The land on which this formerly single family home was built was sold by George P. Whitaker (1803-1890) and his wife in 1865 to Dennis Quirk and Jeremiah Quirk, both of whom had immigrated from Ireland. Whitaker was one of the owners of the Havre Iron Company at the foot of Bourbon Street in the mid-1800s. Jeremiah Quirk died in 1888 and Dennis Quirk deeded the property (on which it is assumed the house had been built) in 1893 to Margaret Quirk. She was the mother of Michael H. Quirk, Mary Fahey (nee Quirk), Margaret Pohl (nee Quirk), and Julia Quirk to all of whom Margaret bequeathed this property in 1902.

The Quirk heirs sold the home to their sister, Margaret Quirk Pohl in 1914. She had married Lambert C. Pohl (1879-1926) and together they ran The Daylite Bakery on North Washington Street. Lambert and Mary Pohl sold this property in 1920 to Ambrose “Oliver” Cooley and Margaret H. Cooley, who also bought the property just north of this at #409-411. The Cooleys had married in 1906 and Margaret was the daughter of William J. Hopkins of Glenville. In 1917 Oliver was granted a patent for a tomato peeling machine, no doubt an asset at the height of the canning industry.

In 1929, the duplex property was sold at public sale by mortgage attorney Lee I. Hecht to J. Clarence Brown (1882-1936) and his wife, Nellie McCombs Brown (1887-1970). They also bought the next door property at the sale. Nellie’s father was William Sivard McCombs (1850-1928), who was owner of the Havre de Grace Republican and held many prominent positions in the city, including Mayor and City Treasurer. Nellie’s husband J. Clarence Brown died in 1936 but she continued to own this property until 1964 when she sold it to the A-1 Amusement Company.

At some point, this single family home was converted into two separate one-bedroom apartment units, one with an exterior staircase. This could have been done by Nellie Brown during her ownership because it is known that she also owned other properties.

The A-1 Amusement Company owned the property from 1964 until its President, Lois G. Hensle, sold the property to herself individually in 1967. When Lois died in 1978, her estate sold it to Harry and Lillian Fina. Harry was a WWII veteran and they both were avid boaters, spending much time on the Chesapeake Bay. They lived in Bel Air so this appears to have been an investment property for them also. The Finas sold it to Robert and Kimberly Marine in 1986. After three years the Marines sold the property to an associate in the insurance industry, Harry V. Webster, Jr. in 1986. Harry is a Principal in Lassen Marine & Webster Inc., and former president of the Harford Land Trust.

Harry and Eileen Webster continue to live elsewhere and appear to own this as an investment property.

County Records
Built 1935. 1820 sq ft, 2 stories no basement, 2 baths, 12,000 sq ft lot.