The lot on which this duplex home was later built was part of a parcel of land sold by Colonel John Thompson Frieze and his wife, Elizabeth, by a deed dated 1899 to Robert K. Vanneman (1853-1912) and his wife, Laura. Robert had come to Havre de Grace in 1883 to become the cashier of the First National Bank. He was elected to the Havre de Grace City Council In 1892, and became Mayor in 1895, serving six successive terms until 1901. By 1913, however, a court attorney was ordered to sell his property at public sale for failure to pay taxes (perhaps because he had died a year earlier) and it was purchased by City Building & Loan Association of Harford County. In 1921, the Association sold the land on the north side of Fountain Street between Adams Street and Vanneman Lane to Robert G. and Mary C. Gambrill. That property description referenced, but did not include, a “20-foot alley” that also ran west to east directly north of the lots—the alley remained unnamed but was referenced in all subsequent property descriptions.

Robert G. Gambrill (1858-1941) and his brother came to Havre de Grace in 1899 to open Gambrill & Melville Mills, manufacturer of cotton damask and other textiles. They took over the premises formerly occupied by the Faust Schocke Shoe Company Factory at 700 Fountain Street. The Gambrills’ business grew to having 200 looms and appeared on the 1899, 1904, and 1910 Sanborn Insurance Maps. To overcome a local housing shortage the Gambrills sometimes built houses to accommodate their workers.

In 1922, the Gambrills sold this lot of land to Clarence A. McCommons (1884-1945) and his wife, Margaret S. McCommons (1886-1978). Clarence was a well-known contractor and builder and had constructed buildings at The Graw Racetrack, including a house for the supervisor of the track. It is assumed that Clarence McCommons built this duplex home in 1922. It most likely was an investment property for them because three years later they also bought the lot of land just east of this duplex (now numbered 619-621 Fountain Street) and are believed to have built a duplex of this same design there. In addition, although Clarence died in 1945, his widow, Margaret, continued to own both duplex buildings until 1977 (the year before her death).

Clarence McCommons is known to have also bought a lot and built a duplex house of this same design at 416-418 South Washington Street in 1925. That double house is said to have been a Sears Roebuck Model Kit Home, one of a few duplexes Sears made. A standard Sears Home Kit contained around 25 tons of materials, more than 30,000 parts, 750 lbs of nails, along with a 75-page instruction book that were shipped by rail directly to the purchaser. The 370 different designs were only offered in Sears mail order catalogs between 1908 and 1940 and many variations to the designs were offered. Sears houses built after 1916 have stamped lumber elements that could be found in attics or basements. Pictures of some models are listed online at: http://arts-crafts.com/archive/sears, but many homes have since been modified. Several Sears kit homes still exist in Havre de Grace for which the convenience of the railroad made delivery relatively easy.

In 1977 Margaret McCommons sold this duplex home to Michael J. and Deborah C. Anderson who more than 40 years later sold this property to Irmgarde B. Brown. Irmgarde is well known in Havre de Grace as the former Branch Manager of the Harford County Library for nine years (and another 19 in the Harford County Public Library system) prior to retiring in 2018. She continues to own this home and plays an active role in many local organizations and projects.

County Records
Built 1942, 2240 sq ft, 2 baths, 2 stories, no basement, 7,000 sq ft lot.