This northern end of the city was known in the early and mid-1900s as Little Italy—families with names like Cianelli, Bernardi, Lanquis, Vincenti, and Reginaldi settled here and became family and friends; some had stores on the first floor of their houses.

The land on which this home was built was sold by J. Thomas C. Hopkins in 1920 to the Italian-born Armando Tarquini (1890-1954), who most likely built this house in 1920. It became home to Armando and his wife, Angelo “Giggia” Vincenti Tarquini, and their family.

After the death of Giggia in 1951, Armando sold the home to their son, Armando Tarquini, Jr. (1928-2009), and his wife, Rita Vigna Tarquini (1928-1997). Rita was the daughter of Eugene and Luigina Mazzuca Vigna, who began and ran the very popular restaurant on St. John Street called “Vigna’s.” Rita later took over Vigna’s from her parents and ran the restaurant for many years. Locals today still talk of how great Vigna’s food was (that building is now part of Coakley’s Pub).

Having owned this home for several years, Armando and Rita sold this home to Bernadine Louisa “Betty” Vincenti (1925-2014) in 1967. Betty, along with her son, Patrick Vincenti, had previously been living in an apartment above Vigna’s on St. John Street. Patrick remembers that after several years of moving from apartment to apartment in the 1950s and 1960s this home of only three rooms and 740 square feet was a “true palace”! Betty worked at the Bata Shoe Company on Route 40, from which she retired.

Born in 1954, Patrick Vincenti, became a well-known local duck decoy carver as well as a Harford County Councilman, who now is President of the Harford County Council. He and his wife, Jeanne, own a decoy and gift shop on Pennington Avenue in Havre de Grace and make their home in Churchville. It was to their home in Churchville that Bernadine moved after she retired from the Bata Shoe Company.

Some of Patrick’s childhood friends, whose parents worked, fished and hunted on the surrounding waters of the Chesapeake Bay and Susquehanna River, also turned out to be present-day decoy makers, who love to fish and hunt. This house has been owned by LGMD Properties LLC since 2015.

County Records
Built 1935. 893 square feet, 1.5 stories, 1 bath, 1.5 stories, 2790 sq ft lot.