Stevensville Historic District
Encyclopedia
The Stevensville Historic District, also known as Historic Stevensville, is a national historic district
in downtown
Stevensville
, Queen Anne's County, Maryland
. It contains roughly 100 historic structures, and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places
. It is located primarily along East Main Street, a portion of Love Point Road, and a former section of Cockey Lane.
The Cray House, located on Cockey Lane, is the most complete example of post-and-plank
construction known to exist. John Denny purchased the lot from J. Stevens in 1809. Denny, a ship carpenter, used a construction method in which walls are formed by tenoning horizontal planks into slots cut into vertical corner posts. After a series of owners, it was sold at auction in 1914 to Nora Cray, a widow who lived there with her three children. Nora Cray's heirs deeded the property to The Kent Island Heritage Society in 1976, and the house was restored in 2004. It predates the town of Stevensville, and is listed individually on the National Register of Historic Places.
The 1880 building of the Christ Episcopal Church of Kent Island, located on East Main Street, is the fifth church of the Christ Church parish founded in 1631, the oldest continuous Episcopal congregation in the United States. Previous church buildings were in nearby Broad Creek, one of the first towns established in Maryland. The church is an excellent example of the Queen Anne style of ecclesiastical architecture, and the building is listed individually on the National Register of Historic Places. It is now owned by the county, and as of 2008, houses a Lutheran
parish and is in the process of being restored.
The Stevensville Bank was constructed between 1903 and 1907. It opened for business in 1909, and is the predecessor to Bank of America's
Tidewater Branch in Stevensville. The bank's original building is located in the historic district on Love Point Road and is listed individually on the National Register of Historic Places. The building has classical architectural details, a pressed tin ceiling, intact period furnishings and vault. Since the bank's business moved locations in the 1960s, the building has been occupied as business offices and by merchants. The Kent Island Heritage Society is the current lessee of the property.
during his visit to Stevensville. The Kent Island Heritage Society acquired the property in 1997.
Approval was given in 1894 by the Maryland Legislature to Queen Anne's Railroad Company to build a railroad
connecting Queenstown
with Lewes
, Delaware
. The line was extended 13 miles to Love Point in 1902, and the Stevensville Train Depot was constructed. When Maryland's Bay Bridge was constructed in 1952, the railroad line fell into disuse. The deteriorated building was donated to The Kent Island Heritage Society several years later. The structure was restored and moved to its current location on Cockey Lane in 1988.
Historic district (United States)
In the United States, a historic district is a group of buildings, properties, or sites that have been designated by one of several entities on different levels as historically or architecturally significant. Buildings, structures, objects and sites within a historic district are normally divided...
in downtown
Downtown
Downtown is a term primarily used in North America by English speakers to refer to a city's core or central business district ....
Stevensville
Stevensville, Maryland
Stevensville is a census-designated place in Queen Anne's County, Maryland, and is the county's most populous place among both CDPs and municipalities. The Stevensville Historic District is one of only two registered historic districts in the county, the other being the Centreville Historic...
, Queen Anne's County, Maryland
Queen Anne's County, Maryland
Queen Anne's County is a county located on the Eastern Shore of the U.S. state of Maryland.As of 2010, the population was 47,798. Its county seat and most populous municipality is Centreville. The census-designated place of Stevensville is the county's most populous place...
. It contains roughly 100 historic structures, and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
. It is located primarily along East Main Street, a portion of Love Point Road, and a former section of Cockey Lane.
Cray House
- Main article: Cray HouseCray HouseThe Cray House is a two-room house in Stevensville, Maryland. Built around 1809, it is a rare surviving example of post-and-plank construction, and of a build of small house which once dominated the local landscape...
The Cray House, located on Cockey Lane, is the most complete example of post-and-plank
Post-and-plank
Post-and-plank is a construction method which was once fairly common in various areas of the United States, but which is now rarely used. Hand-sawn logs would be mortised and tenoned into vertical corner posts to create the sides of the building. Few post-and-plank buildings survive; the most...
construction known to exist. John Denny purchased the lot from J. Stevens in 1809. Denny, a ship carpenter, used a construction method in which walls are formed by tenoning horizontal planks into slots cut into vertical corner posts. After a series of owners, it was sold at auction in 1914 to Nora Cray, a widow who lived there with her three children. Nora Cray's heirs deeded the property to The Kent Island Heritage Society in 1976, and the house was restored in 2004. It predates the town of Stevensville, and is listed individually on the National Register of Historic Places.
Christ Church (1880)
- Main article: Christ Church (Stevensville, Maryland)
The 1880 building of the Christ Episcopal Church of Kent Island, located on East Main Street, is the fifth church of the Christ Church parish founded in 1631, the oldest continuous Episcopal congregation in the United States. Previous church buildings were in nearby Broad Creek, one of the first towns established in Maryland. The church is an excellent example of the Queen Anne style of ecclesiastical architecture, and the building is listed individually on the National Register of Historic Places. It is now owned by the county, and as of 2008, houses a Lutheran
Lutheranism
Lutheranism is a major branch of Western Christianity that identifies with the theology of Martin Luther, a German reformer. Luther's efforts to reform the theology and practice of the church launched the Protestant Reformation...
parish and is in the process of being restored.
Stevensville Bank
- Main article: Stevensville BankStevensville BankThe Stevensville Bank is a historic building located near the center of Stevensville, Maryland, United States, and is in the Stevensville Historic District. The building's name is a reference to Stevensville Savings Bank which once occupied the building...
The Stevensville Bank was constructed between 1903 and 1907. It opened for business in 1909, and is the predecessor to Bank of America's
Bank of America
Bank of America Corporation, an American multinational banking and financial services corporation, is the second largest bank holding company in the United States by assets, and the fourth largest bank in the U.S. by market capitalization. The bank is headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina...
Tidewater Branch in Stevensville. The bank's original building is located in the historic district on Love Point Road and is listed individually on the National Register of Historic Places. The building has classical architectural details, a pressed tin ceiling, intact period furnishings and vault. Since the bank's business moved locations in the 1960s, the building has been occupied as business offices and by merchants. The Kent Island Heritage Society is the current lessee of the property.
Old Stevensville Post Office
The old Stevensville post office is located at 408 Love Point Road. The date of construction for this building is not known, but the building does appear on an 1877 map of Stevensville. The post office was visited by Franklin D. RooseveltFranklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin Delano Roosevelt , also known by his initials, FDR, was the 32nd President of the United States and a central figure in world events during the mid-20th century, leading the United States during a time of worldwide economic crisis and world war...
during his visit to Stevensville. The Kent Island Heritage Society acquired the property in 1997.
Stevensville Train Depot
Queen Anne's Railroad
The Queen Anne’s Railroad was a railroad that ran from Love Point, Maryland to Lewes, Delaware and was connected to Baltimore via ferry. The Queen Anne's Railroad company was formed in Maryland in 1894, and received legislative authorization from Delaware in February 1895...
connecting Queenstown
Queenstown, Maryland
Queenstown is a town in Queen Anne's County, Maryland, United States. The population was 617 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Queenstown is located at ....
with Lewes
Lewes, Delaware
Lewes is an incorporated city in Sussex County, Delaware, USA, on the Delmarva Peninsula. According to the 2010 census, the population is 2,747, a decrease of 6.3% from 2000....
, Delaware
Delaware
Delaware is a U.S. state located on the Atlantic Coast in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It is bordered to the south and west by Maryland, and to the north by Pennsylvania...
. The line was extended 13 miles to Love Point in 1902, and the Stevensville Train Depot was constructed. When Maryland's Bay Bridge was constructed in 1952, the railroad line fell into disuse. The deteriorated building was donated to The Kent Island Heritage Society several years later. The structure was restored and moved to its current location on Cockey Lane in 1988.
External links
- Historic Sites Consortium of Queen Anne's County
- Stevensville Historic District, Queen Anne's County, including photo dated 1981, at Maryland Historical Trust
- Boundary Map of the Stevensville Historic District, Queen Anne's County, at Maryland Historical Trust
