The Historic Village
Whitehaven Historic District
The town of Whitehaven is now a late-19th century village, consisting of a hotel, church, school, marine railway, and 24 houses dating from the 19th century. There are also two 20th century and one 18th century dwellings. The town is centered around fishing and the waterfront and is situated on a tidal river with a deep channel.
Inventory No.: WI-144
Date Listed: 1/9/1980
Location: Whitehaven, Wicomico County
Category: District
Period/Date of Construction: 19th century
The Whitehaven Church is owned by the Whitehaven Heritage Assn and is featured on a separate page.
The Whitehaven School is owned by the Whitehaven Heritage Assn and is featured on a separate page.
The Whitehaven Railway is privately owned and not open to the public but can be viewed from the road
The Whitehaven Hotel is a privately owned B&B and is featured on a separate page.
The free Whitehaven Ferry operates daily. The Schedule is posted to the Wicomico Co MD Webpage.
Hello
Welcome to our Historic VIllage Homes
There's much to see here 27 homes. So, take your time, look around, and learn all there is to know about Them. We may reorder these as we go along, but we wanted to start with the Captain Marcellus Jones House.
Captain Marcellus Jones House (Dorsz & Horsey House)
Captain Marcellus Jones House (Dorsz House, Horsey House) Situated on the corner of River and Church streets in the center of Whitehaven is a prominent two-story, three-bay frame dwelling, Construction of this house started in 1811-12. Captain Marcellus Jones (1796-1846) married Mary Hughes 1792-1863) in January 1815, and the couple evidently resided in the house until the mid-nineteenth century. In addition to his life as a sea captain, Capt. Jones operated a store in Whitehaven.. A ledger from that store exists and includes this entry: "1828 January 23 (evening) On the 19th, the store house and goods of Marcellus Jones of Whitehaven, Eastern Shore of Maryland, were consumed by fire; the loss is estimated at near $7,000." The ledger includes the names of his customers and what they bought. Very interesting read.
For more information, please go to the Maryland Historic Trust WI-187 document and the Ledger of Merchant Marcellus Jones 1835-1836. This is a private property and not open to the public.
Bolton Manor and Dairy House
This story-and-a-half brick house standing on the Bolton property displays mid-eighteenth century Flemish bond masonry with a characteristic glazed header checkerboard pattern. The property is also improved by a rare pyramidal roofed eighteenth century frame dairy which is estimated to date from the same period as the house. The dairy is highly unusual due to the decorated corner posts with chamfered edges and lambs-tongue stops. The floor joists are beaded. Few outbuildings were assembled in this manner with so much finish craftsmanship devoted to the interior framework. Due to the rarity of the dairy and the importance of the Flemish bond glazed checkerboard brickwork, this property deserved listing in Category A, This category identifies structures of high historic significance which exhibit many good architectural details representative of a period of architectural development and which contribute uniquely and superlatively to the character of the historic district. This property was originally patented as "Noble Quarter" in 1663. In the 1798 Federal Direct Tax Assessment the house is listed under the ownership of George Robinson, Esquire, who had purchased the old plantation formerly owned by Levin Gale in January 1798. In 1879 Elizabeth A G Catlin purchased the farm then known as "Bolton". For more information on this property and all previous owners and history, please see Bolton Manor and Dairy House WI-92 architectural survey. This property is privately owned and not open to the public. Bolton is located on the west side of the village of Whitehaven, entered by a winding shell lane that intersects Whitehaven Road in Wicomico County, Maryland
Catlin Tenant House
This story-and-a-half frame dwelling was built during the early years of the twentieth century during the ownership of Elizabeth A. G. Catlin, who owned the eighteenth century house known as Bolton and the farmland that bordered Whitehaven on the west. The four-bay, single-pile dwelling is a plain structure dominated by a pair of large gabled dormers that mark the medium pitched roof slope. A small kitchen wing extends to the back. This house was bequeathed by Elizabeth Catlin to William J. Catlin and William G. Catlin and designated as six houses and lots. Please go to the whitehavenheritage.com website for access to the Maryland Historic Trust WI-204 document. This is a private property and not open to the public.
Dr. William J. Catlin House "Scott Free"
The Dr. William J. Catlin house is a good example of a dated early twentieth century ( 1901) farmhouse with its largely intact two-and-a-half, five-bay, cross-gabled principal elevation and gable ends facades. It's location on the edge of Whitehaven the house and its surrounding acreage contributes to the village's nineteenth century character. Built in 1901 by Elizabeth A. Catlin for her son, Dr. William J. Catlin and at his death to his son William G. Catlin. Due to the distinctive architectural character of this house along with its pivotal location, the property deserves listing in Category A . Please go to the whitehavenheritage.com website for access to the Maryland Historic Trust WI-185 document. This is a private property and is not open to the public.
Leatherbury-Dashiell House (Conway House)
village of Whitehaven. Standing on the southwest corner of the intersection of Whitehaven Road and River Street, the two-story ell-shaped Victorian structure serves as an important historic and visual anchor to the line of nineteenth century dwellings that define Whitehaven's waterfront. Estimated to date to the early 1890s, this corner lot traces the ownership of the property to Robert L. Leather bury, who held title to this lot, "together with improvements" in May 1893 he sold it to James L. and Matilda F. Leatherbury who retained ownership of the corner lot and house until September 1905 when they transferred title to James H. Dashiell. The corner lot and house remained in the hands of James and Ella Dashiell for the subsequent fifteen years. Another longtime owner was Allie M. Messick, who held title to the property between 1921 and 1942. Please go to the whitehavenheritage.com website for access to the Maryland Historic Trust WI-186 document. This is a private property and is not open to the public.
