Chapter No. 24 of the Act of Maryland General Assembly of 1866 authorized the Havre de Grace Commissioners to have the Bailiff sell lots of land in the city. In response, Bailiff William R. Young sold this land at the southwest corner of Stokes and Green Streets in 1866 to William A. Bailey (1816-1873), a town commissioner, and John B. Coale (1818-1896), also a town commissioner in 1867. William Bailey was the son of Asahel Bailey (1778-1825) who became best known for having invented the fishing float for shad—such floats were usually about 75 feet long, made of logs with a wood floor, and had shacks on them. In December 1866, the City commissioners gave permission to the firm of Coale & Bailey to use the lower end of Green Street to build boats “provided they kept the street in good repair.” They operated fishing floats on the Susquehanna Flats for several years.

This parcel of land, which stretched 50 feet along the south side of Green Street and 60 feet on the west side of Stokes Street was sold by John B. Coale and his wife, Emily, in 1880 to Frances A. Carr (1841-1920). Frances Carr bequeathed this property to her son, Oliver S. Carr (1880-1940) and upon his marriage to Frances L. Carr he added his wife’s name to the deed in 1928. It is believed that Oliver and Frances Carr built this home around 1928 when Oliver inherited the land.

In 1937, Oliver’s Uncle John Carr (1844-1937) died while living in the home with them. John Carr was the last living Civil War veteran in Harford County, having served in 1864-1865. While the main house here faced Stokes Street, a small addition in the rear faced Green Street with its own door and numbered 602 Green Street as a postal address. That became a small store during the 1930s and 1940s while owned by Oliver and Frances, who leased the space. In 1941 Oliver predeceased Frances who lived until 1947. Her executor sold the property to Dr. Ferdinand C. Kohler (1903-1984) and Lily Davis Kohler (1912-1968). Dr. Ferdinand was a dentist and may have run his practice in the rear addition with its separate door on Green Street. They lived here until 1959.

During the 1940s or 1950s, the small convenience and grocery store opening onto Green Street was leased by Oliver Wendell “Joe” and Sara Jefferson. Richard Grubb said they were good friends with his grandparents who lived across the street in 603 Green Street. Richard remembers that Joe made his own sandwich meats and sausage and looked like the “typical butcher”—bald, with what looked like a penciled-in mustache. When the Jeffersons lost their lease here, they moved their store to Fountain Street in 1963.

In 1959 the Kohlers sold this house to H. Dean Pershing (1914-1971) and his wife, Hazel Jean Pershing. Dean was well known in the city for operating his Pershing Photographic Studio at 410 North Union Avenue (also known as the McCombs Building at 457 Franklin Street) from 1937 into the 1960s. The widowed Hazel Pershing sold this building in 1981 to Maitland Robert Granath. Four years later, Maitland Granath sold the property to two related couples: David W. Hart (1923-1988) and Noreen S. Hart (1928-2004), his wife; and their son, Robert S. Hart and his wife, Gina Hart. They most likely divided this property into two apartments, with one family on each floor.

In 1992, after the death of David and the divorce of Robert and Gina the same year, Noreen, Robert, and Gina Hart sold this property to Robert S. Hart. Three years later Robert sold it to Reginald M. Bishop. In 2000, however, substitute trustees deeded this property to the Department of Housing and Urban Development who sold the property to Catherine Marie Sanchez in late 2000. The entire property appeared vacant for some time before Catherine Sanchez sold it in January 2022 to Robert E. Wheeler, who lives elsewhere.

County Records
Built 1930. 1768 sq ft, 2 stories, basement, 2 baths, 3000 sq ft lot.