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 Criteria: A B C D Considerations: A B C D E F G MHT Comments: 1 ter Program NR-ELIGIBTLITY REVIEW FORM HA-867 Bush Hotel Page 2 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 MHT Comments: Reviewer, Office of Preservation Services Date Reviewer, National Register Program Date NR-ELIGIBILITY REVIEW FORM HA-867 Bush Hotel Page 3 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.