Tucked away at the confluence of the Choptank and Tred Avon Rivers in Talbot County, the historic hamlet of Oxford, Maryland has long attracted visitors hoping to take a step back to simpler times by strolling the waterways or grabbing a bite along Morris Street. Long known as a haven for Washington, DC transplants and retirees, the rejuvenation of the town’s dining scene has brought families and young couples to Oxford, whether they are sampling the new flavors at Scottish-Highland Creamery, listening to music at one of the waterfront eateries, or enjoying a romantic weekend at the Robert Morris Inn, the oldest inn in America.

Officially founded in 1683, Oxford is one of the oldest towns in Maryland and served as the only port of entry to the Eastern Shore. This designation led to steady growth and prosperity through the American Revolution, enjoying early prominence as a shipping center surrounded by tobacco plantations. While the tobacco industry waned, other trades filled in the gaps in the 19th and 20th centuries, including the oyster market, fisheries, and the connected canneries. Still a water-driven town, Oxford is enjoying a steady resurgence in the 21st century based on tourism and leisure activities, while the town itself is anchored by the forethought and investment provided centuries before, none more important than that made by Robert Morris.

The Robert Morris Inn, sitting at the corner of Morris Street and Strand and adjacent to the Oxford-Bellevue Ferry, is an example of the history captured in Oxford’s downtown facades—and a prospective model for the evolution of the town in the near term. Built circa 1710, the oldest portion of the Robert Morris Inn served as the residence of Robert Morris, father to Robert Morris, Jr., known as the financier of the American Revolution, and a prominent merchant himself. The property has retained much of its original character, while the expansions over the years are indicative of the time periods in which they were added. An Elizabethan staircase leads to the guest rooms; handmade nails and 14-inch beams hold up white oak flooring upstairs, while patrons walk on Vermont slate in the Inn’s dining room.

The historic attributes of the Robert Morris Inn have served the proprietors well over the years, as the property nears two centuries of overnight accommodations. Year-over-year, the Inn has seen new and returning visitors endear themselves to the property and the historic, quaint nature of the town. The hospitality offerings and interest only grew when current owners Ian Fleming and Mark Salter took over 11 years ago, bringing fine dining and inventive cuisine to Morris Street and expanding the Inn’s offerings. Billed as the oldest inn in America, the notable property has recently been placed on the market for sale, a once-in-a-generation opportunity in a market driven by natural beauty and character.

“My passion is converting boutique, genteel inns and hotels into thriving active and exciting businesses,” Fleming said. “Over the past eleven years we have achieved this. The hospitality business is so tactile—I really enjoy the opportunity to interact with our team and customers every day.”

Both Mark and Ian were introduced to the charm and unique lifestyle of the Eastern Shore through their respective years managing and developing their now famous neighbor, The Inn at Perry Cabin in St. Michaels. After 17 years guiding the food and beverage team of The Inn at Perry Cabin, Mark desired an opportunity to work for himself. Concurrently, Ian had built up his own company of hospitality businesses and was eager to return to the Eastern Shore. In May of 2010 Mark and Ian came together and took over the closed Robert Morris Inn, immediately focused on cementing its reputation as the most unique restaurant with rooms on the Eastern Shore.

Over the past decade, the improvements to the Inn have been both structural and experiential. Focused on delivering an exceptional experience to all diners and overnight guests, Mark and Ian have revitalized the indoor and outdoor spaces, developing one of the premier locations on the Eastern Shore. The addition of wine dinners, cooking demonstrations, and a robust calendar of events has only grown the Inn’s darling dining reputation.

“I have loved every moment of the past eleven years, driving to the Inn each day through stunning Talbot County countryside,” Salter said. “Working daily with my team for our loyal customers has been a great joy, as has the relationships I have built with many local watermen and farmers.”

However, after 11 years both Mark and Ian feel it is the right time to pass the Inn on to someone that can expand its assets while protecting the property’s charm and history. As the Town of Oxford continues its own business and tourism revitalization, the time is ripe for redevelopment of the Robert Morris property. The right visionary is well-situated to take advantage of growing interest in Talbot County and the opportunities that the currently underutilized water views offer. Thus, an historically sensitive reimagining of the Morris and Strand corner, with possibilities including residential, short-term accommodations, dining, or a hybrid model, make this one of the most unique hospitality offerings in the country, let alone in the Mid-Atlantic.

“The Robert Morris Inn is an iconic fixture in Oxford,” Ross Benincasa of SVN | Miller said. “The property has been influential to our community for generations, and we are excited to match the Inn with the right visionary to continue its relevance for generations to come.”

While the property is marketed for sale, Mark and Ian will continue to operate the full-service inn, restaurant and tap house, and look forward to welcoming returning and first-time visitors to their slice of paradise in Oxford.

Not so long ago, the town of Denton had given tentative approval for a significant housing development that would have permitted 2,500 new homes to be constructed. The community leaders showed minimal hesitation in giving the go-ahead since it doubled the town’s size, increased the tax base, and presumably added significantly to its economic development.

But on closer inspection, the planned community showed significant flaws. Denton’s doubling in less than two years would have caused major stresses on the town’s infrastructure, contrasted significantly to the community’s historic rural aesthetic, and highlighted fundamental weaknesses in how small municipalities can control this form of aggressive development.

As the town began to push back on the developer’s plans, investors lost interest in Denton, and in the end, the project was scrapped entirely.

According to Jay Corvan, who has practiced architecture and town planning for decades from his office in Trappe, the Denton case perfectly outlined what can happen when developers are on their own in determining the scope and design of housing projects on the Eastern Shore.

Jay’s solution, supported by many of his colleagues, is creating a “pattern book” that can be applied to an entire region like the Mid-Shore to provide clear and straightforward guidelines for developers to avoid what took place in Denton.

The pattern book approach would give towns like Trappe, the location of another major housing development on the other side of Route 50, the tools needed to appropriate scale these new communities with far more precision than existing zoning and planning regulations. The result being a better build project, a more intact community, and far less risk for the developer and their investors.

This video is approximately twelve minutes in length. For more information about town development pattern book approaches please go here.

For years now in Talbot County, the mantra heard most often has been the critical need for workforce housing. While affordable houses are also in need, the demand to find reasonable rents for teachers, medical technicians, and other professionals, particularly those of color, has reached a crisis level as these valuable workers must live farther and farther from where they work.

Derick Daly, the co-founder of BAAM in Easton, along with his sons, has come up with a novel idea to accomplish this goal and extend the BAAM community in Easton to both sides of Jowite Street. To do so, the Dalys have formed NAIMA Ventures and have commissioned RAUCH iInc., Inc. to design a new approach that will double the number of residents over ten years.

A few days ago, the Spy talked to the principal designers of the project, Paul Rogers and Virginia Richardson, as well as Derick, to understand the plans and the primary goals of ensuring that current residents are not “outplaced” while expanding the housing options for a new generation of Talbot County’s workforce.

This video is approximately five minutes in length. For more information about RAUCH, Inc. please go here. For BAAM please go here.

When I first saw this waterfront property on Fox Hole Creek, I was enchanted by the two small cottages; one was clad in Flemish bond brick and the other was clad in white German shiplap siding. I wondered if they were all that remained after an estate house had been destroyed by fire but I soon discovered there never was a main house. I also discovered from the many entries in my primary reference book, “Where Land and Water Intertwine” by Christopher Weeks, that this small house has a big place in Talbot County’s architectural history. William Smythe sold the land known as Fox Hole to John Morris in 1676 and Morris’ grandson, Morris Orem, built the brick house.  One of his later descendants, Andrew Orem, retained a surveyor to confirm the tract’s size and Orem then patented the property as ’Orem’s Delight”. 

The brick house was built in 1720 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Immaculately restored and loving maintained by the current owners, the house is celebrating its 300th birthday this year. It is remarkable that its compact 20 x 25 foot story and a half footprint has never been incorporated into a larger house on this approximately 50 acre tract. 

You don’t have to be a historic preservation architectural buff to appreciate its many original details such as the brick gable north end with a glazed interlocking pattern above the two-brick wide belt course, the stepped water table brick around the perimeter and the late 18th century interior paneling and woodwork. The south end telescopes down to a one-story addition clad in white siding that replaced a much earlier wing that had been demolished in the early 1960’s. 

The front door of the brick house opens into a charming living-dining-kitchen area with wood floors, painted wood plank ceiling and windows on both exterior walls for water views.  The seating is grouped around the brick fireplace flanked by built-in cupboards, one slightly recessed and behind the sofa is a drop-leaf table for dining. The “L” shaped stair with white risers and wood treads has winders as it ascends to the upper floor. The other end of the room is a galley kitchen separated by a wall opening leading to a hall with a closet, front and rear exterior doors, and another door that opens into a suite containing  a bedroom, bath, and laundry room. 

The upper floor master bedroom is simply enchanting with its interior architecture defined by knee walls, sloped ceilings underneath the roof rafters, wood collar beams stained a slightly darker color than the wood floors and the doors with quarter circle tops leading to the walk-in closet and to the bathroom.  I loved the symmetry of the end gable windows being on axis with the bath and walk-in closet doors that are opposite the windows in the gable wall flanking the chimney, the front and rear knee walls with a dormer window opposite the other and the knee walls with pairs of doors to access storage under the eaves. The black iron bedframe is placed opposite the exposed corbeled brick chimney and the soft sage green walls, off-white trim and the light blue and sage green bedding create a soothing retreat.

The one-story “white house” has a totally different design for a delightful contrast with its much older companion. The entry door is slightly recessed into the lower wing of the telescoped massing to create a foyer with a closet that links the open plan living room and dining room to the screened porch. The living, dining and kitchen areas have pitched ceilings accentuated by stained wood collar beams, lightly stained shiplap wall covering and terra cotta floors for a great flow. In the living room,  double unit windows opposite each other, the higher windows on either side of the fireplace and the comfortable furnishings create an inviting space for relaxing by the fire for TV watching with family and friends. The end wall of the dining area has a centered French door with an arched window above and full height windows leading to the porch that spans the full width of the house. 

The kitchen has light wood cabinets, white appliances and the wall area above the upper cabinets provides display space for the owners’ collection of baskets, trays and other collectibles.  I especially liked how the small tile squares of the backsplash were the same terra cotta color as the floors. This house has two wonderful outdoor rooms-the main floor porch and the rooftop deck.   The porch has the same terra cotta tile as the interior rooms, a flat stained wood slat ceiling and wide framed openings for panoramic water views. The white house is located near the brick house but the latter’s side solid brick wall with small windows only at the second level provide privacy for both houses. The roof top deck above is accessed by an exterior stair so this space and its panoramic water views could be enjoyed by both houses’ owners.

Approximately fifty acres of farmland, woods and water views from the dock or the shoreline, numerous sites to build your own dream home, pool, a water pond popular with waterfowl and other wildlife and two existing houses that could become guest and/or caretaker houses makes this site unique. Even though it is impossible to state which house in Talbot County is the oldest, “Orem’s Delight” offers a rare opportunity to own one of a unique group of about thirteen houses that give a glimpse of life on the Eastern Shore in the 17th century.  

 

For more information about this property, contact Cornelia Heckenbach at Long and Foster Real Estate Inc., 410-745-0283 (o), 410-310-1229 (c) or [email protected], “Equal Housing Opportunity”. For more photographs and pricing visit www.stmichaelsmdwaterfront.com or watch the video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XB5JnAQN4Kk , “Equal Housing Opportunity”. 

Spy House of the Week is an ongoing series that selects a different home each week. The Spy’s Habitat editor Jennifer Martella makes these selections based exclusively on her experience as a architect.

Jennifer Martella has pursued her dual careers in architecture and real estate since she moved to the Eastern Shore in 2004. Her award winning work has ranged from revitalization projects to a collaboration with the Maya Lin Studio for the Children’s Defense Fund’s corporate retreat in her home state of Tennessee.