History:

by Donna Ware

In the midst of London Town's decline, William Brown built an imposing Georgian structure which still stands overlooking the South River. Built between 1758 and 1764, it is one of two buildings that survive from colonial London Town. Brown, an aspiring gentleman who operated both a ferry and an inn at London Town, was also a joiner and a cabinetmaker. He probably served as his own "undertaker," or building contractor, as he did for the construction of the Upton Scott House in Annapolis. The two houses, both completed in 1764, bear a striking resemblance to each other.

Brown positioned his house at London Town with a dramatic view of the South River. However, instead of facing north, he oriented it toward Scott Street, the road leading to the ferry landing. Measuring 50 by 40 feet and 49 feet high, it is a large Georgian house constructed of header-bond brick (see image at right).  Header bond was a fashionable and expensive brick bonding technique used predominately in Maryland in the mid-eighteenth century, but rarely found elsewhere. The Brown House is the only known example with all-headerbond on all four elevations. The principle elevation of the house is marked by a projecting pavilion, which includes three of the seven bays on the facade. The exterior walls display a restrained, clean surface ornamented with a cove and quarter-round molded water table and a belt course. The wooden cornice survives in its unfinished state with empty slots for the placement of consoles. A pair of large interior chimneys project from the central deck of a shallow-pitch.

The unique floor plan is composed of four elevated corner rooms separated by a central hall and a transverse passage. A central entrance on each elevation leads to the hall and passage. Except for the enigmatic elevated rooms and the location of the stairs, the plan resembles the main block of Blandfield in Essex County, Virginia, built in 1770. Architectural investigations suggest that the interior remained unfinished during the 20 years William Brown owned the house.
Architectural evidence supporting the use of the house as a tavern is represented by an arched opening in the masonry wall between the entry and the principal first floor room. It may have functioned as part of a bar allowing beverages to be passed into the entertaining room in the rear of the house. The arch was filled and plastered over after Brown's ownership.

William Brown's financial situation declined after the construction of the house. In 1758, a few years after he began operating the South River ferry and ordinary, Brown purchased two lots from Stephen West, Jr. for 150 pounds sterling. He then amassed enough credit to build his grand house. Indebted to James Dick, a Scottish merchant at London Town, for 500 pounds sterling, Brown never recovered from this lavish expenditure and was continually in debt after 1769. In 1782 James Dick died and Brown was unable to pay his debt which by then amounted to 731 pounds sterling. After unsuccessfully trying to sell the house, he released it to the executor's of Dick's estate.

In 1828 the Brown House and 10 acres were acquired by Anne Arundel County for use as an Almshouse. It continued operation as the "poor house" until passage of the Welfare Act in 1965. In the 1970s, it became part of the Anne Arundel County parks system.

Online Tour:

by Vicki Lerch

The tour begins outside the visitor center with an overview of the history of the town of London. William Brown's career as a carpenter/joiner, ferry master, tavern keeper, land speculator and debtor is reviewed, and visitors are invited to enter the restoration of how the house may have appeared when he and his family occupied it.
The exterior of the house is a fine example of Georgian architecture and features header bond brickwork. Passing through the front door, the interior features show the symmetry and balance typical of Georgian buildings. The unique raised corner rooms and the examples of on-going architectural research and restoration are noted. Eighteenth-century visitors would have been sorted out by the nature of their business and directed to the proper room.

The River Room could have been a space for entertaining or, especially in the winter, a living area. The floor cloth, tea set, botanical prints, and Bateman silver all speak about women's lives, possessions and careers. The Planter's Room is an example of rental space. Some travelers needed only a night’s lodging, others a place to do business and both were accommodated in colonial taverns. The folding press bed, foot warmer, desk and writing implements illustrate both. The Hall is the room where travelers or townsmen would be entertained with food and drink. The objects in this room and the Hogarth prints illustrate the activities of a typical evening. The maps show location as well as population densities and travel routes. The Blue Room or Parlor is a family living space. Dining, but not cooking, child care, schooling and daily chores would have been done here. Tableware illustrates differences between tin glazed, salt glazed, and cream wares. The exposed brick wall shows the presence of "nailers" intended to fasten moldings and/or paneling to the walls, indicating the unfinished nature of the house. The Green Room or Bed Chamber shows the emergence of private space as a sleeping room that may also have been used to entertain personal guests, containing the more elegant furniture and textiles in the house. The bed, closed stool, and dressing table illustrate sleeping arrangements, hygiene and dress.

At the foot of the basement stairs is a display explaining the use of indentured servants in the English colonies. Such white bondservants were a major source of skilled and unskilled labor in the Maryland colony throughout its history. Many of the servants sent here were convicts sentenced to transportation in lieu of hanging. Also in this area are visible mortise and tenon joints, pit sawed beams, stone foundations, and brick arches. Ongoing research and restoration projects may be visible. Many of the items in the Servants Room off the kitchen are used in hands-on activities with the school groups. This would have been combined work and living space for indentured servants or slaves. The Kitchen in the basement contains the many implements needed for open hearth cooking, housekeeping, laundry, and domestic chores.