This was first a waterman’s house in a different location and was moved a short distance to this site many years ago. The ground floor porch is original to the house; the second floor deck-balcony was added later. While it is not known exactly when this house was placed here it is known that it was the residence of Jack J. and Agnes Joell prior to their selling it in 1925. The Joells were stage and theatrical performers on the east coast in the early 1900s.

In 1925, the Joells sold this house to William Frederick Wallett, Sr. (1869-1930) and his wife, Florence Lillo Dillon (1868-1939). They previously lived at 526-528 North Adams Street where they ran a grocery store. Both of them were circus performers with Barnum & Bailey's Circus—The Greatest Show on Earth—when it toured Europe in 1900-1901. William did an equestrian act and Florence was also known as Lillo Dillon of the Flying Dillons, who performed a trapeze act. During their European tour, Florence gave birth to a daughter, Florence May Lillo Wallett in 1901 in Vienna. Another daughter was Alice Wallett (1909-1985) who married Havre de Grace native Edward U. Way (1895-1980). He was the son of Ulysses G. Way (1863-1946) and his wife, Rebecca J. Way (1869-1924). Ulysses was a member of the “Ducking Police” in Havre de Grace in 1937, having been appointed by Governor Harry Nice. The first Ducking Police were appointed to regulate shooting within the legal boundary limits of the Susquehanna Flats. He and his family lived at 311 Bourbon Street for about 37 years until 1956 when they sold that house.

The Walletts had come to North Carolina from England where their entire family had been theatrical stage and circus performers. William was the son of William Frederick “W.F.” Wallett (1806-1892) who was a circus clown in Victorian England. He had travelled the world as a clown, comedian, and jester with bouts also as an equestrian. After performing before Queen Victoria in 1844 at Windsor Castle he became known as the “Queen’s Jester.” Another member of the family, Ada Wallett Loughlin (1865-1929), is said to have been the first woman to have been shot out of a cannon in America; she performed as The Great Zazell. She was a sister of William F. Wallett, Sr. Their father was known in the United States as a clown while his wife Annie Jeffries Wallett was a tightrope walker known as Fanny or Madame Jeffries. Born in Scotland, they came with William Wallet Sr. and Ada Loughlin in 1882 to North Carolina. A photo of the Wallett and Loughlin families together is attached.

Havre de Grace hosted circus companies with their 3-ring tents early in the 20th century and some wintered here with their animals, such as Walter L. Main’s Circus. Dr. Guy H. Dennis (1890-1940) of 229 North Union Avenue was the veterinarian who took care of the animals housed west of Juniata Street (and with smaller animals in his basement).

Florence Lillo Dillon Wallett died in 1939, William having predeceased her. Their son, William F. “Bill” Wallett, Jr. (1898-1968) had been a circus performer with Downie Brothers Wild Animal Circus. Bill served as a Lieutenant in the Army in WWI and is listed on the War Memorial in Tydings Park. He married Ada Barnard Wallett (1913-2004), a Havre de Grace native, and they moved here when he retired in 1940. Ada’s parents were Joseph C. Barnard (1883-1967) and his wife Phoebe, who used to live in the Lock House on Conesteo Street in the winter (prior to its becoming a museum) and on a skipjack on the Bush River in summertime. Joseph and his brother, Charles N. Barnard (1876-1958), were born into a waterman’s family—as a child they sailed and worked the Chesapeake Bay and Susquehanna Flats. But Joseph primarily was a railroad man, built boats, and sometimes carved decoys. His brother, Charles Barnard of Stokes Street became one of the region’s best known decoy carvers.

Bill and Ada Wallett are remembered for opening a popular convenience store (Wallett’s Market) at the northwest corner of Juniata and Revolution Streets in 1941 where they sold groceries, beer, and sandwiches. Bill was elected to the City Council for two terms beginning in 1952 and Bill and Ada had a daughter, Pamela Millicent Wallet, who later lived at 561 Pennington Avenue before moving to Florida. Pam has shared fondly that her Dad taught her “we’re all equal just some are luckier than others, so we have a responsibility to others if we’re luckier than someone else.” After the 1968 death of Bill, Ada married Arthur F. Miller (1917-2006) and they lived at 705 South Adams Street. Ada became one of Maryland’s first female realtors and a member of Soroptimist International.

In 1944, the Estate of Florence Wallett sold this house to another circus couple also related to the family. He was Leo F. Kerns (1888-1961) (Leo the Clown) and she was Rosie Wallett Kerns (Miss Rose, a bareback rider) in the Hunt Brothers Circus. Rosie (1899-1972) was a sister of William F. “Bill” Wallett, Jr. The Kerns. They used to bring their show to Havre de Grace once a year and loved the town. At that time, William R. Pyle also lived at 820 Market Street and he remembers that the Kerns had an outbuilding with a peaked roof. Leo had a trapeze in the high peak and used to allow William (in third grade) to play on it. In 1951 the Kerns sold this house.

For the next 17 years this house was owned by John R. Harris (1920-1981) and Mary W. Harris (1920-2012), who had raised four children. John worked at the Aberdeen Proving Ground from which he retired. In 1969, John and Mary Harris sold this home to David E. Rimel (1943-2015) and his wife, Carol Quimby Rimel.

Dave Rimel made news headlines in September 1986 when he was hijacked at gunpoint in Havre de Grace by an out-of-town fugitive, Frank Green, who had just shot four law enforcement officers, one of whom was killed. During the manhunt, Green forced Rimel to drive his truck around town and through police barricades for a nightmare 15 minutes. Finally Dave Rimel crashed into a curb and managed to escape without being shot. Green hijacked another car and eventually crashed it and was arrested. More details of this incident appears at 506 Revolution Street. Several locals still remember and talk about that night of terror.

While David Rimel died in 2015, Carol Q. Rimel still owns this house 50+ years after buying it.

County Records
Built 1940. 1800 sq ft, 2 stories no basement, 1.5 baths, detached garage, 6000 sq ft lot.