On the northeast corner of Union Avenue and Fountain Street is this brick Canal-era structure known as the Hall House. The land on which this house was built had once belonged to Robert Young Stokes (1757-1784) who is known for laying out the town of Havre de Grace in 1782. Upon his early death, Stokes had willed the property via his son, William B. Stokes, to his widow, Sarah Stokes. Sarah then married James White Hall and they had a son, George Washington Hall (1788-1853), to whom his mother bequeathed the property.

In 1832, the Stockton & Stokes stage line had a stopping place in Havre de Grace at “Hall’s Inn,” known to be owned by Washington Hall. Further research is needed to determine if this was the place.

George W. Hall met and married a young widow named Sophia White Lewis (1787-1859) and they later built this home around 1835 for their family. George and Sophia Hall had three daughters: Julianna Hall (1816-1872); Ellen R. Hall Ramsey (1818-1876), and Elizabeth Merryam Hall (1820-1891). After the death of their father, the daughters sold this property in 1854.

The new owners were Joseph and Grace Whitaker of Pennsylvania. Joseph and his brother, George Price Whitaker, had begun the Havre Iron Company in 1845 at the foot of Bourbon Street. The Whitakers lived here for about three years when they sold the property to Thomas Sadler (1787-1889) and his wife, Mary. He ran Sadler & Company, a large-scale commercial fishing operation and also served as City Commissioner several times.

Hollis Courtney, Jr. (1842-1908) and his wife, Lydia Ann, became the owners in 1885. He had been Mayor in 1880 and also served several terms on the City Council. In 1911, a widowed Lydia Courtney sold the home to Harry A. Carroll, who was Postmaster of Havre de Grace. The 1910 “modernization” referenced in the MIHP description may have been made by Harry Carroll. The home remained in the Carroll family for the next 50 years. Harry Carroll was the brother of T. Milton Carroll who became Mayor in 1913 and also served as director of the Havre de Grace Hospital in 1928. When Harry Carroll died in 1947 he left his estate to his sister, Charlotte E. Carroll. It is assumed that she lived here for the next 13 years until she died in 1960, when she left her estate to her nephew and nieces—T. Milton Carroll, Jr.; Mary A. Carroll; and Mabel C. Hughes.

This home was sold and 1961 owners were Judge G. Howlett Cobourn and his wife, Ruth S. Cobourn. He was a Judge in the Third Judicial Court and they owned this house for about three years before selling it to Dr. Robert L. Gossweiler and his wife, Carol. The Gossweilers moved to Westminster just one year later and sold the home to Ronald Mathias (1935-2018) and Carolyn, his wife, in 1965. They lived and raised their four children here until the 2018 death of Ronald Mathias, after being married for 50 years to Carolyn. They were active in several community organizations for many years and belonged to the Havre de Grace Presbyterian Church for more than 40 years.

In the 19th century in Havre de Grace, as in other locations, it was not unusual for a family to create a small area of their garden to bury family members and to mark the graves in some personal way. It is known that the Vandivers did this as well as the previous owners of this house. A photo shows that area of the garden here. The graves are outlined with stones and a cross and other objects are placed on each grave, while a welcoming garden bench rests beside them.

This property received an award from the Havre de Grace Historic Preservation Commission in 2013 and the elegant home is still owned by Carolyn F. Mathias.

County Records
Built 1950. 2236 sq ft, 2 stories with basement, brick, 1 bath, 12,000 sq ft lot.