Berlin

Susan Taylor

• Publisher: Arcadia Publishing
• Year: 2007
• Print ISBN: 9780738544250
• eBook ISBN: 9781439617724
• Topic: History
• Subtopic: North American History
• Index: History

The town of Berlin on Marylands Eastern Shore was founded on a 300acre tract of land called Burley, part of a land grant to Col. William Stevens that was surveyed in 1677. The town developed on the crossroads of the Sinepuxent Road, going east toward the Atlantic coast and the Philadelphia Post Road, and derived its name from the contraction of Burley Inn, a roadside inn at this popular crossroads. One of Berlins famous locals was United States naval hero Stephen Decatur, who was born on farm property within the surrounding area in 1779. Today Berlins Main Street is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and the town has received national attention by having been featured in both Paramount Pictures Runaway Bride (1999) and Disneys Tuck Everlasting (2002) films.

Eight

PRESERVATION, RESTOR ATION, AND REWARD

Public awareness of the great importance of preservation and restoration was heightened when, in 1981, the U.S. Postal Service set its sights on the Calvin B. Taylor House (built 1832) to demolish and alter its grounds to construct a new post office. A group of citizens convinced the mayor and council to purchase the property and turn it over to the newly formed, nonprofit Berlin Heritage Foundation for restoration with privately donated funds. The structure was in deplorable condition, but the foundation raised substantial funds and began restoration as the Calvin B. Taylor House. As restoration progressed, small groups of citizens, realizing the benefits of preservation and restoration, began to look at the downtown, already on the National Register of Historic Places, as having great potential. The downtown, parts of which were destroyed by the fires of 1895, 1901, and 1904, had all been built between 1895 and 1905. It had not been changed much structurally, only inappropriately fixed up, and in some cases was falling down.

After Calvin Taylor’s death in 1932, the house went through several changes of ownership and occupancy. Immediately prior to its acquisition by the town, it contained apartments. Termites were getting fat on its sweet gum framing and yellow pine floors. It was treated and stabilized, and work on making it into a house museum and gallery as planned by the foundation began.

The community rolled up its sleeves, and while contractors performed the skilled labor, volunteers did much of the grunt work, including scraping, sanding, and cleaning. The generosity of the community, both in time and money, was remarkable. Work still goes on, and the volunteer Berlin Heritage Foundation still gratefully accepts donations.

The original block of the house, built in 1832 by Isaac Covington, is a typical gable-fronted Greek temple with double parlors, a transverse hall, and a small office. This view from the front entrance shows the graining on the pine woodwork that has been restored to its original mahogany and maple appearance by Phillip Ward and Linda Croxson, who are among the foremost grainers in America today.

As funds permit, the house is being properly appointed and great care is taken by the board of directors to be historically correct. Soon floor coverings of period design specially loomed for the double parlors will be installed. In the north parlor, a portrait of Mary White, who lived in Robin’s Nest, hangs restored above the fireplace. Architectural patterns on this mantle repeat those of the exterior front entrance.

In town, the amount of restoration necessary depended not only on condition but also on how much the building had been fixed up. Some buildings only needed a good scrubbing and an appropriate paint job. The L. L. Dirickson Private Bank building, above left, was improperly modernized in the mid-1960s. The window was redone and partially covered, and an aluminum and glass rear entrance installed. The Ayres Building, above right, was probably built after the fire of 1901. It has two storefronts, the larger being built for the Ayres brothers’ general store and the smaller for the Ayres sisters’ millinery shop. In the 1950s, the brothers’ storefront was removed, a pseudo-Williamsburg facade constructed, and the floor lowered to street level. The sisters’ shop frontage remained undisturbed. In 1987, three Berlin natives bought the property and...

Table of contents

• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Table of Contents
• ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
• INTRODUCTION
• One - “ON A ROAD GOING ALONG THE SEASIDE”
• Two - HIGH WAYS AND BYWAYS
• Three - “WATCH BERLIN GROW!”
• Four - “ATTRACTIVE AND ACTIVE”
• Five - “MODERN IN CIVIC GROWTH”
• Six - SONS AND DAUGHTERS
• Seven - JUST PLAIN FUN
• Eight - PRESERVATION, RESTOR ATION, AND REWARD