This Victorian house, thought by the MIHP above to have been built originally by Charles Bishop Hitchcock (1817-1882) in the “last quarter of the 19th century,” may have been built a little earlier. Records indicate that Hitchcock and his wife, Mary Bartol Hitchcock, owned both halves of the lot by 1860 and sold the property in 1867 to William B. Morgan (1808-1877). William B. Morgan had been a Judge of the 6th District Court in 1852, and prior to that was Surveyor of Customs for the Port of Havre de Grace. Morgan’s wife, Sarah Ann, predeceased him and after he died his heirs held onto the property for about 20 years but sold it in 1898 to Mattie Parker Pusey (1868-1941).

Mattie Pusey was the wife of Clarence C. Pusey (1864-1922), who was operating a large store nearby at the corner of Warren Street and North Union Avenue called the C.C. Pusey Company. He also served as Mayor from 1901-1907 and they lived in this house. Clarence Pusey was also a banker and duck hunter who had wild waterfowl gunning licenses in Harford County in 1893 and 1894. Mattie and Clarence’s son, Jesse Charles Pusey, was born in Havre de Grace in 1896 and was living here on Union Avenue when he enlisted for WWI on May 27, 1918. He served as a Machinist Mate in the Navy at HQ 5th Naval District June 1918 and at Training Station Hampton Roads, VA, August 1918. He became inactive in December 1918 and is listed on the Roll of Honor at Tydings Park. He enjoyed hunting with his brother, Joel Pusey, upon his return.

Clarence Pusey died in 1922 and the following year Mattie sold the house to J. Oliver Edmondson (1855-1930) and his wife, Cora, who had four children. The Edmondsons had just moved from Philadelphia where Oliver Edmondson was Superintendent of Line for the Western Union Telegraph Company. Upon the death of Oliver Edmondson in 1930, his heirs sold this home to one of their siblings, Elva E. Herring (1890-1973) and her husband, George R. Herring (1887-1954), who worked for an auto tire company. The Herrings made this their home for more than the next 40 years. Being a large house, it is not surprising that their Aunt, Sadie Carver (aged 75), was living with them in 1940 at the time of the Census.

By Elva Herring’s Last Will she devised this home to her niece, Alice W. Brawner (1906-1980) in 1973. Just four years later, Alice’s attorney sold the home to John F. Ruttledge of Celtic Construction, a home remodeling contractor. It seems probable that the house, more than 100 years old, needed renovation and updating by that time. It may have been during his renovation that the windbreak for the front door was removed and the design of the small addition on the north side of the house was changed. The second-last photo shows the windbreak and a deck above that addition.

One year later, in 1978, John F. Ruttledge sold this home to Raymond J. and Joyce A. Roszak. They opened their home to the 1979 Annual Candlelight Tour. They had created an atmosphere reflecting serenity, spaciousness and good taste in this striking white frame house of vernacular Italianate and Greek Revival Style. To the left of the foyer, with a stairway, was a double parlor with parquet floors. There was a white fireplace in the bisque-walled dining room, with crown molding and chair rail. Upstairs bedrooms had small closets set in the sides of the chimney. Original ceiling lights and chandeliers remained in the house, including several with silver-plated trim.

By 1981, Ray Roszak had retired from the Aberdeen Proving Ground and he and his son were operating Roszak’s Restoration & Antiques here; the office and sales office were in their home and the workshop was in the rear of the property. In 1983, a closed stairwell led to a newly completed suite comprising a small bath with a compound angle ceiling and a bedroom with three eyebrow windows and walls conforming to the shape of the house. Ray Roszak also was a volunteer with the Havre de Grace Historic Preservation Commission.

In 1992, this house became the home of Commander William Smart and his wife, Pamela, who also opened the home to the Annual Candlelight Tour. The Smarts described their house as their “final port” as he intended to retire soon from the United States Navy. A glass compote handed down from owner to owner held a place of pride in the front parlor. Pamela Smart displayed her collection of miniature lighted buildings as well as a tree decorated in Japanese Washi art eggs that she learned to make in Japan. Parquet floors, fireplaces, Oriental objects such as a wedding kimono as well as decoys added interest throughout the house. During his stay in Havre de Grace, Commander Smart served for ten years on the Board of Directors of the Decoy Museum.

In 2001, David Kenneth Beyer, Sr., owner of The Old Chesapeake Hotel bought this home from the Smarts—it was one of four houses in this block converted by Beyer into attractive corporate suites as overflow for The Chesapeake Hotel. He gave each unit the name of a well-known local family of the past. Original floors and many original lighting fixtures remained here as well as the tooled leather wainscoting in the hall and up the stairs. One fireplace was marble; the others had surrounds of marbelized wood.

By 2013, Ken Beyer and his wife sold this building to The Jaabb Karas Family, LLC, run by John Karas. Ken was then slowly moving away from the hotel and restaurant business into another venture. Two years later, in 2015, this house was bought by David Leroy Conklin of Phoenix, Maryland, and the house became a rental property with several units.

David Conklin died intestate in 2019 and shortly after that the City of Havre de Grace placed a notice on the door declaring it as “unfit for human habitation” due to extensive damage throughout the house. Various legal actions had to be taken to remove the tenants and the property was sold in May 2020 to Allen J. Fair, who is well known in Havre de Grace real estate for restoring and renovating properties. He completely renovated this large Greek Revival home with Italianate influences retaining much of its original beauty, particularly the classic inlaid floors, Italian marble fireplaces, and beautiful original light fixtures.

In March 2021 Allen J. Fair sold this historic home to Katherine S. McOwen and Brian Stansbury. They plan to build a two-story garage in the rear and will also be creating an art studio.

County Records
Built 1820. 3279 sq ft, 2.5 stories with basement, 3 baths, 12,000 sq ft lot.