In 1839, this property was one of ten lots sold by Captain William W. Virdin (1803-1871) to Volney B. Palmer (1799-1864) of Philadelphia. Virdin was well known as a property owner in Harford County and from 1836 to 1851 as Captain of the 453-ton “Susquehanna” steamboat with its 1,200 person capacity. His son of the same name was a graduate of the University of Maryland School of Physicians and Surgeons in 1858 and later became a prominent physician in Lapidum. Volney Palmer was known to have created America’s first “advertising agency” in Philadelphia in 1841; this was followed by his work in the real estate and coal business. Volney died intestate in 1864 and in 1903 this lot was conveyed by his four daughters to Peter Lesley Hopper (1856-1917) of Havre de Grace.

Peter Lesley Hopper’s name became best known for his having created the “Hopper Map of Havre de Grace—1899.” Peter L. Hopper also served as Mayor of Havre de Grace in 1888 and owned this land until his death in 1917. In 1919, following an ownership dispute, the court appointed a trustee who sold this land to William S. Kelly and Annie M. Kelly, his wife. William Kelly was the son of Edgar Kelly (1855-1937) and Nettie Kelly who began the The Whistle Bottling Company in 1907 on Lewis Street.

This craftsman-style bungalow is believed to have been a Sears Roebuck Model Kit Home named the “Argyle.” It is assumed that the Kellys ordered the kit and had it built. Several Sears kit homes were built in Havre de Grace in the early 1900s, and the town being on a railroad proved convenient for shipping. 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 directly to the purchaser. The 370 different designs were only offered in Sears mail order catalogs between 1908 and 1940. 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. The exterior appearance of this home, however, remains quite true to the model.

In 1937, the Kellys sold the home to Paul DaLee Watts (1908-1975) and Bonnie Tubbs Watts who raised their two daughters here until 1951, when they divorced. The following year the house was bought by Beulah Gilbert Wall (1901-1969) and Kenneth V. Wall. Beulah Wall was the paternal grandmother of George C. Pensell of the Tidewater Marina. They had only owned the home for a couple of years before Kenneth died and Beulah sold it in 1956 to The Maryland Company.

The home then belonged to Jane E. Botsford, known to many as a teacher in Havre de Grace. Jane Botsford’s mother, widow of Rev. Chauncey Botsford of Cumberland, also lived here with her daughter. After the death of both of them, the home was sold in 1979 to Ida L. Ishbaugh and her husband, Eddie O. Ishbaugh. Ida had retired from the Aberdeen Proving Ground and was a member of the Grace Reformed Episcopal Church.

In 1986 the home was owned by a small group of realtors and sold in 1988 to Richard J. and Nancy Mezan. Richard Mezan was a real estate agent and since they continued to live elsewhere it is assumed that this was an investment property, along with one on South Washington Street. After the 2018 death of Richard J. Mezan, his wife, Nancy deeded this property to their son, Richard A. Mezan, in 2019 for whom it continues to be a well maintained investment property.

County Records
Built 1935. 986 sq ft, one story with basement, wood shingle, 1 bath, 4050 sq ft lot.