Marita O'Connell
About Marita
I moved to Havre de Grace during the fall of 2003 in my quest for a more peaceful life by the water. Having spent the first 20 years of my life by the sea in Dublin, Ireland, the ebb and flow of water and the cry of seagulls brings peace to my soul. I had spent more than 30 years in the writing and editing field where my last "career job" was as editorial director of a publishing house elsewhere in Maryland that had a division in Manhattan. For that I commuted every week into La Guardia Airport on the early morning shuttle every Tuesday and returned home on Thursday evenings. Mondays and Fridays were in my Maryland office.
Then one day during some brief reflection I reminded myself of what I had just written in my autobiography, Galloping Green: From Dear Distant Damp Dublin, which I published in 2004—there are many roads in life that we can take so if one road is not working for you, try another. So I took the road to Havre de Grace!
I loved it and still do. People were so friendly and welcoming—one of the first people I met was Ellie Mencer, now of Havre de Grace Magazine, and I’m grateful for her warm introduction to the town. And I found it delightful that people sitting on the porches of our beautiful streets would wave and shout "Hi" as I passed by. Although the scenic Promenade (our boardwalk along the water) unfortunately had been broken apart by Hurricane Isabel the same month I moved here, it was repaired and I was able to participate in the replanting of Concord Point. I have enjoyed many volunteer activities that are available—all of which increase my knowledge of our local history and the families that have shaped the town. Anyone can join the Citizens Against Trash (CAT) Club and help to keep the town litter free, volunteer in the Opera House, help the Friends of Concord Point Lighthouse to show visitors the Lighthouse or Lightkeeper’s House, or a host of other worthwhile activities.
Later, having been appointed by the Mayor to the Havre de Grace Historic Preservation Commission, I realized that the commission lacks the authority to preserve our historic buildings. And the next revelation was that to remedy that is a very complex issue beyond the scope of the commission at present. Many historians, more qualified than I, have written widely of the city’s history. But to my knowledge none have created an expandable repository of information, photographs, and oral history organized by our oyster-shell-based streets and their buildings. Hence, this website and my years of research is my gift to the City of Havre de Grace and those who love it.
In early 2007 I was hired as Manager of the Havre de Grace Main Street program, one of several such downtown revitalization programs in Maryland created by the National Trust for Historic Preservation. I got to know business and building owners and to delve into a new level of learning about those who have contributed to the economic, cultural, and social history of the city.
As a consequence I decided that if I couldn’t directly save some of our historic buildings from demolition, perhaps I could educate people about those that were meaningful to their ancestors or to those who shaped the city we love today. Knowing more about the owners as well as the houses, enhances their value. There are wonderful homes here that have passed down through several generations of the same families. I began gathering some of this information and photographs as far back as when I moved here but I can state honestly that for at least the last five years, I have worked at least 40 hours each week on creating what you will find in this website. The most time-consuming aspect was going through Harford County deed records, one by one, going backwards from the present, deciphering handwriting in all records earlier than 1900, and making abundant notes. Some buildings changed ownership dozens of times; others less often. And after I gathered the deed information I researched the various owners and their families, when they were born and died, who their family members were, and anything else I could find about them.
There is an important shortcoming in Harford County records for Havre de Grace. It is that for the majority of houses/buildings the records show incorrect "built dates" of 1930 or thereabouts regardless of when they were built. But for every entry I provide the county’s built date. You will see also that for each entry I provide at least a timeframe for when the house may have been built based on what I learned in reading the deeds. In most cases, you will see the time difference. However, please bear in mind that those are my best estimates on the age of the homes and I make no representations or warranties as to their actual age.
Something else worth bearing in mind is that nearly every old deed I've read contains language such as "with buildings and improvements thereon," or "with improvements and appurtenances." I had read these phrases even when I knew the deed was only for land so I consulted a local attorney (who actually wrote some of the deeds) and he confirmed that these are just standard deed clauses and do not mean that there was a building on the land.
Enjoy exploring this information, which is my gift to the City of Havre de Grace and its residents in the hope that everyone will do their best to maintain their properties. And please remember, houses that have been well maintained are usually not demolished.
Please don’t hesitate to contact me with any suggestions, photos, or additions via the Contact link.
