This one-story building was originally built as a three-story frame building before 1881. Amos Spencer (1816-1899) owned it in 1881 and deeded it to John N. Spencer, with the provision that Joseph Kelley would have use of the ground floor as long as he wanted it. Joseph Kelly sold “Family Groceries and Provisions, China, Glass and Queensware.” In the early 1900s, the ground floor had two sections, one much larger than the other, which was Clark & Son, where they sold feed from their farm across the river and rented rooms on the two upper floors.

In March 1930, during Prohibition, a tenant on the third floor of the building was operating a whiskey still that blew up and caused a major fire. The fire burned the entire building, including the small McLhinney News Depot then on the ground floor, and also damaged the adjoining Newmeyer Building, particularly the third floor. A local contractor, C.A. McCommons, redesigned and rebuilt this as a one-story concrete, steel, and brick building. He also restored the next-door Newmeyer Building but had to reduce it from three stories to only two—a ground floor store with a one-story apartment above it. An old photo clearly shows the adjoining Newmeyer Building at #212 with three floors.

#212: For many years, this long and narrow store was McLhinney’s News Depot, established in 1923 by Walter McLhinney (1896-1977) and Eleanor A. McLhinney (1903-1992). Walter was one of eleven children of John and Sarah McLhinney and a WWI veteran. His first job was when he was 9 or 10 and he worked in a can-making factory for five cents an hour. The McLhinneys ran a newspaper business here for about five decades (the only interruption being the rebuilding after the 1930 fire). Their son, John Eugene "Jackie Mac" McLhinney (1927-2012), became a partner in this family business as did another son, Charles Leo McLhinney (1931-2007). “The old place was about 6-feet wide but kind of long. There was only room for two people to stand side by side," said the late Eleanor McLhinney, who worked in the store selling papers and dipping the Breyers Ice Cream they also sold. Eunice Powell was proud that she could dip Bing Cherry Ice Cream for a customer and play numbers all at the same time. The shop was a regular stop during the height of the racing and gambling era as visitors to The Graw racetrack stopped in here to get their Daily Racing Form.

From 1951-1957 and again 1959-1961, Walter McLhinney was Mayor of Havre de Grace. Local Havre de Gracians have fond memories of him and the store, where Earl Blansfield worked for many years. Earl's son also worked there occasionally and forwarded a photo from one of their annual banquets. Pam Barker Murray remembers walking there every summer evening to get the News American while Kathy Perrett recalls the delicious aroma of their roasting peanuts.

A few hundred young boys worked for the McLhinneys delivering papers, either walking or riding their bicycles, along short routes in town over seven decades. And that was all before school. McLhinney held a banquet or other special event each year for the delivery boys. To “Mr. Mac,” the color of the boys did not matter—every boy got a newspaper route and he treated them equally. For any boy who didn’t have a suit to wear to the banquet, Mr. Mac would get them one. He often held the banquets at the Colonial Hotel on Union Avenue—it has been said that the Colonial was the only place that would allow black boys in. However, we know that Mr. Mac also hosted the banquet at times on the second floor of Susquehanna Hose Company Division #2 at 125 North Union Avenue. Another example of an event Mr. Mac hosted for the boys was in 1938 when he arranged for all of them to travel to Carlin’s Park in Baltimore by automobiles. The Aegis reported that in high spirits they rode every attraction in the Park and filled themselves with ice cream and hot dogs. The McLhinneys ended home delivery in the late 1980s.

Sandy Cullum said all her comic books came from McLhinney’s. The store also carried football and baseball books and stickers as well as wrestling magazines. In 1949, McLhinney’s advertised: “Your subscription to any magazine solicited; cigars; ice cream; confectioneries.” Susan Ferguson Ragan (Walter McLhinney’s granddaughter) still remembers the Breyers ice cream and fresh roasted peanuts, and always looked forward to the new Archie comic books. It was also known as the only store in Harford County where you could buy the New York Times. McLhinney’s News Depot, under Charles McLhinney, moved next door to 208 North Washington Street in the early 1970s.

In 1984 this property was the Spinners 3 store, owned by Robin Adams, Stephanie Buczacky, and Beth Brown Reinsel. In 1991, it was a Sports Card Exchange, operated by Mitch and Jessica Shank. Later, in the early 2000s, Katydid’s Crafts and Collectibles was here; Roger Lang’s Access Computerz store was here for a few years; and in 2015 it became an antique store called Wagon Wheel Trading Company. In 2016, Annie McLhinney Cochran opened a store she called “McLhinney’s Speakeasy Museum and International Market” with some antiques and other items. In early 2018 it became the Blue Green Scene, a gift shop owned by Olivia Glenn.

In November 2018, this small space took on new life after being renovated and having many layers of old paint meticulously scraped off, particularly from the door and windows. A large and colorful sign outside announced the Sunrise Rock Shop, run by JoAnn Teel and her daughter, Michele Connolly, where they sold all types and sizes of rocks as well as JoAnn’s original artworks. With the closure of many businesses in spring 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the Sunrise Rock Shop decided to do business online only. However, December 2020 brought a new business to this space: Glyph Design Studio focusing on graphic design, branding, and web design with Joe Smith and Don Starr.

#214: Before the McLhinneys bought this building in 1925, they heard that there was a pool hall in the back of this part of the building. In the 1960s for about 10 years, this was “Ryan’s Style Shop” with clothing for infants, boys and girls, as well as ladies blouses and lingerie. They were followed by The Blue Earth Leather store, which occupied the larger portion of the building. In 1982, Blue Earth was owned by Shanna Smith and was described as the place for custom leather clothing, handmade moccasins, and silver and turquoise jewelry from the southwest. From 1997 to mid-2017 the store continued to operate with similar merchandise under the ownership of Tammy Gamble. Blue Earth Leather moved to St. John Street, however, in 2017 and this building became “Instant History Tatoo” that moved from across the street. This building is still owned by the late Charles McLhinney and his wife, Mary Catherine McLhinney.

County Records
Built 1930. 2466 sq ft, retail store, 7,600 sq ft lot.