The lot on which this Greek Revival-style house stands at the southeast corner of Girard and South Washington Streets was once part of the nearby Havre Iron Works until 1869. They operated iron furnaces at the bottom of Bourbon Street, about five blocks away. In 1869 George P. Whitaker (one of the Iron Works owners) sold the lot to Robert R. Vandiver (1808-1885) and Joseph Simmons. It is thought that they most likely built this house and that the Simmons family may have lived here—the Vandivers owned many other properties. After the death of Joseph, his heirs sold their interest in 1883 to Robert Vandiver. It transferred quickly from the Vandivers to Lewis and Julia Russell; the Russells to Thomas and Laurenda Saunders in 1894; and the Saunders to A. "Hamlin" Carver (1858-1943) and Nettie Carver in 1896. Hamlin was a banker who also served the city as Mayor and council member in the early 1900s.

Paul J. Williams was born in Havre de Grace in 1896 and resided at this address when he was inducted in 1918 to serve in WWI. Private Williams served in Company C of the 33rd Machine Gun Battalion. He was honorably discharged on January 28, 1919, and returned to Havre de Grace after the War. He was the husband of Mary T. Williams and is listed on the Tydings Park Roll of Honor. In a 1916 telephone directory, this address was listed as the residence of Emma Williams. These residents would indicate that the Carvers owned this as an investment property.

Hamlin Carver and his wife, Nettie, sold this home in 1919 to William M. Poplar (1889-1962) and his wife, Josephine. Poplar, son of Captain William H. “Bill” Poplar was a descendant of Johan Nicholas Sutor (1756-1831) of Havre de Grace. William Poplar worked for the Pennsylvania Railroad and lived here until the death of Josephine in 1953. William married Violet V. Poplar the following year and they owned this home until the death of William in 1962. In 1967, Violet deeded this jointly to Ruby Lillian Weddle, reserving a life estate for herself. However, at a public sale of the property in 1970 by a mortgage attorney, Ruby Lillian Weddle and her husband, Kenneth R. Weddle, purchased the home.

Two years later, the Weddles sold this home to William P. Hill, Jr., who sold it just one year later in 1973 to Herbert Kelly and William DeMund. Herbert and William were best known in town as the owners of The Galley Restaurant at 109 South Washington Street. They set about doing some major renovations and opened this elegant home in 1976 to the Annual Candlelight Tour. They achieved a two-story entrance by the removal of a small second floor bathroom, and newly installed stained glass windows were from an old New Jersey church. All cabinets and a dry sink in the kitchen were built by Bill Walker of Havre de Grace. The headboard of the bed in the master bedroom was created from an iron fence that once stood on Union Avenue. They also designed a Victorian plant room and created a conservatory out of an old shed.

In 1982, Herbert and William sold the house to Edward and Jackie Lauffer, after which it underwent some more renewal and sold again within a year. The current owner, Barbara Berkowich, has lived in the house since 1983 and has maintained it in a pristine manner for more than 35 years, preserving the historical integrity of the house and porch, with its pierced scroll saw brackets, original floors and fireplaces, and sunroom in the rear. The house and its large garden command an important corner on the attractive streetscape of South Washington Street.

County Records
Built 1930. 1680 sq ft, 2 stories with basement, 1 bath, 7200 sq ft lot.