T-30 Foxley Hall

Architectural Survey File

This is the architectural survey file for this MIHP record. The survey file is organized reverse- chronological (that is, with the latest material on top). It contains all MIHP inventory forms, National Register nomination forms, determinations of eligibility (DOE) forms, and accompanying documentation such as photographs and maps.

Users should be aware that additional undigitized material about this property may be found in on-site architectural reports, copies of HABS/HAER or other documentation, drawings, and the “vertical files” at the MHT Library in Crownsville. The vertical files may include newspaper clippings, field notes, draft versions of forms and architectural reports, photographs, maps, and drawings. Researchers who need a thorough understanding of this property should plan to visit the MHT Library as part of their research project; look at the MHT web site (mht..gov) for details about how to make an appointment.

All material is property of the Maryland Historical Trust.

Last Updated: 04-05-2004 ¢ MARYLAND HISTORICAL TRUST T-,30

Town of EaRton INVENTORY FORM FOR STATE HISTORIC SITES SURVEY

HISTORIC Foxley Hall ANO/OR COMMON

/.------1)LOCATION STREET a NUMBER 24 North Aurora Street CITY, l'OWN CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT Easton _ VICINITY OF FIRST STATE COUNTY ?-!nryln.'1d 21601 'l'albot DcLASSIFICATION

CATEGORY OWNERSHIP STATUS PRESENT USE -DISTRICT _PUBLIC ..!occUPIEO -AGRICULTURE _MUSEUM XBUILOING¢1 ~PRIVATE -UNOCCUPIED _COMMERCIAL _PARK _STRUCTURE _BOTH _WORK IN PROGRESS -EDUCATIONAL ~RIVATE RESID~NCE _SITE PUBLIC ACQUISITION ACCESSIBLE -ENTERTAINMENT _RELIGIOUS --- -OBJECT _IN PROCESS -YES RESTRICTED -GOVERNMENT _SCIENTIFIC _BEING CONSIDERED - YES UNRESTRICTED _INDUSTRIAL _TRANSPORTATION :K..NO -Ml UT ARY -OTHER DOWNER OF PROPERTY

NAME Elizabeth G, Proctor Telephone #: STREET & NUMBER P, 0, 'Box 283 CITY. TOWN STATE , zip _ VICINITY OF Cali1'ornia LOCATION OF LEGAL DESCRIPTION Liber #: RRS 4J COURTHOUSE Folio # : 624. REGISTRY OF DEEDS.ETC Talbot County Court House STREET & NUMBER \rn.shington Street CITY TOWN STATE Easton Mnrylnnd 21601 llREPRESENTAllON IN EXISTING SURVEYS TITLE Town of Easton Survey by Paul Brinlonan DATE August 29 1967 _FEDERAL ~ATE _COUNTY -1.0CAL r---~~~------"----'---~------D EPOSITORY FOR SURVEY RECORDS Ma.rylgnd Historic Trust CITY. TOWN STATE Annapolis Maryland T -3o II DESCRIPTION

CONDITION CHECK ONE CHECK ONE

-EXCULENT - DETERIORATED _ UNALTERED !..ORIGINAL SITE A GOOD - RUINS ~LTERED - MOVED DATE ___ _ FAIR - UNEXPOSED

DESCRIBE THE PRESENT AND ORIGINAL (IF KNOWN) PHYSICAL A PPEARANCE

Foxley Hall is one of the best-known of Easton's Federal dvellings. Situated close to the sidewalk at Aurora and Goldsborough Streets, the building has been extended with numorous additions to the rear and to the north. The main house is three bays wide and two and a half stories in height. Its gable roof has two dormers in the west slope; they are decorated with reeded pil asters topped with adamesque sunburst shields. The upper sash is rounded; there is a cornice and return. The bri clc of the facade is laid in Flemish bond with a molrlecl water table. Window openings have flat arches of brick. Tho mn.in entrance is in the north bay. There nre two basement windows in the front facade ; these have flat arches nnd granite sills. Other window openings arc found 1nside wnlls flanking the enclosed brick chimneys which rise in the cent~...r of each side wall. The small attic windows have six over three sashes. The north ch imney is false. Tho structure has been greatly chan ge~ since conetruction, especially in the late nineteenth century by Oswald Tilghman. Therefore , most visjble details arc from this period. Most wings clso postdate the original house. Typically, Federal houses in Easton had n two­ and- a - hali" story mnin house with a tW'o story renr ell, probably the original form of Foxley Hall. To the north of the main house, however, is nn unusual one story '~ing with a shallow gable roof. It has a Flemish bond front i"ncade and molded water table which is very similar to those of the main house; however, the front walls are not continuous, indicating that this wing is in all likelihood an addition. Other brick details include flat window arches and 1/5 English bond side walls. The cornice is shallow with a wide overhang and bold cro\m molding. It resembles the cor nice of the main house. Both appear to date from the second half of the nineteenth century. The main entrance is framed with an en~ab laturc supporteu by fluted round columns and flat pilasters. The vertical elements rest on s t one bases; the porch is reached by a ilight of five low stone steps. The double entrance doors have deeply molded panels , typical of the late nineteenth century. Thero is e fan- shaped transom light. To the rear is a urich. ell, two stories high with one room per f"loor. .rt is of bricJ... , laid in English boni:. rhc build.i.ng is covered with a gable roof, and as noted above is probably contempornry with tho 1::iain portion of the house. Indeed this portion r .. at.ts mantl es a nd chairrnils vhich have characteristic Federal period detailing. Through the yea rs brick additions were constructed along the north side of the rear wing. Consequently, the roof lines al'e irregular and tall chimneys with si11plc cai-s rise nt right angles to each other n:t the original bac1< wall of the rear wing, in the north addition near Goldsborough Street, nnd in the north wall of the old shallow roofed north wing. Behi11d tnis small wi ng is a three sided,. octagonal bay window with tall slender windows and ornamental brackets. At :the rear (CONT . ) CONTINUE ON SEPARATE SHEET IF NECESSARY :4 ~orth Aurora Str ct Enston, taz·vtnnd 21l'i )l -Ju 1• ox:loy Anll

o the? hou C'>, overlooh ng the garden, is a t ... o ston· porch wi.th pi rec - work balustrade-. 1 her ls n second porch b" tin t 1 maLn hous • .lhe iuside of ti.e hou wnr, altered :in the lnte. ninct c.nth cantury. i he- original stair ..as replaced and n wide openj ng cut between the mnin house and rear ving. Ihe stair i~ of oak an rises to the third 1loor nround ru1 open well. Ne eln anu intcrmeuintes nre square u.ncl hnvo oct ,01uil caps. lhC' bnlu ters ha\·o snusagP turnings and rest on a closod string course ornam nterl l lat ninrteonth contury dctnils. r i window rmd door trh Lave bulls ye corner hlockc; which resem1bl c details of the pancUng of tl (I stair ,pandrel . fhc pres nt dining room, locnt<'d in t'• panel toors on the irst flonr. iclntlcs ave r~c tangulnr opcni 'lg , mnntl c h 1 vea nnd 1·t"cdc uetni 1 ing en thc­ ir'lCZt •

The huiluing1 long empty, has rrcentl:r lC'c: rentC>d as a private dwelling.

- II SIGNIFICANCE

PERIOD AREAS OF SIGNIFICANCE-· CHECK AND JUSTIFY BELOW

-PREHISTORIC -ARCHEOLUt;Y-PREHISTORIC _COMMUNITY PLANNING _LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE -RELIGION _1400·1499 -ARCHEOLOGY-HISTORIC _CONSERVATION _lAW -SCIENCE _1500.1599 -AGRICULTUR( -ECONOMICS _LITERATURE -SCULPTURE _1&00·1699 !>.RCHITECTURE -EDUCATION _MILITARY -SOCIAL/HUMANITARIAN -1700-1799 ---ART _£NGIMEERING _MUSIC _THEATER !.. 1800-1899 _COMMERCE _EXPLORATION/SETTLEMENT _PHILOSOPHY _TRANSPORTATION -1900- _COMMUNICATIONS _INDUSTRY _POLITICS1GOVERNMENT _OTHER ISPECIFYI _INVENTION I

SPECIFIC OATES BUILDER/ARCHITECT Deborah P. Dickenson

STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE

Foxley Hall represents a type of freestanding brick dwelling commonly built in the Federal period of Easton architecture. Although little o'f the Federal character has survived, the buildinp is impressive in its massiveness and interesting because of its mnny additions. 'l'he interior stair dates from the late nineteenth century

and was probably installed by Oswald Tilghmnn1 the author of a two­ volume history of Talbot County.

L27/F179 The corner property on the southeast side of Goldsborough and Aurora Streets was purchased from Joseph Haskins in 1794 by Deborah Perry Dickenson, a lddow, clescendant of Admiral William Perry. In 5116/F65 November 1805 she died leaving-Olis property to h_, son Henry Dickenson, including the house,' known as Foxley Hall, which she had built on this corner lot. The house was nametl in honor of Nary Foi:ley Tilghman, daughter of Colonel Oswald Tilghman and his wife, Patty Belle Harrison. Mary Tilghman married John Frazier in 1915. In 1816 the property was sold to Whose• daughter married General . The property still remains in the fnmily"> having descended in line, from Col. Oswald Tilghman to his son, Col. Harrison Tilghman.

CONTINUE ON SEPARATE SHEET IF NECESSARY T-30 llMAJOR BIBLIOGRAPHICAL REFERENCES Deeds and Land Records, Tnlbot County Court House.

CONTINUE ON SEPARATE SHEET IF NECESS~Y lliJGEOGRAPHICAL DATA ACREAGE OF NOMINATED PROPERTY ____N_J. ___ _

VERBAL BOUNDARY DESCRIPTION

NA

LIST ALL STATES AND COUNTIES FOR PROPERTIES OVERLAPPING STATE OR COUNTY BOUNDARIES

STATE COUNTY None

STATE COUNTY mFORM PREPARED BY NAME /TITLE Marsha L. Fritz, Consultant ORGANIZATION DATE Historic Enston, Incorporated January 25, 1977 STREET• NUMBER TELEPHONE !-Ir. Paul Parsons' Box 1171 301-822-2706 President CITY OR TOWN STATE ~ Easton Maryland 2160J

The Maryland Historic Sites Inventory was officially created by an Act of the Maryland Legislature, to be found in the Annotated Code of Maryland, Article 41, Section 181 KA, 1974 Supplement.

The Survey and Inventory are being prepared for information and record purposes only and do not constitute any infringe­ ment of individual property rights.

RETURN TO: Maryland Historical Trust The Shaw House, 21 State Circle Annapolis, Maryland 21401 (301) 267-1438

P•· I IOI ,, ~.' ~~I ;'.: ~:: '1: ~. ~::~ <·-:!" ~----

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T-30 Foxley Hall 24 N. Aurora Street 1942, PR r974

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