Three contiguous lots of land here were sold by Archer Botts (1872-1950) and his wife, Margaret, in 1904 to John T. Whalen. In 1920, Whalen sold one of the lots to Percy E. and Lillian L. Davis who four years later sold the lot to Harry A. Jobes (1871-1951) and his wife Alice Annette Jobes (1875-1955). This Harry Jobes was the son of Joseph Allen Jobes (1846-1931) who had moved his family to Havre de Grace in the 1870s from Bucks County, Pennsylvania. Harry and Alice had previously lived at 408 St. John Street (now part of Coakley's) and built this house for their family. Harry worked as a clerk in a clothing store and they soon had two children. One of those children was Donald Keith Jobes, who was born in 1911.

In 1932, The Midland Journal, No. 23, carried an announcement of the 1932 marriage of Donald Keith Jobes, son of Mr. and Mrs. Harry Jobes, member of the Havre de Grace Baseball Club, Susquehanna League, and Miss Lorelle Beauchamp of Wilmington, Delaware, in Chestertown, Maryland. Donald and Lorelle lived here in this house until 1936, when they had a child, Harry Robert Jobes (1936-2019). However, in 1942, Donald filed for divorce from Lorelle in Harford County Circuit Court on the grounds of desertion and abandonment. Apparently she had moved back with her parents in Wilmington.

Harry R. Jobes was raised in this house by Donald, who worked at the Aberdeen Proving Ground, and his new wife, Bernadine Jobes. As a 7-year-old, Harry learned to carve decoys from an experienced carver who lived just around the corner at 609 North Stokes Street, Charles Nelson Barnard. Harry hand-sanded wooden duck heads and apprenticed with other carvers as he grew older. By the age of 10, he began working in Madison Mitchell’s shop on South Washington Street for 25 cents per hour.

While working with Mitchell as his mentor for 28 years, Harry Jobes also spent much of his life working on the water running research vessels for the states of Maryland and Virginia, and working for the government at Aberdeen Proving Ground piloting a patrol boat. He also operated his own charter boat business–and became distinguished as “Captain Harry.” He took his patrons fishing for rockfish and hunting for ducks and geese. One of his boats was “The Striper,” named for striped bass (or rockfish). Captain Harry and his first wife, Alice H. Jobes (1938-1991), raised three sons in this home, Harry R. “Bob” Jobes, Jr., Charles K. Jobes, and Joseph A. “Joey” Jobes, all of whom he took hunting at an early age and taught them to carve decoys. Because Captain Harry didn’t like to fly, he traveled all over the country with his boys selling decoys in his custom-built truck with the license plate, “Capt. HJ”.

After Harry R. Jobes (Captain Harry’s grandfather) died in 1951, and his wife Alice had died in 1955, followed by Donald Keith Jobes in 1974, this property descended to Captain Harry in 1986. However, the Captain had already moved to Aberdeen with his wife and business so he deeded this property to his eldest son, Harry R. “Bob” Jobes, Jr. and his wife, Deborah Elaine “Debbie” Jobes. They continue to own this home, which is next door to the large Jobes family-owned property at 723 Otsego Street and is nearby to the home of Charles Keith and Patricia Jobes at 855 Otsego Street. The home and workshop of Joey Jobes is at 617-619 Bourbon Street.

County Records
Built 1935. 1668 sq ft, commercial, 2.5 stories, no basement, 1 bath, 6,000 sq ft lot.