house is believed to date from the second quarter of the 18th century, most likely built by the Wilkinson or Clayton family. In the 1830’s the house burned and was rebuilt shortly thereafter. Three of the four exterior walls of the early house survive, whereas the second story was added when the house was rebuilt. Of particular interest are the handsome 18th century brickwork of the south façade, the tiled weatherings of the gable chimneys, and the corbelled shoulders.
7. 406 CHESTERFIELD, Centreville 21617.
Black, gray, and cream dominate this elegant home situated along a serene tree-lined street. Once part of a larger farm, the white-sided residence with louvered black shutters is entered via the welcoming brick and boxwood lined walkway — pops of color are provided by the abundant hydrangeas in the gardens. Built in 1923 as a Sears Roebuck kit house, there is nothing “kit-like” beyond its heritage. The owners — a seasoned interior designer and a renowned jazz and classical pianist — intermingle antique pieces with modern items. The result is an eclectic masterpiece that was inspired by the “gray scale of the Atlantic.” Owned by Stef and Debora Scaggiari.
8. KENNARD HIGH SCHOOL, 410 Little Kidwell Avenue, Centreville 21617.
Kennard High School (c. 1936) was the county’s first and only secondary school for African Americans and named for Queen Anne’s County educator Lucretia Kennard Daniels (1871-1933). In 1907, Daniels was appointed “Supervisor of Colored Schools” in Caroline County; in 1919, she was appointed as the supervisor in Queen Anne’s County. Daniels dedicated her life to establishing a black comprehensive high school. The school was built on land purchased by the African American citizens of Queen Anne’s County for $99. The school was constructed in 1935-36, through President Roosevelt’s WPA program at a cost of $2,600. The building has been restored to create a cultural heritage center and includes an African American History Museum. Owned by the Kennard Alumni Association.
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