HA-867 Bush Hotel (George Washington Inn; Buckholtz House)

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.maryland.gov) for details about how to make an appointment.

All material is property of the Maryland Historical Trust.

Last Updated: 01-18-2019 MARYLAND IDSTORICAL TRUST NR Eligible: yes .l{_ DETERMINATION OF ELIGIBILITY FORM no

Property Name: Bush Hotel Inventory Number: HA-867

Address: 4014 Philadelphia Road (MD 7) Historic district: yes _,L no City: Abingdon Zip Code: 21009 County: Harford USGS Quadrangle(s): ------Edgewood Property Owner: ------Peter A. Holt, Kristan Holt Tax Account ID Number: 01-035843 Tax Map Parcel Number(s): 0586 Tax Map Number: ------0062 Project: MD 7 at MD 136 Agency: MD State Highway Administration

Agency Prepared By: Maryland State Highway Administration

Preparer's Name: SHA Consultant Architectural Historian Rebecca Crew Date Prepared: 06/08/2017

Documentation is presented in : Survey and Compliance Files

Preparer's Eligibility Recommendation: X Eligibility recommended Eligibility not recommended

Criteria: X A B C D Considerations: A B C D E F G Complete if the property is a contributing or non-contributing resource to a NR district/property: Name of the District/Property: Inventory Number: Eligible: _ yes Listed: yes Site visit by MHT Staff yes -X no Name: Date: Description of Property and Justification: (Please attach map and photo) The property at 4014 Philadelphia Road has been called the Bush Hotel, the George Washington Inn, and the Buckholtz House in previous MJHP documentation The name of the Bush Hotel, dating to the mid-nineteenth century, reflects a date to which the current structure can be confidently ascribed. Local legend, land records, historic maps, archival documents, archaeological excavation, and a dendrochronological sample suggest a ca. 1763 construction date, but the confidence in this date is reserved. The likely ownership in 1763 was the Bush River Iron Works Company, which had vast land-holdings at that time and numerous buildings upon the lands. Facing south towards Old Philadelphia Road, the stucco-covered brick structure is a significantly altered two-and-a-half-story side­ gabled nineteenth-century dwelling now used as a doctor's office. It was described in a National Register field sheet by James T . Wollon, AJA, in 1975 and in a MIHP form by Natalie Shivers, Harford County Historic Sites Surveyor in 1979, then revisited in 20 IO with an MIHP Addendum and updated photographs. No significant changes have occurred since the 20 IO Addendum.

Mid-twentieth century photographs, including one accompanying documentation for HA-864, the Bush Declaration Harford Town Marker, and others available online at the Historical Society of Harford County, show a large two-and-a-half-story wing located at the approximate location of the one-story wing. As described in the MIHP form this this property, this wing was dismantled ca.

MARYLAND HISTORICAL TRUST REVIEW Eligibility recommended Eligibility not recommended

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1960. It is possible that this was the original building, which might explain why the chimneys of the extant building are different form: the southwest chimney is interior, while the northeast chimney is an engaged chimney. Additionally, a door extends from the second floor onto the roof of the one-story contemporary wing; it would have connected to the second story of the wing.

Photographs also show a frame structure that was located in close proximity to the rear of the two-and-a-half-story wind. The brick foundation of the frame structure was revealed in archaeological excavations in Fall 20 I 6. Rochambeau' s map of Bush Town from 1782 suggests the T-shaped arrangement dated to that time.

The fac;:ade is asymmetrical with unevenly spaced window openings spread among five bays. Reading from west to east, the first, fourth, and fifth bays of the first floor contain replacement vinyl sash windows with decorative muntins. The second bay is devoid of openings and the third, or center bay, has a recessed paneled wood door under a one-by-one transom. The entrance is accessed via a lattice-sided wood accessibility ramp and sheltered by a gabled porch supported by narrow, plain wood posts.

The fac;:ade's second story contains replacement sash windows the same a_s those on the first floor in the first, second, and fifth bays. The center bay holds a smaller, one-over-one window with shutters. The fourth bay is devoid of openings.

The interior has been heavily remodeled, but the plan, li kely original, is a hall-parlor. The stair is located in the hall along the wall between the two rooms, opposite the front entrance. The stone basement with poured concrete floor is divided into two rooms by a s lender, frame wall. The southwest end of the basement has a large brick fireplace. The exposed floor beams have been dated to 1763 us ing dendrochronology.

The building' s massing is more substantial than the typical dwelling in ca. 1763, and the fac;:ade ' s lack of symmetry is a characteristic found in other mid-eighteenth century dwellings in Harford County. The fac;:ade's irregularity is distinguished by two voids in the fenestration: one missing window on the first floor west of the entrance and one missing window on the second floor east of the entrance bay. A more formal Federal design would have windows in these voids. The west gable end has an interior chimney, and the east gable end' s chimney is engaged and shouldered; the west chimney' s corbelling is also more pronounced than the east chimney. These design elements suggest a possibility that the house may have been built in two phases, however, the stucco covering prevents using brick patterns to date the building phases and the basement appears to have been constructed in a single phase.

In comparison with other examples of Harford County architecture, asymmetrical facades date from the mid-eighteenth century and the mid-nineteenth century. Several of the structures with asymmetrical facades were built as stores, which correlates with the use of this building as suggested by land records.

The mid-twentieth century photographs show that the window above the front door was formerly larger, being the same size as the others on the second floor. The photographs also show a standing-seam metal roof and a shed-roofed porch across the fac;:ade of the section that remains extant.

James Wollon, historical architect, noted in his 1975 investigation that the structure probably dated to the late eighteenth or early nineteenth century, and that original work includes "the basic form ... the chimneys, at least the roof shape, the basic plan, first floor joists, some window frames, a transom, some baseboard, and a door. All other surfaces were refinished in the renovations of ca. 1960 and all other remaining early details were removed at that time." (I)

As previously mentioned, the stucco prevents identification of the brick pattern, which could aid in assigning a date to the structure. Brick used in a ca. 1763 building would have been handmade, and the handmade brick's lack of uniformity may have

MARYLAND HISTORJCAL TRUST REVIEW Eligibility recommended Eligibility not recommended

Criteria: A B C D Considerations: A B C D E F G

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encouraged later owners to clad the building in stucco.

General History of Bush

Bush, also known as Harford Town, is located at the head of the Bush River, between Bynum's Run and James Run, along MD 7, the Post Road, which dates to the colonial period. The small town had a rich history in the Colonial and Revolutionary Period. Located on the Post Road, which connected the Atlantic seaboard, Bush was a stagecoach stop between Baltimore and Philadelphia. Bush was also located at the head of the Bush River. Several milling industries were able to take advantage of the waterpower produced by Bynum's Run, and the Bush River nearby provided navigable waters.

The European settlement of the area between Bynum's Run and James Run dates to the patent of the 200-acre tract called Come By Chance, laid out for James Bynum in 1671 , and the 200-acre tract called Turkey Hills, patented to John James in I 672.(2) James transferred Turkey Hills to Thomas Thurston in 1673.(3) Thurston then received a patent for the 200-acre Strawberry Hills, to the north and east of Turkey Hills, in 1684, and Bynum's Come By Chance was re-patented to Thurston in 1686. These were then part of Baltimore County, as Harford County was formed out of Baltimore County in 1771.

Thomas Thurston, a Quaker, was born in England but settled in Baltimore County in 1663 at a time when Maryland encouraged Quakers to settle the colony. Thurston settled with his family and twenty servants. His land holdings were about 2000 acres, but the location of his primary residence is not known. (4)

The precise boundaries of Come By Chance, Turkey Hills, and Strawberry Hills are also unknown, but all three were located at the head of the Bush River, with the boundaries running at a northwest angle. Come By Chance and Turkey Hills each measure 60 perches (990 feet) by 533.33 perches (8800 feet). Strawberry Hills is a three-sided tract that begins at the eastern corner of Turkey Hills. Reference to the beginning stone of Come By Chance is recorded in a deed as being at the location of the Bush Mill; historic aerial maps show this location to the south of the property on which the Bush Mill Restaurant now stands, on land now owned by the State of Maryland for the Bush River Declaration Natural Resources Management Area.

During Thurston' s ownership, in I 692, Baltimore County ordered Samuel Browne to make a 30-foot-wide road through Thurston's land between Bynum's Run to "the mill", probably referring to a mill located further north of the one later called Bush Mill. John McGrain notes that this mill is the first recorded in Harford County. (5) Thurston is noted as a planter, trader, and shoemaker (cordwainer), but as a Quaker he may have also learned milling, or perhaps he employed a miller. (6)

Thurston' s will is dated 1693, and his son Thomas Thurston, Jr. sold Turkey Hills and Strawberry Hills to John Mortimer of Anne Arundel County in 1702. (7) The Maryland Rent Rolls from 1700 indicate that while Thurston, Jr. was taxed for 167 acres of Come by Chance, 33 acres of the tract were taxed to his son-in-law, Robert Love. (8) Thurston sold Come by Chance to William Love in 1703. (9) Following the death of William Love, Come by Chance passed to his widow Ann, who married John McComas (or Macomas). (I 0) By 1708, John Deaver, a planter, had acquired Turkey Hills and Strawberry Hills. In 1708, Deavor and his wife Hannah sold 81 acres of the tracts to Zachariah Browne, planter. ( 1 I) While these land transactions remain large, suggesting agricultural use of the land, a beginning of a community focal point was established in 1709, when Aquila Paca built a meetinghouse for Quakers on the west side of Bynum' s Run called the Bush River Friends Meeting House. ( 12)

By the middle of the eighteenth century, Isaac Webster, his brother-in-law Jacob Giles, and Col. John Hall had established the Bush River Iron Works Company, and they had built a race to carry water from Bynum's Run to James Run. Isaac Webster had purchased a single acre, along the line of Come By Chance adjoining Turkey Hills in 1732, and William Bradford purchased a single acre, southwest of Isaac's Webster's and northeast of Bynum Run in 1739. Webster, Giles, and Hall purchased other,

MARYLAND HISTORICAL TRUST REVIEW Eligibility recommended Eligibility not recommended

Criteria: A B C D Considerations: A B C D E F G

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larger lands for their iron works company. Thomas Tredway operated a tavern in Bush Town, documented as early as I 744. ( 13) Thomas White, a member of the Baltimore County gentry, purchased a one-acre lot in Turkey Hills in 1748, and John Bull, a blacksmith, and Richard Ruff, owner of extensive nearby landholdings, each purchased one-acre lots in Turkey Hills in 1752. In 1753, Robert Adair and Aquila Hall acquired Bradford's Lot and established a general store in Bush. Bush Town became known as Harford Town in 1773 when it became the county seat of the newly formed Harford County. The seat moved to Bel Air in 1782. These dates mark the primary period of significance of Harford Town, corresponding with the Revolutionary War. The name Harford Town continued to be used after the seat of government moved to Bel Air, although the Bush Town name was also used. The place remained a noted stop on the Post Road, but by the I 780s, the nearby towns of Abingdon and Havre de Grace were founded and they, along with Bel Air, eclipsed Bush Town.

Due to the exact boundaries of Come By Chance and Turkey Hills remaining unknown, the tract on which the subject property stands remains uncertain, but it is likely that the property at 4014 Philadelphia Road is in Come By Chance, and may actually combine parts of the lots purchased by Isaac Webster in 1732 and William Bradford in 1739.

Isaac Webster, Sr., the purchaser of Webster's Lot from McComas, died in 1759. His sons, Isaac, Jr., John Lee, and James, replaced him as co-partners in the Bush River Iron Works. Because Isaac Webster owned Webster's Lot independently of the partnership, it does not appear to be considered lands of the Iron Works.

How Isaac Webster and his heirs used the one acre of Come By Chance is not entirely known. They are known to have resided further north at Broom's Bloom and Webster's Forest, and the location along the Post Road and near the mills of the Iron Works, would have been convenient for commercial uses. The adjacent property, owned by Bradford (before 1752) and then Aquila Hall and Robert Adair (until 1768), then Aquila Hall (until 1779) and Thomas Hall (until 1804), is known to have been a store. The descriptive words Store, Storehouse, and "house part" appear in later land records, presenting the possibility that the two-and-a­ half-story southwest wing (with no basement) was on Adair's Lot, and the two-story extant structure (with cellar) was on Webster's Lot. Later land records connect Thomas Tredway, James Osborn, James Paca, and Joseph Stiles with Webster's Lot, suggesting Thomas Tredway (lnnkeeper) occupied part of the property under an agreement with Isaac Webster, and then James Osborn acquired the remainder of the lot, sold it to Joseph Stiles, and James Paca built a brick store house for Stiles. In 1766, James Osborn, who may have also been a ship carpenter, advertised multiple properties for sale lease: "house and lot where Thomas Tredway and George Stewart lived in Bush Town; 4 rooms and four chimneys below stairs; four rooms and two chimneys above stairs; a good cellar and kitchen and four other convenient houses. Also 50 acres of land, about a quarter mile from town, half­ cleared, the rest woodland, with rails sufficient to fence 8 acres. Also another house in said town, on the main road, near finished, with 6 acres of land." (14) The description of the house where Thomas Tredway li ved does not match the present building, but it may have accounted for the wing that has now been taken down. The second house Osborn offered is not the present building as it would not have had six acres of land adjoining.

In 1767, the Bush River Iron Works Company attempted to sell their entire works, consisting of furnace, merchant mill, grist mill, saw-mill, together with appurtenances, implements, one large bay schooner, other water craft, lands of about 300 acres, 20 slaves, and livestock, but no change of ownership is noted. (15)

In 1769, Thomas Tredway sold SO acres of Turkey Hills and Strawberry Hills to Joseph Stiles, located along James Run. (16) This is the earliest documented date relating to Joseph Stiles. In June 1773, the Bush River Iron Works held an auction of their lands at Joseph Stiles' in Bush Town. Isaac Webster laid out the Lots, but no map or plan of these lots has been identified. Lot No. 4, containing 3 acres, was located on the southwest side of the dividing line between Come By Chance and Turkey Hills, south of the old mill race between Bynum's Run and James Run, east of

MARYLAND HISTORICAL TRUST REVIEW Eligibility recommended Eligibility not recommended

Criteria: A B C D Considerations: A B C D E F G

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the furnace race and Market Street, and north of the Kings Road, excluding the two parcels then called Adair's Lot and Stiles' Lot. The Bush Ironworks owners (Jacob Giles, John Bond, Isaac Webster, Jr., John Lee Webster, and James Webster) conveyed Lot 4 to Isaac Webster, Jr. ( 17) Isaac Webster, Jr. also purchase Lots 8 and IO in Come By Chance, as well as lots in other tracts. This Stiles' Lot was the same location as Webster's Lot. Joseph Stiles himself, noted as an Innkeeper, purchased Lot 6, a three-quarter acre lot, part of Come By Chance, adjoining the old mill race, Market Street, and the line between Come By Chance and Turkey Hills. ( 18)

Harford County was formed out of Baltimore County in December I 773 , but it took some time before the new county was able to fully function and begin keeping records. Bush Town, renamed Harford Town, was its first seat. The court rented a house from Thomas Miller (owned by Aquila Hall), presumably located on Adair's Lot, to the southwest of Webster's Lot. (19) In August 1774, Joseph Stiles was granted an Ordinary license by the court, secured by Aquila Hall and Thomas Miller. (20)

In 1775, Isaac Webster, deceased, Gentleman, conveyed to Joseph Stiles, Innkeeper, one acre of land, part of Come By Chance, that the said Isaac Webster had acquired from John McComas and wife in 1732, "Whereas, an agreement was heretofore had and a certain Thomas Tredway, assigned his right and interest therein, except 30 feet square of ground) to a certain James Osborn which said thirty feet square was sold back by Thomas Tredway to Isaac Webster, deceased, and was ascertained and marked and is the ground upon which the storehouse of the said Isaac Webster party hereto now stands and is erected and built, and it is furthering by and between the said Isaac Webster, party hereto and Joseph Stiles that the thirty feet square on which the house is built is to extend thirty feet wide from the front of said Storehouse down to the main Post Road, which is to belong to the said Isaac Webster, his heirs and assigns, the same as that on which the House is built for consideration herein after mentioned. And whereas the said James Osborn, assigned his right and interest in the premises to the aforesaid Joseph Stiles who hath since paid the consideration money, now this indenture witness that the said Isaac Webster for in consideration of£500 Pennsylvania money in hand paid ... the receipt whereof is hereby acknowledged hath granted ... all the aforesaid acre of land, part of Come By Chance, except the thirty feet square of ground and continuing the same thirty feet wide down to the Post Road as mentioned above described, which said acre of land begins at a stone marked 4 x SY 1773, which now stands north 60 degrees east IO feet from where the original post stood that being the variation from the northwest line of Come by Chance at the time the aforesaid Store House was erected and built and running thence south 60 degrees West IO perches then Northwest 15 perches one foot and a half to a locust post, being corner of said Stiles' "Garden" thence north 44 degrees East 9 perches and 11 feet to another locust post being corner of said Garden and thence southeast to the beginning, and it is further agreed by and between the said Isaac Webster and Joseph Stiles that for consideration of the ground between said Webster's Storehouse and the Post Road before mentioned the said Joseph Stiles is to have all the ground lying between the aforesaid acre and the brick store house which was built by Cap. John Paca and by him sold to said Stiles, beginning at the Post Road and running northwest 50 feet with the giving line of the aforesaid acre thence north 44 degrees east 12 feet thence southeast joining the end of the aforesaid store 50 feet to the Post Road from thence to the beginning, which is to belong to said Stiles, his heirs and assigns.(2 I)

In 1779, Joseph Stiles became bound unto Gabriel Peterson Vanhorn for £20,000 common current money of the State of Maryland to be paid to Vanhorn, under the condition that Vanhorn had passed six bonds unto Joseph Stiles for the payment of£ I 0000, which Joseph Stiles had sold, and to convey unto Vanhorn on the payment of the whole, the hereafter described property: "the house part of the lot purchased by Stiles from James Osborn and conveyed to Stiles by Isaac Webster, beginning at a stone marked ES 1773 which stands within 12 feet of Stiles' house, which be bought of Capt. John Paca, running thence south 60 degrees west I 0 perches, then northwest I 5 perches, one foot, and a half, to a locust post being corner of said Stileses Garden, thence north 44 degrees East six perches to a locust post being comer between the division of the two gardens, thence south 49 degrees East 9 perches, 2 links with a row of locus posts being the division between said gardens to a corner, thence north 38 degrees east one perch and 20 links to a corner, thence south 55 .5 degrees east six perches to a short locus post for a comer thence south 34.75 degrees east until it intersects the first mentioned line." (22)

MARYLAND HISTORICAL TRUST REVIEW Eligibility recommended Eligibility not recommended

Criteria: A B C D Considerations: A B C D E F G

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During this Revolutionary period, Stiles held an important stature in Harford Town and County, receiving dispatches, and hosting auctions, and hosting notable guests.(23) By 1781 , Vanhorn was running one tavern in Bush and John Holland Barney was running another. (24) Barney had purchas~d 3 acres of Turkey Hills from Abraham Andrews that included a brick mansion house in 1778 and five acres along the Post Road from Jacob Giles in 1780. (25) Vanhorn and Nathaniel Twining established a stage route between Philadelphia and Baltimore in 1782. (26) Although the county seat was moved to Bel Air in 1782, the Post Road remained routed through Bush Town.

During the Revolutionary War, the Washington and Rochambeau troops camped near Bush September 9, 1781 en route to Yorktown, Virginia, and again on the return north in August 1782. Jean-Baptiste Rochambeau recorded a plan of Bush Town at this time; Rochambeau 's plan shows the crossroads of the Post Road (leading to White Marsh Forge and Susquehanna Lower Ferry) and the road leading to Bald Friar's Forge. Also noted are approximately twenty buildings, Bynum Run, and the furnace race leading from Bynum Run to James Run; it does not show the original ditch between the two runs. (27)

Rochambeau' s map of Bush Town clearly shows an L-shaped lot is located at the comer of the Post Road and the Great Road, containing three buildings including a T-shaped building that bulges towards the southeast (likely Stiles' brick store house), a small rectangular footprint at the intersection, and an L-shaped building along the road to Bald Friar's.

Perhaps as a result of the relocation of the county seat, Joseph Stiles, intending to move to Philadelphia, published an advertisement in December 1782 offering for sale his property in Harford Town: Lot No. I, in the center of town, an excellent, large brick dwelling house with full cellar, with a good kitchen, smokehouse, and water-well, a large stable, hay-loft, and chair­ house; also garden with useful roots and flowers; Lot No. 2, containing two acres of meadow; Lot No. 3, of fifty acres of woodland. (28) Lot No. I sounds similar to the extant structure, and even though Stiles had mortgaged it to Vanhorn, and Vanhorn had briefly run a tavern in Harford Town, it appears that Stiles retained ownership and he did not move to Philadelphia.

In the 1783 Tax Assessment, Gabriel Vanhorn was taxed for a lot with a house in Harford. Thomas Hall was recorded to have a house in Harford Town in Harford Upper Hundred. James Philips, Innkeeper, had a 4-acre lot in Harford, and Joseph Stiles had a two-acre lot and a separate fifty acres in Strawberry Hills (both Harford Upper Hundred).

In 1784, Barney and Stiles became related by Barney's marriage to Stiles' daughter, Charity, but Barney appears to have moved to Baltimore. (29) In 1786, Stiles advertised, "That well known tavern in Harford-Town, now in the possession of Capt. James Phillips, to be rented. House is large and commodious with fine stable, garden, kitchen, warehouse, meat and milk house, with or without a near storehouse and granary, beginning April I 0, 1786. For terms, apply to John Barney in Baltimore or to Joseph Stiles, subscriber." (30)

In 1785, Stiles purchased from Barney 3 acres purchased from Abraham Andrews in 1778 and 2.5 acres purchased from Jacob Giles in I 780. (31) The following year, Stiles purchased an approximately 25 x 80 foot lot from Richard Ruff, which was north of the Post Road and adjoining a fifty-foot-square lot that Ruff had sold to Captain John Paca and that Paca had conveyed to Stiles. (32) Due to the chain of title, it seems that these were properties where Stiles' resumed tavern and/or inn-keeping.

Although Joseph Stiles died in December I 790, the 1790 Census shows Elizabeth Stiles as head of a household that included free whites, free non-white persons, and two enslaved persons. Stiles' death was widely published, noting his role as Postmaster of Harford Town. (33) His will and inventory are in the Harford County Courthouse. He left to his wife: 1) lot with house, 2) lot used for tavern, 3) lot on which stables stand near the mill, 4) lot. adj. Henry Ruff, and 5) ½ acre lot purchased of Col. White. The Inventory records items in Room No 1, 2, 3, and 4, plus Mrs. Stiles' Room.

MARYLAND HISTORICAL TRUST REVIEW Eligibility recommended Eligibility not recommended

Criteria: A B C D Considerations: A B C D E F G

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In October 1791, the estate of Joseph Stiles held a public sale including houses and lots in Harford Town and a small tract of woodland (50 acres), sundry articles of dry and wet goods consisting of spirits, powder, shot, as well a horse, and chair, and time of two mulatto boys. John H. Barney, Havre De Grace, had possession of the books, and George Stiles (Joseph's oldest son, future mayor of Baltimore City) was executor. (34)

Elizabeth Stiles continued operating a tavern in Harford Town for several more years, but it is likely that her tavern was located in Turkey Hills, where Stiles' had acquired property from Barney. George Washington, who regularly traveled the Post Road during his Presidency, recommended Stiles' tavern to Elizabeth Powel in March 1797, noting it was to be sold and he could not know the present occupants. (35) Thus upon Eli zabeth Stiles' death in 1797, another estate inventory was recorded, and another auction was held. (36) George Stiles became the guardian for Polly and Rebecca Stiles, and John Holland Barney as guardian for Phoebe Stiles. For £100, Henry Ruff purchased the 50 acres of Turkey Hills and Strawberry Hills that Stiles had purchased from Thomas Tredway in 1769. Mary Kelly purchased Joseph Stiles' lot for £60. John H. Barney purchased Joseph Stiles' brick house and lot, stable and half-acre lot, the old house, stables, garden and meadow and half-acre lot purchased of Col. White to John H. Barney for £ I 690. These transactions are recorded in the Estate Docket, but not the land records.

In 1797, John H. Barney paid Isaac Webster £175 for a lot called Webster's Lot and Store, described as "to begin at a stone marked with the letters ES, which stone is the beginning of an acre of land in Bushtown formerly bought by Isaac Webster, deceased, of a certain John McComas ux or. The Stone must be about one yard of Joseph Stiles' front door and was covered up with said, thence to run from the said store reverse on Come by Chance Northwest Line, south east one perch until it intersects King Street or called Market Street on the Post Road, thence running and bounding on that street and road about south SI degrees west until a Northwest line will divide the said Webster's store from Thomas Halls Store, thence running northwest between the said Stores to the extent corner of the said Webster's Store, thence running and bounding with the walls thereof round to the Southeast comer, thence running from the said corner Southeast until it intersects the first line of the said stone marked ES, containing by estimation about 150 superficial feet of ground." (37)

John Holland Barney served as the post-master of Havre-de-Grace from 1790-95, and then ran inns in Baltimore, Alexandria and Georgetown. Land records do not indicate when Barney so ld any of the property he purchased from Stiles' estate in 1797.

The 1798 Tax Assessment has descriptions of house sizes, materials, and value, but no brick house with cellar in Harford Town with the appropriate dimensions was noted; the dimensions of the main block are approximately 40 feet wide, including the external northeast chimney, by 24 feet deep. The masonry southwest wing would have been about 30 feet wide by 24 feet deep, making an overall dimension of the combined structure 70 ft x 24 ft. A frame structure on a brick foundation, was located just north of the southwest wing, shown in pre-1956 photographs, uncovered by archaeological excavations, and suggested by the Rochambeau map.

The residents specified living in Harford Town in the 1798 Assessment were Joshua Day; Michael Gilbert; William Rumsey, tanner, occupying property owned by heirs of Henry Ruff; and Thomas Taylor, Joseph Steel, and John Penn, occupying the property owned by John H. Barney. (38)

Barney's property in Harford Town, occupied by Thomas Taylor, Joseph Steel, and John Penn, is described as one brick dwelling house, 33 x 28 ft, 2 story with shed across, 12 x 3 ft , with a cell ar; stone kitchen, 2 stories; frame stable 41 x 16 feet, 1.5 stories; one dwelling, 33 x 28 feet, 2 stories with a cellar, frame; (illegible) 17 x 15 feet, I story and cellar; log meat house IO x 9 feet; necessary S x 4 feet wood; framed store house 27 x (illegible) ; granary 1S x 9 feet frame, I story with a (illegible); stable 35 x 24 frame, 2 story with a cellar, necessary 8 x S feet frame, 1 story in Harford Town, valued at $2500. The brick dwelling house with

MARYLAND HISTORICAL TRUST REVIEW Eligibility recommended Eligibility not recommended

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HA-867 Bush Hotel Page 8

cellar, measuring 33 x 28 does not match the dimensions of the current house. The store house mentioned is frame, but land records indicate Paca built a brick store house for Stiles.

Joshua Day's property in Harford Town is described as one dwelling house 22 x 16 feet with an addition 20 x 12 feet; one kitchen 20 x 16 feet, part logs; one stable 22 x 18 ft with granary and shed on each end; one stable 24 x 20 ft with granary and shed; one stable 20 x 16 ft with sheds; and one small stable 10 feet square all wood; all valued at $500. These dimensions also do not match the dimensions of the present building.

The 1800 census does not show Thomas Taylor, Joseph Steel, or John Penn in Harford Town. Joshua Day is recorded next to John Norris (who was renting John Bull's lot from Herman Stump), and near William Watters, Isaac Webster, Samuel Webster, and David Maulsby.

The 1810 Census specifies Bush Town, indicating a return to the earlier name, and lists residents including Peregrine Nowland, David Maulsby, Joshua Day, John Norris, and John Johnson.

On September 25, 1815, during the War of 1812, Benjamin Henry Latrobe sketched Bush Town. "Heaps of Tan" are shown in the foreground. Two large houses, one with a full-width porch and one with a one-story wing, are set among trees and annotated "Nolans" and "red wooden buildings", referring to the tavern, then run by Rebecca Nowland, the widow of Peregrine Nowland, who had taken on the Harford stand in 1797. The perspective is not clear, but it shows that most of the buildings were small and log or wood, with "Nolans" as an exception. (39) The house at 4014 Philadelphia Road does not appear to be depicted in this image.

Between 1810 and 1820, the population of Harford County declined by over 5,000 residents. Some residents, like George Stiles, had moved to Baltimore. Others went further west, as new lands had opened to settlement, and the land in the east had been worn out by fa rming. The Nowlands moved to Tennessee and then Arkansas; Rebecca Nowland's son-in-law became the first governor of the state of Arkanasa. In Bush, the tanning business predominated industrial efforts, although John Stump took over the Bush Mill.

In 1810, David Maulsby became the highest bidder for Adair's Lot, the one acre that had been William Bradford's and then Robert Adair and Aquila Hall's Store, and then Thomas Hall's. (40) Maulsby acquired many lots on the west side of Bush, north of the Post Road, and is noted to have run stables there.

In 1818, David Malsby (sic) advertised for sale a lot with two-story brick house and kitchen, brick milk and meat house, with water at the door, located on the Post Road between Baltimore and Philadelphia and good for a store, tavern, or any public business. ( 41) Maulsby mortgaged seven properties to Anna Coale in 1825, including 10 acres of Come By Chance. ( 42) These were transferred to Albert Constable, trustee, in 1834, and then to Otho Scott in 1851 . (43) In 1850, John Kirk and Otho Scott conveyed ten acres of Come By Chance, in the Town of Bush, to John McGaw of Robert. (44)

In 1851 , Albert Constable conveyed one-fourth acre in the Town of Bush to John McGaw of Robert, that being the same lot previously conveyed to Thomas C. Hanson, who died, and the lot was already in the possession of John McGaw. ( 45)

In 1838, an anonymous correspondent called Bush a "venerable but decaying town." (46) By this time, the railroad was completed between Baltimore and Philadelphia, diminishing the importance of the Post Road. In 1851 , Robert McGaw is listed in Thomson's Mercantile and Professional Directory as hotel keeper at Bush Post Office. No other professionals were listed in Bush at that date.

MARYLAND HISTORICAL TRUST REVIEW Eligibility recommended Eligibility not recommended

Criteria: A B C D Considerations: A B C D E F G

MHT Comments:

Reviewer, Office of Preservation Services Date

Reviewer, National Register Program Date NR-ELIGIBILITY REVIEW FORM

HA-867 Bush Hotel Page 9

ln 1855, Robert McGaw's "old tavern house" in Bush was destroyed by fire. ( 4 7) This was on the south side of the Post Road, east of the Bush Mill property, where Mrs. Stiles, and then the Nowlands, among others, had operated taverns.

In 1856, the Bush Hotel property was conveyed from John and Mary B. McGaw to Henry Ozman, who already occupied it. (49) Henry and Ann Ozman were both born in Maryland around 1810. In 1855, Henry Ozman was twice accused of selling liquor on Sunday, but he was listed as a schooner captain in the 1860 Census. Ozman gained an ordinary license from Harford County in 1858. (50)

The 1858 Jennings and Herrick map of Harford County shows Capt. Ozman at the location of 4014 Philadelphia Road, representing the currently extant building. Capt. Gibson is named at the south side of Post Road, east of the mill property and west of James Run; the mill just south of the current Bush Mill restaurant, and multiple McGaws are located further afield. James R. Wilson later reminisced of his childhood in Bush during the mid-nineteenth century, with two taverns, each commanded by a captain who carried pig iron from Green's furnace, and a tannery operated by John McGaw. (51)

The 1878 Martenet Map shows the Bush Hotel where Ozman was in 1858; the Bush Mill remained in the same location, the "Hotel Jno. Gibson" at the same location as Capt. Gibson in 1858, and Wm. McGaw on the north side of the Post Road, east of Calvary Road. (52) The Town of Bush was wholly omitted from the 1878 Maryland Directory, published by J. Frank Lewis & Co. of Baltimore. (53)

Henry and Ann Ozman died around 1890 and are buried at the Cokesbury Memorial United Methodist Cemetery. The property was purchased by Emma and J. W. Taylor in 1888, and their family occupied it in the 1900 and 19 IO Censuses, running a general store. The property was documented as part of the WPA Guide to Maryland: The Old Line State by the Federal Writers Project, and it was uninhabited at that time. The property passed through numerous owners in the twentieth century, and it has been significantly altered, particularly in the 1960s.

Evaluation

. In consideration of evidence from historic maps and photographs, land records, newspaper archives, tax and census records, archaeological excavation, and dendrochronology, the building at 4014 Philadelphia Road is eligible for the National Register of Historic Places. The name, Bush Hotel, dates to its documented mid-nineteenth century use; its eighteenth-century ownership and use remains unclear.

While the Bush Hotel has been significantly altered from its original condition and while its function during the Revolutionary period is not fully known, it is the only extant building in Bush that witnessed the era in the town of Bush, it post-dates the historically significant period of Bush Town or Harford Town when Harford Town served as the County Seat and as an important stop on the Post Road during the Revolutionary War ( 1771-1782). The Bush Hotel is eligible under Criterion A as a remnant of Harford Town. The boundary for t~e Bush Hotel is limited to the structure itself. It lacks original outbuildings, which would have been necessary during the period of significance; it now has a gravel parking lot for cars. The parcel boundary has changed over the 250 years the house has stood, and the setting is no longer a town with county seat and industrial activities. The Post Road has been realigned numerous times, and the exact distance between the Bush Hotel and the Post Road is not critical to the significance of the building.

While it is possible that the Bush Hotel functioned as a tavern in the 1770s and 1780s, it is not closely associated with significant persons in history, and is not eligible under Criterion B. Even if George Washington and Thomas Jefferson lodged here, these individuals are not significant for the activities that occurred as part of their presence in Bush or Harford Town.

MARYLAND HISTORICAL TRUST REVIEW Eligibility recommended Eligibility not recommended

Criteria: A B C D Considerations: A B C D E F G

MHT Comments:

Reviewer, Office of Preservation Services Date

Reviewer, National Register Program Date NR-ELIGIBILITY REVIEW FORM

HA-867 Bush Hotel Page 10

The Bush Hotel is an asymmetrical brick structure with exterior end chimneys that may have originally served as a store. Its current hall-parlor plan, stucco cladding, and modem alterations do not constitute distinctive qualities that would qualify it as eligible for listing under Criterion C. Its location along the Post Road conveys some association to its history, but other aspects of integrity have become diminished. The paving of a parking area has altered its immediate setting, affecting its feeling and association. The structure's design has been obscured by the loss of wings and porch, and removable additions such as the vinyl enclosure of its side porch, the addition of modern shutters, and the construction of an accessibility ramp. More significantly, it lacks integrity of materials, due to replacement windows and the addition of modem asphalt shingles covering the roof. These impacts to the building materials result in a loss of historic workmanship, and a further loss of feeling and association.

The archaeological potential of the Bush Hotel property was not evaluated under Criterion Das part of this assessment.

The surveyed boundary is that 0.65-acre parcel at 40 I 4 Philadelphia Road known as Map 0062, Parcel 586. The historic boundary is the house itself.

Notes (I) Christopher Weeks, An Architectural History of Harford County, Maryland. Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press, 1996, pg. 250. (2) Baltimore County Land Records J A: 161 ( I 673). (3) Maryland Historical Magazine, September 19 I 8, 13: 207. (4) A Biographical Dictionary of the Maryland Legislature 1635-1789 by Edward C. Papenfuse, et. al. Volume 426, Page 818 . http://msa.maryland.gov/megafi le/msa/speccol/sc2900/sc2908/000001 /000426/html/am426--8 I 8 .html (5) John McGrain, Molinography of Maryland, Harford County, pg. I 7 (6) Maryland Historical Magazine 16141 ; John McGrain, Molinography of Maryland, 17. (7) Baltimore County Land Records HW 2: 207-209 ( 1702). (8) Maryland Rent Rolls, Maryland Historical Magazine Vol 20 Issue 3 ( 1925) MSA SC588 l- l-79, p. 276. (9) Baltimore County Land Records HW Q: 307 (1703). (10) For biography ofThomas Thurston, see Maryland Historical Magazine, 62:170. C. Milton Wright, Our Harford Heritage: A History of Harford County (No Place: No Publisher, 1967), 176. ( I I) Baltimore County Land Records RM HS: 624 ( 1708). ( I 2) Hunter Sutherland, A Brief History of the Bush River Friends Meeting of Harford County, Maryland. Maryland Historical Magazine, Winter 1982 (Vol 77, o. 4), pg. 365-69 ( 13) Carl Bridenbaugh, ed. Alexander Hamilton, Gentleman's Progress (Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 1948), xi. Christopher Weeks, An Architectural History of Harford County, Maryland (Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press, 1996), 14-15. "Bouncing Along the Post Road: Eighteenth Century Harford County as Seen By Travelers," The Historical Society of Harford County, Inc. No. 57 (1993), 77-84. ( 14) Advertisement, Philadelphia: Pennsylvania Gazette, August 14, 1766, pg. 5. ( 15) Advertisement (Pennsylvania Gazette, August 6, 1767, pg. 4. ( 16) Baltimore County Land Records AL A: 197 ( 1769). (17) Harford County Land Records JLG A: 280 (no date recorded). ( 18) Harford County Land Records JLG A: 215 (1776). ( 19) C. Milton Wright, Our Harford Heritage (No Location, 1967), 63. (20) Walter W. Preston, History of Harford County, Maryland (Baltimore, 1901), 73. (21) Harford County Land Records JLG A: 212 (1776). (22) JLG C: 412 (1779).

MARYLAND HISTORJCAL TRUST REVIEW Eligibility recommended Eligibility not recommended

Criteria: A B C D Considerations: A B C D E F G

MHT Comments:

Reviewer, Office of Preservation Services Date

Reviewer, National Register Program Date NR-ELIGIBILITY REVIEW FORM

HA-867 Bush Hotel Page 11

(23) Dispatches following Battle of Lexington were sent southward via express sent to the Harford Committee; one to the Committee or to Joseph Stiles; another received by Isaac Webster and another received by Aquila Hall. Elizabeth Merritt, "The Lexington Alarm, April 19, 1775: Messages Sent to the Southwaid After the Battle". Maryland Historical Magazine, June 1946 (Vol. 41. No. 2), pg. 89-114. (24) A Narrative. Maryland Journal (Baltimore, Maryland), October 9, 1781, I . (25) JLG A: 375 ( 1778) and JLG D: 65 (1780). (26) Advertisement. Philadelphia and Baltimore Stage Coaches and Wagons. Maryland Journal, May 28, 1782, pg. 3. (27) Jean-Baptiste Donatien de Yimeur, Compte de Rochambeau, Amerique Campagne, 1782. Library of Congress Collection. Available online at http://www.loc.gov/resource/g370 I sm.gar0000 l/?q=&sp=23&st=single. (28) Maryland Journal, December 24, 1782, pg. 1. (29) John Barney, merchant of Baltimore married Charity Stiles, daughter of Joseph Stiles of Harford County. Baltimore, August 13. Maryland Journal, August 13 , 1784, pg. 2. (30) Advertisement. Maryland Journal, January 27, 1786, pg. 3. (31) JLG F: 426 ( 1785). (32) Harford County JLG G : 340 (1786). (33) Maryland Journal, December I 0, 1790, pg. 3. (34) For Sale. Maryland Journal, Oct 28, 1791 , pg. 4. (35) "From George Washington to Elizabeth Willing Powel, 26 March 1797," Founders Online, National Archives, last modified July 12, 2016, http://founders.archives.gov/documents/Washington/06-01-02-0039. [Original source: The Papers of George Washington, Retirement Series, vol. 1, 4 March 1797,30 December 1797, ed. W.W. Abbot. Charlottesville: University Press of Virginia, 1998, pp. 51-53. (36) Advertisement. Federal Gazette, Feb. 8, 1797, pg. 4. (37) Harford County Land Records JLG N : 495 ( 1797). (38) 1798 Federal Direct Tax, Maryland Archives Online http://msa.maryland.gov/megafile/msa/speccol/sc2900/sc2908/000001 /000729/html/index.html pages 18680-1873 (39) Edward Carlos Carter, John C. Yan Horne, and Charles Brownell, editors. "The Papers of Benjamin Henry Latrobe, Series III : The Sketches and miscellaneous drawings." New Haven, CT: Yale University, 1985. (40) HD V : 161 (1810). (41) American and Commercial Daily Advertiser, July 27, 1818, pg. 4. ( 42) Harford County Land Records HD 9: 74 ( 1825). (43) Harford County Land Records HDG 37: 210 (1851). (44) Harford County Land Records HDG 34: 241 (1850). ( 45) Harford County Land Records HDG 3 7: 412 ( 1851 ). ( 46) The Sun, ovember 2, 18 38, pg. 1 ( 47) Baltimore Sun, December 8, 1855, pg. I. (48) HD 17 :3 17(1830). ( 49) Harford County Land Records ALJ 7: 284 ( 1956). (50) Advertisement: A List of Licensees. National American, June 11, 1858, pg. 4. (51) "History Made Along Old Philadelphia Road", The Sun, September 20, 1925, pg. 62. (52) Simon J . Martenet, "Martenet's Map of Harford County, Maryland: shore lines and tide water from U.S. Coast Survey, the county from actual surveys" (Baltimore: Simon J. Martenet, C.E., I 878). (53) The Maryland Directory-1878. J. Frank Lewis and Co., Baltimore. http://www.newrivernotes.com/other_ states_ maryland_ business_ l878_ marylanddirectory.htm

MARYLAND HISTORICAL TRUST REVIEW Eligibility recommended Eligibility not recommended

Criteria: A B C D Considerations: A B C D E F G

MHT Comments:

Reviewer, Office of Preservation Services Date

Reviewer, National Register Program Date George Wash·ington In P,( HA-867 014 Philadel h. n Buckholtz Hou 4(Harford cou~ ia Road, Abingdon se) (Bush Hotel) y, Edgewood Quad) f R~.SO\Jfi \0~4/ 7 12 - , . P~70 P S7-P. ,~,,,-

,.,. _.,. .•' /,..,-

HA-867 KA \ )

Property Tax Map, HA-867 1:5,000 + George Washington Inn (Buckholtz House) (Bush Hotel) 4014 Philadelphia Road, Abingdon (Harford County, Edgewood Quad) Maryland State Highway Administration Cultural Resources Section Photo Log

Project No.: HA504A21 Project Name: MD 7 at MD 136 MIHP No.: HA-867 MIHP Name: Bush Hotel County: Harford Photographer: Rebecca Crew Date: April 1, 2014 Ink and Paper Combination: Epson UltraChrome pigmented ink/Epson Premium Luster Photo Paper CD/DVD: Verbatim, CD-R, Archival Gold

Imaee File Name Description of View HA-867 2014-04-0 I 01 View facing northwest towards dwelling. HA-867 2014-04-0 I 02 View facing northeast towards dwelling.

Maryland Historical Trust Maryland Inventory of inventory NO HA 867 Historic Properties Form

Name George Washington Inn (Buckholtz House) Addendum-December 2010

Number Page 1

Since the time of the previous survey, several obvious changes have been made to the building's exterior. At least some of the windows have been replaced. Non-functional shutters have been installed to flank these windows. A handicapped ramp, somewhat shielded by latticework, has been installed, and the formerly open end porch has been enclosed and sheathed in vinyl siding. The roof balustrade of the porch has also been replaced.

Although not a pristine example of its period of construction, the current level of integrity of the house is similar to that at the time of the previous survey.

HA-867

The Bush Hotel 4014 Old Philadelphia Road Abingdon, Maryland 21009

Although it may not be the only structural survivor, the Bush Hotel is the most well-known and visible vestige of the town of Bush or Harford Town. The original form and proportions of the hotel are still apparent despite the severe alterations, and indicate a late 18th or very early 19th century date. Bush was the first county seat in Harford County after it was divided from Baltimore County in 1773. Located on the main highway between the north and the south (the Post Road), Bush also provided a stopping-place for stagecoach travelers and a meeting place for statesmen. It is most famous as the site where the Bush Declaration—heralded as the first declaration of independence—was signed by 34 local citizens on March 22, 1775. This building served as a hotel from at least 1856 and probably prior to that. HA-867 MARYLAND HISTORICAL TRUST

INVENTORY FORM FOR STATE HISTORIC SITES SURVEY

NAME

HISTORIC The Bush Hotel AND/OR COMMON

LOCATION

STREET & NUMBER 4014 Old Philadelphia Road CITY. TOWN CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT Abingdon VICINITY OF STATE COUNTY Maryland Harford CLASSIFICATION

CATEGORY OWNERSHIP STATUS PRESENT USE _DISTRICT _PUBLIC -OCCUPIED —AGRICULTURE —MUSEUM _BUILDING(S) X.PRIVATE —UNOCCUPIED —COMMERCIAL —PARK _XSTRUCTURE _BOTH —WORK IN PROGRESS —EDUCATIONAL ^PRIVATE RESIDENCE —SITE PUBLIC ACQUISITION ACCESSIBLE —ENTERTAINMENT —RELIGIOUS —OBJECT _|N PROCESS —YES: RESTRICTED —GOVERNMENT —SCIENTIFIC _BEING CONSIDERED _-YES: UNRESTRICTED —INDUSTRIAL —TRANSPORTATION __.NO —MILITARY —OTHER: OWNER OF PROPERTY

sfJhey J. (Jr.) and Evelyn D. Formanek Telephone #: STREET & NUMBER 4014 Old Philadelphia Road CITY. TOWN STATE , Zip COC_e Abingdon VICINITY OF Maryland 21009 LOCATION OF LEGAL DESCRIPTION Liber #. COURTHOUSE. FollO #' REGISTRY OF DEEDS,ETC Harford County Courthouse STREETS. NUMBER 40 South Main Street CITY. TOWN STATE Bel Air Maryland REPRESENTATION IN EXISTING SURVEYS

TITLE ——

—FEDERAL —STATE _COUNTY _LOCAL DEPOSITORY FOR SURVEY RECORDS

CITY. TOWN STATE DESCRIPTION HA-867

CONDITION CHECK ONE CHECK ONE

-^EXCELLENT _DETERIORATED _UNALTERED XORIGrNAL SITE _GOOD _RUINS ^ALTERED _MOVED DATE 4A _FAIR _UNEXPOSED

DESCRIBE THE PRESENT AND ORIGINAL (IF KNOWN) PHYSICAL APPEARANCE The Bush Hotel is a two-story structure measuring approximately 20 by 42 feet of stuccoed brick facing southeast (hereinafter referred to as South) oriented to the old Post Road, the principal street of the eighteenth century county seat, Harford Town or Bush. The gable-roofed structure is expressed as five bays on its south facade and three on its north; on the south front the bay west of center in the first story and east of center in the second is void of a window opening; on the north facade, the center bay in the second story is void of a window opening and the door in the first story is close to the easterly bay. The center window in the second story of the south and the west window in the north facade have been reduced in size. Sash are 2/2 with horizontal panes, ca. 1960 replacements of earlier 2/2 sash, the latter themselves re­ placements of the originals. The west end chimney is flush with the west end wall of the structure while the east end chimney projects partially from the east end wall; sloping shoulders immediately above the second story fireplace reduce the north-south dimension of that chimney. Most windows appear to retain earlier heavy frames, covered with plain boards to receive louvred blinds, now removed. The transom above the south front door appears original with four 8 inch by 10 inch lights. Cornices are of plain wood and a wide shed-roofed dormer was added about 1960 to the north roof slope to increase third story headroom. A pair of small windows flanking each end chimney lights the attic story. Doors through the west end wall in both storys, south of the chimney, open to porches added about 1960; these doors opened into a west wing addition, now removed. A brick wall dividing the interior into two principal spaces extends through thQ structure immediately west of the south front door. The open staircase rises immedia y opposite the door to an intermediate landing against the north wall; from the landing it divides and rises east and west in two short flights to those respective rooms of the second story. An enclosed staircase extends to the attic immediately above the lower flight of the principal stair and one extends to the cellar beneath the same. Each of the four rooms has a fireplace but the one in the west room of the first story has been closed. The west chimney serves a large fireplace in the basement, probably designed for cooking. Exterior entrances to the basement are through the north and south walls close to the west end but the latter one has been eliminated. First floor joists, exposed in the basement, are original as is part of a hewn oak mortised-and-tenoned doorframe in the brick partition in the basement. The beaded baseboards of the upper flights of the staircase appear original, suggesting that the stair arrangement is original. An unmoulded six-panel door in the second story, pro­ bably not in its original location, is early and the outline of removed chair rail is visible in the southwest corner in the second story. In short, original work includes the basic form, including exterior walls and window locations, the chimneys, at least the roof shape, the basic plan, first floor joists, some window frames, a transom, some baseboard associated with the stair and a door. All other surfaces were refinished in the renovations of ca. 1960 and all other remaining early details were removed at that time. Several photographs are preserved of the building prior to the ca. 1960 renovations: 1. from the southwest, ca. 1950-55 2, 3. from the southwest and northeast, October 1956 4. from the southeast, Feb. 1957 (See Continuation Sheet #1.) CONTINUE ON SEPARATE SHEET IF NECESSARY SIGNIFICANCE

PERIOD AREAS OF SIGNIFICANCE - CHECK AND JUSTIFY BELOW 'REHfSTORIC —ARCHEOLOGY-PREHISTORIC —COMMUNITY PLANNING —LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE —RELIGION — 1400-1499 ^RCHEOLOGY-HISTORIC —CONSERVATION —LAW —SCIENCE — 1500-1599 AGRICULTURE —ECONOMICS —LITERATURE —SCULPTURE —1600-1699 —ARCHITECTURE —EDUCATION —MILITARY —SOCIAL/HUMANITARIAN — 1700-1799 _ART —ENGINEERING —MUSIC —THEATER _Xl 800-1899 —COMMERCE >4xPL0RATI0N/SETTLEMENT —PHILOSOPHY —TRANSPORTATION -X1900- —COMMUNICATIONS —INDUSTRY ^POLITICS/GOVERNMENT —OTHER (SPECIFY) —INVENTION

SPECIFIC DATES BUILDER/ARCHITECT

STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE Although it may not be the only structural survivor, the Bush Hotel is the most well-known and visible vestige of the town of Bush or Harford Town. The original form and proportions of the hotel are still apparent despite the severe alterations, and indicate a late 18th or very early 19th century date. A large stone external chimney on /the house immediately west of the hotel and the corner chimney and general form of the house immediately north of the hotel suggest that they too may date from the time of Bush Town. The role of this specific building in the town of Bush has remained an enigma. Bush was the first county seat in Harford County after it was divided from Baltimore County in 1773. Located on the main highway between the north and the south (the Post Road), Bush also provided a stopping-place for stagecoach travelers and a meeting place for statesmen. It is perhaps most famous as the site where the Bush Declaration—heralded as the first declaration of independence—was signed by 34 local :itizens on March 22, 1775. The configuration of the town can only be guessed. It is thought that a court­ house was never built (the county seat was removed to Bel Air in 1782), but that public meetings were held in one of the two taverns. One source states that in 1800, Bush had 130 inhabitants, two taverns, two stores, cooper, wheelwright and blacksmith shops, a merchant mill, and a tanyard. Most sources agree that there were two taverns in Bush from the time of the Revolution until at least 1830. Names of the innkeepers in chronological order are listed as: Joseph Stiles, Abraham Andrews, John H. Barney, Gabriel Van Horn, Peryrin (?) Nowland, Nowland's widow, Jacob Miller, David Maulsby. However, none of those names can be matched to this structure, and its history can only be taken back to 1835. The Ozmons, who purchased the property in 1856, definitely ran a hotel here. In 1876, it was purchased by William F. Pannell, who owned Harford Furnace from 1861 until 1867 and, subsequently, much property in the area. The 1878 Martenet's Map refers to it as "the Bush Hotel," and it has been known as such since then.

CONTINUE ON SEPARATE SHEET IF NECESSARY MAJOR BIBLIOGRAPHICAL REFERENCES Land, Will & Equity records of Harford County C. Milton Wright's unpublished notes on Bush C. Milton Wright's Our Harford Heritage, 1967 1858 Jennings & Herrick Map 1878 Martenet's Map CONTINUE ON SEPARATE SHEET IF NECESSARY GEOGRAPHICAL DATA D fi5 Ar ACREAGE OF NOMINATED PROPERTY U,UJ nu~

VERBAL BOUNDARY DESCRIPTION

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

STATE COUNTY

STATE COUNTY

FORM PREPARED BY NAME/TITLE James T. Wollon, AIA; Natalie Shivers, Historic Sites Surveyor ORGANIZATION DATE Historic District Commission 12/75; 9/79 STREETS. NUMBER TELEPHONE 45 South Main Street 838-6000 X207 CITY OR TOWN STATE Bel Air . Maryland

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, 19 74 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 Continuation Sheet #1

Maryland Historical Trust Inventory Form for State Historic Sites Survey the Bush Hotel 7. DESCRIPTION Demolished in the ca. 1960 renovation was a west wing, about 20 by 24 feet in size, nearly three full storys in height with a roof coincidental with the original to the east. Its first floor was at grade and ceiling heights appear to have been considerably lower. Of three bays in length, of stuccoes masonry (probably brick) construction with a flush chimney in the west gable end, only the first story had an opening in the central bay--a door-- and that bay was void of openings above. The third story windows, half in the masonry wall and half above it in dormers, were rare early examples of a window form popularized in the twentieth century revivals of early American architecture. The corbeled brick cornice together with the wing's general form suggests that it dated from the first half of the nineteenth century.

A two-bay, two-story frame structure extended north of the now-demolished west wing; it was removed prior to the October 1956 photograph. Its gabled roof ridge was aligned approximately with the west end wall of the west wing and it appears to have been separate from the west wind by a foot or two. A window in both storys faced south through its gable end and a door opened into the first story from each bay on its west facade. Second story windows of the west facade were yery small. An internal chimney was at its north end. Standing seam tin covered its roof.

A one-story shed-roofed porch extended across the south front of the original portion of this structure, removed in the ca. 1960 alterations. Louvred blinds with movable louvres in their lower panels, were hung at most windows and standing-seam tin covered all roofs. The stucco was scored in imitation of coursed ashlar. North of the structure are four low stone walls describing a rectangle approximately 12 by 14 1/2 feet, with a door opening approximately centered in the southerly wall. Although a private cemetery has been suggested as the reason for these walls, they probably represent the ruins of a meat house. Title Search HA-867

Mr. and Mrs. Sydney J. Formanek, Jr. 4014 Philadelphia Road Abingdon, MD 21009

HDC 903 428 8/V1972 Grantor: Robert Allen Buckholdt Grantee: Eve D. and Sydney J. (Jr.) Formanek Acreage: Bush Hotel Property, .65 acres (Deed dated 7/19/1972)

GRG 765 7 12/21/67 Grantor: First Harford Federal Savings and Loan Association and William and Phyllis Hurd Grantee: Robert Alan Buckholdt Acreage: .65 acres

GRG 6o4 8*4- 10/26/62 Grantor: Morris Rosenberg, Assignee for the Daniels Grantee: First Harford Federal Savings and Loan Association

V30/63 Grantor: William A. and Phyllis J. Hurd Grantee: First Harford Federal Savings and Loan Association

GRG 526 70 5/12/59 Grantor: Joseph Daniel, Jr. and Gloria H. Daniel Grantee: First Harford Federal Savings and Loan Assoication, sold at public sale.

Chester, PA Wills 6/18/35 Grantor: Last Will and Testement of James J.W. Taylor Grantee: Joseph Daniel, Jr.

WSF 122 11 6/20/1907 Grantor: James J.W. Taylor and Emma L. Taylor Grantee: Joseph Daniel Acreage: 5/8 acres ALJ 60 400 8/1/1888 Grantor: John S. Young, trustee Grantee: Emma L. Taylor

2/16/1887 Equity: John T. Wilson, complainant James A. Cunningham and others, defendants property known as "The Ozmon Hotel Property"

ALJ 33 170 12/22/1884 Grantor: A. Henry Strasburgh, Executor of William F. Pannell's Last Will and Testement Grantee: James A. Cunningham ALJ 33 434 6/5/I876 Grantor: Henry Ozmon and Ann Ozmon Grantee: William F. Pannell WHD 16 63 V26/I865 Grantor: Charles D. Bouldin, trustee Grantee: Ann Ozmon ALJ 22 407 8/9/1869 Mortgage: Henry and Ann Ozman ALJ 7 284 4/7/1856 Grantor: John McGaw of Robert and Mary B. McGaw Grantee: Henry Ozmon Acreage: % acre, comprising the house, garden, and small stable HDG 37 412 II/26/I85I Grantor: Albert Constable, representing Thomas C. Hanson, died seized and possessed Grantee: John McGaw Acreage: % acre INVENTORY NO. HA-867 ELECTION DISTRICT

DATE: 11/79 TAX MAP NO.

REMODELING: Eras tic, moderate, minor PARCEL NO.

NAME OF PROPERTY: Bush Hotel

LOCATION OF PROPERTY: 4014 Philadelphia Road. Abingdon

DIRECTION DWELLING FACES: south /

NAME OF OWNER: Mr. and Mrs. Sidney Formenak

ADDRESS: 4014 Philadelphia Road, Abingdon, Maryland 21009

STORIES: 1[ ] 2[x] 3[ ] 4[ ] 5[ ] 6[ ] BAYS:

WINGS, ADDITIONS:

third story on north" facade

WALL CONSTRUCTION:

[ ] FRAME: Bevel, clapboard, weatherboard, wood shingles, board & batten(type?) P 1 BRICK: Bond type- common, English, Flemish. Sketch variants, stuccoed J STONE: Bond type- rubble, ashlar (random or regular), quoins-plain, rusticated [ ] LOG

WALL FEATURES: BELT COURSE, PILASTERS, OTHERS FOUNDATIONS: HIGH, LOW, BRICK, STONE WATER TABLE: NONE, PLAIN, BEVELED, MOULDED BRICK

WINDOWS, TRIM, SHUTTERS: 1/1[ ] 2/2[ ] 6/6[ ] 9/6[ ] 9/9[ ] other[ ] altered pegged[ ] nailed[ ] wide[ ] narrow[ ] original[ ] replaced[ ]

ENTRANCE, DOORS: LOCATION: center bay south facade HARDWARE: o~riginal[ ] replaced[ ] FAN LIGHT, TRANSOM, SIDE LIGHTS, PLAIN

CORNICE, BARGE, EAVES: boxed original[ ] replaced[ ]

ROOF: GABLE FRONT. GABLE FLANK. HIP, MANSARD, FLAT, DORMERS MATERIAL: wood shingles, slate, tin, asphalt original[ ] replaced[ ]

PORCHES: SHAPE OF ROOF - shed[ ] hip[ ] gable[ ]

CHIMNEYS: NUMBER 2 BRICK[x] STONE[ ] CORBELED[ ] original[ ] repla'ced[ ] stuccoed LOCATION: e^ds

ARCHES:

COMMENTS:

Bush Tavern HA-867 Bush, Md. Natalie Shivers June, 1979 Northwest

3ush Tavern HA-867 Bush, Md. Natalie Shivers June, 1979 South HA-867 UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR NATIONAL PARK SERVICE NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES TRUST INVENTORY - NOMINATION FORM

entries — complete applicable sections)