This is one in a row of four adjoining formstone houses constructed in 1907 by the Burns Brothers, who had also created the Burns Brothers Carriage Factory at Adams and Green Streets. They were five industrious Burns brothers living in Havre de Grace who made a considerable impact on the city. The carriage factory, begun by Walter Elsworth Burns in 1896, is credited with building the first US mail wagon and the city fire company’s horse-drawn vehicles. The first car in Havre de Grace, the Burnsmobile, also was built in the factory. The factory suffered a major fire in 1902 and although they rebuilt it, by 1917 it went out of business.

The Burns brothers’ buildings, often with turrets, are easily recognizable. One is the concrete duplex building at 618-620 Fountain Street, near this home; another is the (now duplex) home at 516-518 Green Street built by Reese Norris Burns; others are the rows of similar houses in the 500 block of Congress Avenue and the 700 block of Green Street, all built within a few years of one another.

It was Jonathan Isaac Burns who purchased the land for this row of four houses from Patrick Foley and oversaw the construction in 1907. Ownership of the row then transferred to different people until 1987 when the four homes were sold individually by Stephen and Carol Owen. A new owner in 2017, Deborah Cook-Goldman completely renovated this home with new carpet and paint, wood floors, 10-foot vaulted ceilings, new light fixtures, and new kitchen appliances. This home is a real estate investment.

County Records
Built 1907. 1456 sq ft, 1 bath, 4248 sq ft lot, flat roof, wood floors, 10 ft ceilings.