1. HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF TALBOT COUNTY, 17 SOUTH WASHINGTON STREET, EASTON

The Society’s gardens may be entered through the North Terrace on Washington Street. The hand-wrought iron gate was designed to complement the Charleston gate at the far end of the garden and incorporates the Society’s “star” logo. The garden includes dwarf boxwood, spring and fall blooming camellias, oakleaf hydrangeas and native Sweet Bay magnolias. The adjoining picket fence was designed after the Chase-Lloyd House fence in Annapolis. The Nettie Jones Garden has rectangular beds and intersecting axis as is typical of classical garden design in the 17th and 18th Centuries. The Alice D. Huxley Herb Garden in the right rear corner has a sundial as its focal point.

3. 28630 LOIS LANE, COOKE’S HOPE, EASTON

The wrap-around porch greets visitors and provides a perfect entrance to the romantic interior created by the owner. The foyer and the dining room introduce the quiet neutral pallet used throughout the home and lead to the inviting salon where the sitting area takes advantage of the fireplace. In the keeping room and kitchen the color scheme picks up the hues of a tea-washed Soumak rug and a framed sea grass collage. Upstairs, the guest sitting room leads to a wide library hallway and three luscious guest rooms. The screened back porch faces the pool, featuring the statues of the Four Seasons in an arched hedge of yews at the top of the pool. The theme of an “All Seasons” garden is continued with bulbs, perennials, flowering shrubs and trees to complement the hardscapes and arbor-covered paths. 

4. CANTERBURY MANOR,
5985 CANTERBURY DRIVE, EASTON

Canterbury Manor is a colonial revival mansion on Bailey’s Neck, overlooking Trippe Creek, the main block built by Colonel F. Carroll Goldsborough in 1906. The majestic two-and-one-half story home was expanded by the Wheeler Family who lived in the house from 1915 until 1945. The grand foyer with original glass extends through to the water side of the house. The master bedroom has views of the entire property and a large porch overlooks the formal gardens and the pool. Featured on the third floor is a teddy bear-filled grandchildren’s dormitory tucked under the front facing eave.

5. DUVALL FARM AND LODGE,
6150 OXFORD ROAD, EASTON

Habitat revitalization to attract both native and migratory birds through conservation restoration programs has been the focus of the owners, whose primary residence is but a stone’s throw away. Using various conservation practices, the primary goal of the owners is to create and maintain high-quality habitat for native wildlife species while minimizing sediment and nutrient runoff from agricultural fields. The farm is a major wintering area for Canada geese and numerous species of both diving and puddle ducks. In the midst of these conserved lands sits a rustic lodge on the banks of a man-made lake, bringing visions of times past. The cluster of outbuildings beside the lodge includes a dog trot and an “outhouse” matching the pioneer spirit of the log main house.

6. TALL TAILS,
5365 MORGAN’S POINT DRIVE, OXFORD

This gracious home, situated on the Tred Avon River, was completed in 2006 and reflects classic Eastern Shore architecture with European influences. The main entry hall introduces the homeowners’ love of dogs and nature as themes for furnishings and accessories. The kitchen, graced by a large “Copernicus” iron chandelier, has two islands for the serious cook and a convenient walnut wine cellar enhanced by the owner’s collection of whimsical framed corkscrews. Also downstairs is the billiard room with its hand-made reproduction of a billiard table found in historic Raleigh Tavern in Williamsburg, VA. Upstairs the panoramic view of the river shows a sweep of gardens from the terrace to the lavender garden and pool garden adjacent to the dining pavilion. Strolling outdoors from the central terrace to enjoy the many outdoor living areas, guests may visit the unusual hexagonal storage shed with its wrap-around pergola and continue on into the formal and organic vegetable gardens, the screened berry patch and the working greenhouse.

7. SIBLEY HOUSE,
301 SOUTH MORRIS STREET, OXFORD

This 1890's house is an example of a side passage, two-story, two-bay frame dwelling popular throughout Oxford. In contrast to the narrow roundededged weather boards (Deutsch siding) of the body of the house, the gable end is sheathed with pointed fish-scale shingles. Slender pilasters trim the corners of the house. A family room addition was built and original hardwood floors were matched with reclaimed flooring from an old warehouse of the same period. The dining table was custom-built by a local craftswoman from recycled antique pine. Climbing up the original staircase to the second floor, one finds three bedrooms lovingly and whimsically decorated for family visitors and the master suite in serene green.

8. 221 SOUTH STREET, OXFORD, Garden Only

The Stevens family built the Gothic Farmhouse on the shore of Town Creek in 1880. It is well known today as the home of the original Nellie R. Stevens Holly. The current owners came to Oxford in 1979 and became diligent stewards of the site, guarding the many mature trees and shrubs even while installing six geothermal wells in the summer of 2009. They have added many amenities to the garden including a vegetable garden, screened blueberry patch supported by the brown gold of their compost piles, a pool with a perennial border and generous lawn-reducing planting areas for native plants. One of the owners' most extensive projects has been the restoration of their shoreline and the eradication of invasive Phragmites.

9. ST. PAUL’S CHURCH,
SOUTH MORRIS STREET, OXFORD

In 1856 the Oxford Methodists built the white frame church with elements of Greek Revival styling, including the low pitch gable roof, dentil cornice molding, beaded trim around the rectangular windows and wide corner pilasters. The 1882 front addition to the church included lateral wings, a vestibule, steeple and bell. The Gothic Revival influences can be seen on the arched lancet windows, Victorian sawn work on the wooden spire, and the pointed arch entrance fitted with Gothic styled double doors. The church closed its doors in 1977. The Stanleys bought it in 1979. Lightning destroyed the 80-foot steeple, so in 1991 a replica based on photographs of the original was erected. Then in 2008 the owners embarked on the interior renovation and restoration. The main church was lifted and temporarily suspended while a new foundation was built. The present wood wainscoting and finish flooring is reused long leaf yellow pine, and the original pressed tin of the ceiling and walls was scraped, primed and repainted. Seven original acetylene chandeliers and two harp lights stowed in the attic of the church were restored and electrified.