KENT COUNTY
SATURDAY, MAY 3,
2008 – 10 A.M. to 5
P.M.
Chairman: Mrs. William Rogers, Tel. 410-810-0296.
Co-Chairman: Mrs.
Kirk Wade
Committee
Chairmen: Flowers,
Mrs. Allan Housley. Hostesses, Mrs. Kurt Semke. Photography, Mrs. S. Daniel Hunt. Publicity, Mrs. John Stephenson. Roadmarking, Mr. and Mrs. John Carey,
Mr. and Mrs. Richard Kalter. Directions & Maps, Mrs. M. Grant.
Special
Project: Tour proceeds will be used to purchase
and install lamps and posts in Memorial Park to provide illumination, safety,
and continuity of design with Fountain Park.
Lunch: A sit-down
lunch for $13 will be served in the Parish Hall of Emmanuel Church on
Cross Street in Chestertown. There will be seatings at 11:30 a.m. and
1:00 p.m. Reservations are requested by April 28
and required for groups of 10 or more.
Please make reservations and indicate preferred seating time by calling the church office, 410-778-3477,
during business hours 9 a.m. to 3
p.m., Monday through
Friday.
Information: Kent County Office of Tourism Development,
410-778-0416. Click
here to email. Day of tour: Kent County
Visitors Center , 410-778-9739, 122
N. Cross St. Chestertown
Tickets will be sold
at the tent located at the corner of High and Cross Streets and at the tour
sites. Rest rooms are available at the Visitor Center, 122
N. Cross St. and at the Rest Stop,
Cliffs City Rd.
Pilgrims are welcome to bring a picnic lunch to eat at the Rest Stop.
Shelter is available. Lunches may be picked up at one of the many eateries in
town or at the Pomona Store on Quaker Neck Rd. A directory of eating
establishments is available at the Ticket Tent. Call ahead for
faster take out service.
ROUTES FROM: WILMINGTON AND NORTH: I-95 South to Rt. 896, Middletown, DE via Rt. 896/301 to
Rt. 301 South to Rt. 291 West toward Chestertown, to Left on Rt. 213 South, to
Right on Cross St. (South 289), to Ticket Tent in Town
Park.
BALTIMORE AND THE BAY BRIDGE: Rt. 50/301 East to Rt. 301 to Rt. 213 North through
Centreville. After crossing the
Chester
River Bridge, go 3 blocks to left on Cross
St. (South
289), to Ticket Tent in Town Park.
EASTON AND SOUTH: Rt. 50
West to Rt. 213 North. Follow directions above.
TICKET TENT:
Continue
South on Cross St. which becomes Quaker Neck Rd., (South 289), for 6.7 mi. to
stop #1 on right.
FOLLOW PILGRIMAGE ARROWS AND SIGNS.
1. BAYMEATH GARDEN. In the Eastern Shore
farm country, our grounds are designed to take advantage of mature hardwoods of
hickory, beach, and magnificent oaks with views overlooking grassy meadows or
grain fields out to the water.
Planting around the house tends to the less formal, designed primarily
for three-season interest – fall, winter, and spring – emphasizing texture as
well as color. Close to our kitchen
door is the herb garden, while nearby a perennial garden includes a strong
showing of early tulips followed by peonies and then late spring bloomers, with
a vegetable bed in the mix. A
wisteria-covered pergola provides shaded seating at one end while a bronze wolf
sculpture howls in the distance. By
mid-spring, masses of daffodils and other ephemerals add color at the edge of
the woods. Indigenous hollies,
including one growing horizontally, are the backdrop for Siberian iris and
several shade beds. A series of magnolia and azalea walks lead into natural
woodland paths along the shore of Philip Creek. Gardeners: Clement &
Elizabeth Moore, Carol Mylander & Trams Hollingsworth.
Return to Quaker Neck
Rd. (South 289). Turn right. Continue for 0.2 mi. Stop #2 on
right.
2. PROVIDENCE PLANTATION was built in 1781 and was meticulously restored between
1988 and 1992 under the direction of the National Trust, which holds an easement
on the property. Beautiful paneled
rooms, seven fireplaces, and antiques add to its historical charm. Located on the east fork of Langford
Creek, 76 acres of the original parcel is accessed down a lane lined with 135
cedar trees. The Trew family
cemetery adjacent to the house is the resting place for the original owners,
William and Mary Trew, and their descendants. Work on the outbuildings and grounds was
begun in 1997 by the present owners, Mr. and Mrs. Frank
Bunch.
Return to Quaker Neck
Rd. (South 289). Turn right. Continue for 1.4 mi. to fork in road.
Take right fork,
Lands End Rd.
for 0.6
mi. to Stop #3.
3. VAN
DYKE GARDEN. The
garden began 10 years ago with a design by the landscape architects, Wolfgang
Oehme and James van Sweden. Known
for their “new American garden” style, their gardens feature sweeps of grasses
and massed perennials. Since then
the owners, hopelessly addicted to acquiring new plants, have added garden beds,
a vegetable and cutting garden, a landscaped swimming pool, and a small
greenhouse. In 2007 they installed
a wind generator in one of the meadows to supplement commercial
electricity. A welcome retreat from
life in Baltimore
City, the property offers
views of Langford Creek, a small sand beach, a pond, meadows and woods, as well
as the large garden. Boating,
hunting, crabbing, and, of course, gardening, as well as visits from children
and grandchildren are welcome activities.
Owners: Mr. and Mrs. Peter Van Dyke.
Return to Lands End
Rd. Turn right to Langford Creek Farm, Stop
#4. Pass large
red barn on left.
4.
LANGFORD CREEK FARM.
Completed
in 2002, this comfortable clapboard home embraces colonial traditions that have
been adapted for modern-day living.
Expansive views over farmland to Langford Creek can be enjoyed from all
the principal rooms and the lushly planted terraces that extend along the water
side of the house. Many interior
details reflect the owners’ interest in Asian culture and history and their love
of American and English antiques. A
number of new pieces were designed especially for the house. The grounds feature
ponds, a walled garden planted in the American style with a Japanese-inspired
pagoda, and a pool and croquet court presided over by a Chinese folly. Owners: Mr. and Mrs. Guyon H. Knight
III.
The Rest Stop, #5, is located 1.0 mi. from Stop
#4. Return to Lands End Rd. to
Quaker Neck Rd., and make a hard right, south, on Cliffs City Rd. to
#5, Rest Stop. (Those Pilgrims who
would like a panoramic view of the juncture of the Chester and Corsica Rivers should continue 0.5 mi. past the
Rest Stop to the public landing at Cliffs City.)
5. REST
STOP: BACHELORS HOPE FARM,
named for the original landowners, is now
the home of Bob and Janet Hewes. Enjoy the quiet beauty of the Chester River at this magnificent location. Bring
a picnic lunch to enjoy at the tables in the boathouse or on the lawn. Restrooms, beverages, and picnic tables are
available. No food will be sold at the Farm. The house and gardens are not
included in the tour.
Return to Cliffs City
Rd. Turn right, north, 0.2 mi. to Stop #6 on
right. Park
along the road.
6.
NEARWATER GARDEN is architectural in
design with a series of connected “rooms” defined by hedges, lattice fences,
brick piers, pergolas, and earthen mounds.
Wood and metal furnishings along with stone and lead ornamentation and
statuary add scale and interest.
Water features include fish and lily ponds, a round swimming pool, and a
semi-raised trough with a lead mask fountain. Areas of interest include a small
“hidden garden” with pond, a sundial garden for shade plants enclosed by a
pergola with a Doric temple, a double herbaceous border, a rock garden, a small
woodland garden, and a shrubbery garden with a croquet lawn. There is a summer house with a view of
the Chester
River, a gravel area for
stone troughs, three raised beds for ericaceous and screen plants, a sand bed,
and crevice bed. There are three
greenhouses, one being an alpine house containing rare prize winning plants
shown in the Philadelphia Flower Show.
Owners: Mr. and Mrs. John Ray.
Continue on Cliff City Rd.,
north, which becomes
Quaker Neck
Rd. (North 289), toward Chestertown, 8.6 mi. Turn
left on Cannon St. Park in lot on
right or on the street. Mill
St. is at the
stop sign at the top of the hill.
Stops #7 & #8 are at the intersection of Cannon and Mill
Sts.
7. RICHMAN HOUSE, 111 S.
Mill St.
Built in Chestertown’s second
century, the c.1890s townhouses at 109 and 111 S. Mill
St. are excellent examples of
the period genre. Designed to fit
onto long, narrow town lots, they are mirror images sharing a “party wall.” Essentially unchanged since their
construction, they retain the original millwork, single hung windows, and heart
pine floors throughout. Typical
town properties, the long, narrow backyards now flow into one another in a
series of intimate garden rooms.
Scaled to provide maximum usage within a confined space, each “room”
evokes a different sensory experience.
The two-year old garden is still growing to achieve its full potential,
but visitors can already glimpse the rose covered pergola, the secret garden
tucked behind sheared hedges, the classic rose garden and the out buildings
which mimic the architecture of the main house. Owners: John and Jane Richman.
8.
DAVIS-JOHNSTONE HOUSE. This charming, small-scale clapboard
house was built by Charles Davis around 1854. The double house was built on a brick
foundation with four bays, the inner two of which have doors with transoms. Three dormer windows complete the front
façade. The interior spaces were
originally divided evenly with one front room each, with an enclosed stairway to
a small chamber above. From 1916 to
1959 the house was a tenement and gradually deteriorated. In 1959 a new owner began restoration
and rehabilitation making it a single-family dwelling. In the mid-1970s the house was abandoned
and left unoccupied until it was purchased in 2003. This was the second time in its history
the house was to be saved from the elements and termite infestation. The current owners have made every
effort possible to save and retain all architectural features during its renewal
and restoration. The house has been
completely modernized throughout, new additions have been made, and new patios,
walkways, and landscaping have been installed. Owners: Mr. and Mrs. Eugene H.
Johnstone.
Stops #9, #10 and #11 are on Water
St. which can
be reached by heading toward the river on Cannon St. or High
St. Parking is available at the
waterfront at the foot of High St. and in parking lots on Cannon St. between
Cross and Queen Sts. Follow signs
to the houses. They are within walking distances to each
other.
9. THE SIMON
WICKES HOUSE, 115
North Water Street. The date 1726 on the side of the
house apparently refers to the original sale of the lot “and tenements” by one
John Falconer to Richard Bennett. In 1780, Simon Wickes bought what was then
known as “water lot #10” for 222 bushels of “good merchantable wheat” and built
the present house, modeling it on the recently completed Frisby house across the
street. Both have the same floor
plan, a center hall flanked by two rooms, the interior walls of which are simple
vertical board partitions. However, as this house was built into the riverbank,
it is one story higher on the waterside.
The kitchen, then
as now, was in the basement, although what is now an office/family room was
probably the original kitchen with the present kitchen occupying what was once a
storeroom. After undergoing many changes over the years, the house was restored
to its original configuration in the 1980s. The present owners installed a dumb
waiter from the kitchen to the formal dining room above and enclosed the ground
floor porch to create a year-round living area. The yard overlooking the river
is beautifully landscaped and enclosed by a handsome wooden fence. Owners: Mr.
and Mrs. Anthony Scott.
10. 111 and
113 North Water Street . These
two Federal style townhouses, sharing a common wall, were built in 1880 for two
sisters who wanted to live close to each other but not share the same home. Each house was only one room wide and
consisted of three floors and a basement.
A single fireplace on each first floor was the only heat source. Later additions in 1905 and 1912
expanded both houses towards the water. The most recent renovations were done in
1998 and 2000 when the inner entries between the houses were created. Both houses were air-conditioned and
given new heating, kitchens, and bathrooms. The family uses both houses as one. They have two daughters who may want to
some day live close to one another, but not in the same house. Owners: Mr. and Mrs. Matthew
Tobriner.
11. The Hynson-Ringgold House is an outstanding
example of 18th century Georgian architecture. It was constructed in 1743 for Dr.
William Murray. In 1767, Thomas
Ringgold IV purchased the house.
One of only three men to represent Maryland at the Stamp Act Congress and a
member of the first Colonial Congress, Ringgold remodeled and enlarged the
house, installing a beautiful paneled parlor in the front section and an
elaborate “antler,” or double staircase to the rear. The all-header bond on the
garden-side wall of the rear wing dates the entire rear structure to Ringgold’s
time. Original hinges and bars
remain to this day and many windowpanes are of 18th century
hand-blown glass. The
Hynson-Ringgold House now serves as the residence of the president of Washington College. Residents: Dr. and Mrs. Baird
Tipson.
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