This house was owned and possibly built by Henry Barnes (1792-1858) and his first wife, Sarah, shortly before Sarah died in 1841. Henry was a veteran of the War of 1812 who had also purchased a lot and built a two-story double house at 315-317 North Stokes Street, one side of which was for the Methodist Protestant Church which had been formed in 1828. That was named Emory Chapel.

After the death of Henry Barnes in 1858, his widow, Eliza Barnes (1804-1872) continued to live here with some members of the family until her death. [Barnes family members were first buried in Cedar Hill Cemetery in Havre de Grace but in 1940 were reinterred in Angel Hill Cemetery.] Their remaining heirs sold the home in 1884 to John T. and Louisianna S. Alexander. However, within the same year the Alexanders sold the property to Joseph and Elizabeth H. Brown. In 1887, the Browns sold the home to three brothers (William, Adolphus, and John Frederick) trading as partners as Jacob Frederick & Sons of Baltimore. They built a new ice house in Havre de Grace where 1879 was reported as the largest and most profitable harvest in years with 200,000 tons of ice stored, more than needed in one season.

In 1913, James J. and Alice Mackin bought this home, after which James relocated to Tennessee and sold the home to Louis Dimaolo and Rafaele “Ralph” Calicchia in 1920. Ralph had been born in Italy in 1879. Other owners followed including James and Angelina Calicchia, Ben and Nora Picciotti, Marie Picciotti Milano and Alfred R. Milano, and Elizabeth Picciotti. Elizabeth owned this property from 1942 to 1967. For some of that time, this may have been an investment property for Elizabeth.

The Brennan family once lived in this house, headed by James Brennan (1910-1989) and Florence V. Brennan. Brenda M. Baker is James’s daughter and grew up in this house. In the early days, she said, indoor plumbing meant one cold water faucet because bathrooms hadn’t yet moved indoors. The Brennans had a water closet on the back porch, under the stairs. After serving in World War II, James worked as a civilian employee at Bainbridge Naval Station (now gone) and Edgewood Arsenal. Brenda Baker still lives in Havre de Grace.

This home was bought by J.C. “Fisher” Motz (1908-1991) and his wife, Jane R. Motz, in 1967. Fisher was an accomplished archaeologist who graduated from the Carnegie Institute of Technology and worked with museum groups. The Pittsburgh Press, July 9, 1956, carried an announcement of his first wife’s request for divorce. She was Alice Pendleton Scully Motz, the daughter of a former Pittsburgh Mayor. She claimed that Fisher “lacked a sense of humor,” and had gone to live on a boat moored in the Allegheny River “despite her entreaties.” Not surprisingly, Fisher owned a yacht in Havre de Grace in 1976 named “Lady Jane,” while living in this home. Fisher and Jane Motz also purchased other nearby lots, some of which they sold separately. In 1980, Fisher and Jane Motz sold this home to the nearby Havre de Grace Marina, Inc. (which by 1987 was renamed as Arvid, Inc.).

In 1987, Arvid, Inc., by its Secretary/Treasurer Donna R. Scherpf, sold this home to David Jeffery Oluf Scherpf (her son) and his wife, Sarah Gleason Scherpf. They opened their home to the 1988 Annual Candlelight Tour. They speculated that the brick on the lower half of the house had probably been ship ballast; the upstairs porch provided a view of the river. Some unadorned walls, vivid wallpaper, and wide windowsills painted Colonial green were all fresh new looks in the house. Custom oak cabinets in the kitchen blended well and a family room with fireplace and exposed beams was under restoration.

Five years later, the Scherpfs sold this property to William McKinley Arnold IV. Since being purchased by the Arnold family in 1992, the house has undergone major renovation and additions, including a three-car garage on the north end of the house. The garage faces the street on the west side of Stokes Street and the porches are on the east side, with a good view of the river.

County Records
Built 1840. 3668 sq ft, 2 baths, 2.5 story, no basement, 11,282 sq ft lot.