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512 Fountain Street, 1899
This large Colonial home now sits on land that was among several lots sold together in 1853 to Captain William Ward Virdin (1803-1871). The Captain 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. The Sanborn Insurance Map of 1899 shows a dwelling here and 1900 records indicate a house existed here. The seller of the home in 1900, Kate Elizabeth Lewis Virdin (1829-1908), had inherited the property from her husband, Dr. William Virdin (son of the Captain). They had married in 1854 and in 1866 had moved to a 100-acre farm at Lapidum and Stafford Roads, previously bought by Captain Virdin. Dr. Virdin was a highly respected physician who had served in the Civil War as a surgeon in the Confederate Army. Kate Virdin, who still lived on the Lapidum farm, sold this home in 1900 to Murray Vandiver (1845-1916). Vandiver is known to have owned several other Havre de Grace properties. Kate Virdin, who still lived on the Lapidum farm, sold this home in 1900 to Murray Vandiver (1845-1916). Vandiver is known to have owned several other Havre de Grace properties.
Harry W. Cooling (1872-1954) and his wife, Claudia, who were already living in this home in 1916, purchased this property from the estate of Murray Vandiver in 1919 and they lived here together until the death of Harry Cooling in 1954.
Harry Cooling was a well-known barber in town but also known as an avid checkers player. In February 1890, he opened his first barber shop at the northeast corner of Washington Street and Pennington Avenue (formerly St. Clair Street), beside a pool hall. At that time the pool hall was owned by Arthur Cloak, who also sold cigars, and Harry Cooling gave his customers tokens for one free game of pool. In 1913, however, needing more space for his barber shop, Cooling moved it to 458 Franklin Street, beside the Odd Fellows Hall. On July 7, 1924, he boasted to the Wilmington Morning News
that he had achieved a “new haircutting record.” They reported: “Harry W. Cooling, a Havre de Grace tonsorial artist, believes he holds the record for hair cutting, having on the same day bobbed the hair of three generations of the same family, a grandmother, mother and daughter.” Harry Cooling also served as a Justice of the Peace in 1935.
Claudia Cooling lived in this home for another four years after her husband’s death and then sold it in 1958 to the Havre de Grace Realty Company. At that time, the lot to the west of this house (now 516 Fountain Street) was part of this property but appears to have been divided and sold; a one-story house was then built next door to this. The Realty Company then sold this home to Robert and Ruby Keesee, who had three children. Ruby had served in the U.S. Nursing Corps in WWII and retired from nursing at Perry Point VA Medical Center. The Keesees sold this to Howard G. and Pearl M. Shafer in 1959.
During the 1940s, Howard and Pearl Shafer had run a very popular lunch business at the corner of Congress Avenue and Adams Street, which ended when the High School opened their cafeteria. And they were the parents of Don Shafer, who was known in town for his business on Washington Street, Shafer’s Appliances. Howard Shafer died in 1959 and when Pearl Shafer died in 1971 she bequeathed the home to their children. It was bought from them in 1971 by James W. Buchanan (1928-2014) and Betty Lou Buchanan (1932-2003), who had two children. Jim was a U.S. Navy veteran of the Korean War and they were great supporters of the Decoy Museum.
In 2001 the Buchanans sold this home to Samuel and Janice Scheibler who owned it for several years until the death of Janice in 2014, after 41 years of marriage to Samuel. The home was repainted and the hardwood floors refinished in 2018, prior to being sold that year to Thomas W. Sherwood and Mary E. Logsdon.
County Records
Built 1935. 2107 sq ft, 2 stories with basement, 3 baths, 7200 sq ft lot.