In 1916, this large property was the residence of Edwin F. Piersol and his wife, Elizabeth D. Piersol, of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, who had telephone service in the house. At that time, this property also included a large lot of land running east of this house on Giles Street.

The Piersols conceived of the idea of building the Hotel Bayou, and had their architect friend, John B. Harmon (also from Lancaster), design the hotel. Construction began in 1917 by the E.F. Piersol Construction Company of Havre de Grace but was delayed by WWI. The Piersol Construction Company advertised in 1919 in The American Contractor (Vol. 40) for a separate contractor to build a “garage and swimming pool,” which became the heated indoor pool of Hotel Bayou, and is now the core of the Duck Decoy Museum.

The Midland Journal of December 14, 1917, reported that automobile thieves entered the garage of E.F. Piersol and stole his “touring car.” He later recovered it in Media, Pennsylvania, with a “torn top and dented fenders,” damage totaling $200. The Piersols conveyed the hotel in 1921 to the Hotel Bayou Company and they moved elsewhere.

While an exact construction date is unknown for this house, a dwelling is shown at this location on the 1904 Sanborn Insurance Map so it was here prior to that. Owners of the house, while lived in by the Piersols, were Jesse A. and Leslie G. Taylor of Cecil County (who inherited it from John T. Arthur, 1841-1906) and then Margaret Botts (1874-1922).

After the Piersols moved, Margaret Botts sold this property in 1921 to Roy Leslie McVey (1878-1965) and Florence McVey, who had just moved from Wilmington, Delaware. Over the next 28 years, Roy McVey worked for the Pennsylvania Railroad but became actively involved in establishing the Yacht Basin at the City Park (now Tydings Park) and was a charter member of the Havre de Grace Yacht Club. The McVeys enjoyed plying the waters of the Chesapeake Bay in their boat, “White Wings.” They had a three-year-old son, Robert Leslie “Bob” McVey (1918-1994), and a one-year-old daughter Ethel Louise McVey, when they moved here. Bob became an accomplished sailor at a young age and used to take his sister sailing in a Snipe. Bob McVey won first place in the “Free-for-All Sailing Race” at the 1934 Regatta at the Yacht Club. He went on to become a founding member of the HdG Boat Racing Association in 1948; he sailed on the Hampton One Design and won a Bay-wide race in 1952. The Havre de Grace Yacht Club (founded in 1978 in Tidewater Marina) hosts a McVey Memorial Race in September each year in Bob’s honor with most of the sailors wearing Bob’s classic khaki slacks and white shirts.

The McVeys sold the home in 1949 to Benjamin and Frances Allnutt; it then went to Russell Allnutt, followed by James and Elizabeth Dennis, who sold the entire property to The Maryland Company, Inc. In 1964, The Maryland Company divided the property and sold the east half of the parcel to Roberts Builders, Inc., who constructed the house now known as 352 Giles Street, later owned by Ellsworth B. Shank (1927-2015) and Madelyn Mitchell Shank (daughter of the famous decoy carver, Madison Mitchell).

At the same time, this west half of Lot 496 in Square 271 and home were purchased by Charles and Barbara Wooten (the daughter of Donald and Margaret Mergler), who lived here from 1964 to 1978 before selling it to Ralph and Sally Skelley. Richard Wooten, son of Charles and Barbara, remembers the fun of living there particularly during July 4 celebrations when friends and family would stop by all day. Richard also remembers the apartment house next door on the corner of Commerce and South Washington Streets (see 913 South Washington Street, demolished). The Skelleys bought this home in 1978, the year before Ralph Skelley established Skelley Sails at 750 North Adams Street.

Owners beginning in 1986, Dominic E. and Shirley R. Verille, sold this corner property to Eugene “Stuart” Bailey in 1995. It is not known whether anyone has lived in the home since then; Stuart Bailey owns other properties in Havre de Grace.

The condition of this home deteriorated slowly to the point that in 2019 the City of Havre de Grace labeled the house unfit for human habitation. Through some meetings and agreements with the City, Stuart Bailey had a contractor work on the house to a point where it may be habitable again. Nevertheless, since that time it does not appear that it has been occupied and Stuart Bailey continues to own the property.

County Records
Built 1940. 1815 sq ft, 1 bath, 2 stories with basement, 6000 sq ft lot.