Just beyond the outskirts of Chestertown is this pastoral setting of pasture, fields and towering trees that surround a group of buildings including a main house, guest cottage and two barns. The property, once known as Mill Ford, is located on the upper reaches of Langford Creek’s east branch. Its history begins in the eighteenth century with its purchase by Daniel Perkins Jr., whose father had established a fulling mill, grist mill and saw mill on Morgan Creek. Daniel Perkins, Jr. built the main house and later renovations were made by his son and grandson. Subsequent owners included John Brice and his son, Joseph Brice, who continued to operate the mill until it was destroyed by fire in 1910. The original grist stone remains at the front corner of the main house and the Brice name lives on in the sign “Brice’s Mill Farm” at the entrance to the property.

The original house was a two-bay, two-story structure, with a brick chimney in the middle of each side gable elevation. The original kitchen may have been located in the basement since it has a brick fireplace sized for cooking. After the property sold in 1930, the current kitchen wing that telescopes down from the main wing was added, the stable was renovated and the dairy barn was built. On the day I visited, I drove along a gravel road under the shade of huge oak trees to arrive at the main house. The driveway continues past the detached garage with its “barn” style doors and the guest house opposite the barns. The simple forms of the white brick main wing and the white lap siding of the kitchen wing stand out against the green backdrop of trees that surround the clearing for the buildings. Wood steps lead up the center front door painted deep coral surrounded by moldings of olive green.

The front door opens opposite the “L” shaped stairs and the living room. Sunlight pours in from windows on three sides and is reflected off the bright white walls. I especially liked the crisp detailing of the windows set into the deep brick exterior walls. Instead of wood trim, the drywall continues around the recessed windows, accented by window sills of 400 year old stained pine. Next to the front door, a built-in cupboard and bench with a wood seat accommodates a neat row of wellies below and pegs above for coats.

The focal point of the living room is the wide brick chimney flanked by windows on each side. The white walls, pine floors, exposed beams stained a darker color and multiple windows create charming interior architecture. The living room leads to the dining room in the secondary wing with a built-in corner cabinet next to the front window and French doors on the rear wall leading to the screened porch. With tomorrow’s equinox signaling the beginning of fall, how delightful it will be to open the French doors to the cool fall breezes and enjoy dinner with family and friends.

As readers know, I love galley kitchens and I admired this kitchen’s olive green base cabinets, wood countertops interrupted by the Delft tiles on either side of the stove for easier transfer of hot pots after cooking, wood floors and a bead board wall for texture. I have missed radiator heat since my move from Pittsburgh and at the end of this kitchen, the radiator cover becomes a piece of furniture. The rear door of the kitchen leads to the screened porch with a hipped bead board ceiling and a colorful wood mermaid sculpture over the dining room’s French doors. The bistro table and tiled top beckon one to linger over that second cup of morning Joe to enjoy the peaceful landscape and the sounds of nature as the day begins.

A short hall off the kitchen passes by the powder room. Small spaces can have a big impact like this powder room with its tiled floor of small white octagon tiles with a black border, porcelain enamel wall mounted white lavatory top and black base and the white shiplap wainscot. Above the wainscot is a charming wallpaper pattern with an olive background featuring pairs of birds facing each other as if they are about to begin a minuet. Past the powder room are the stairs to the basement with its above ground windows for daylight and the original fireplace. What a terrific space with myriad uses from office to teen rec. room with its exterior door and steps up to the side brick terrace.

The second floor stair hall along the rear wall is sunlit by a window and I admired the wall hanging with its design of animals and geometric designs in earth colors. The primary bedroom is located above the living room and shares the chimney. Here the fireplace has a wood firebox surround painted white to blend into the white walls. The kilim over the wood floor, the twig rocking chair, wood chest of drawers and the white coverlet with flowers is a serene retreat for all, including the family dogs. Two other bedrooms and a bath complete the floor.

This family compound includes a cozy cottage currently occupied by a doting grandmother. The exterior siding of white board and batten siding casts playful shadows on the facades of the cottage that was built in 2017 from a Southern Living design by Patrick Jones. The floor plan works very well with the entry door opening opposite the wall behind the stairs to the loft bedroom and office space. The stairs overlook the living-dining area leading to a screened porch with views of the landscape. Behind the stairs are the mudroom/laundry with its own entry, kitchen and the main floor bedroom and bath. I especially liked the kitchen with its white cabinets, stainless steel appliances and island with double windows over the sink for more landscape views.

Brice’s Mill Farm is a private haven and unique opportunity for three generations to live together in a pastoral setting of farm fields and pasture with an architectural mix of the historic main house and the four-year old cottage. The property includes eight tillable acres, three acre pasture, ¾ acre paddock, horse stable, historic brick barn, workshop, and farm office. The only thing missing is a pond to replace the Mill Pond that once bordered the property!

For more information about this property, contact Richard Budden at Coldwell Banker Chesapeake Real Estate Company, 410-778-0330 (o), 443-480-1181 (c) or rbudden@easternshoremdre.com, “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.

On my way home from touring a previous House of the Week, I took a detour to stop by the Chester River Wine & Cheese Company at the corner of Cannon and Cross Streets. As I drove down Cannon St., I passed today’s featured house and stopped to admire its symmetrical and colorful front elevation with the side door next to two windows, three windows aligned above and the center roof gable with an accent curved top window. The symmetry is enhanced by the exterior color palette of light aqua lap siding, white trim and the butter yellow front door and accents of bright blue cushions on the rattan chairs are the finishing touches. The house appeared to be either brand new or totally renovated and I discovered the house had indeed undergone a total renovation from the foundation to the roof. The current owners purchased the property from sellers who had owned the house for several generations and they hoped for buyers who would restore the house and love it as much as they did. I believe these buyers exceeded the seller’s expectations.

The condition of the house might have deterred all by the most enthusiastic renovationists; in fact, one developer submitted a bid at double the cost of the house to tear it down and rebuild, due to the existing conditions. Fortunately the new owners had the vision to look beyond the suspended ceilings that had been installed under the original ceiling finish, paneled walls, etc. and focused instead on features like the original wood floors, wood fireplace mantelpiece and long windows that could be saved and refinished.

The house was stripped down to the studs, new collar beams were added as lateral support for the roof rafters, the front porch was liberated from the former screen framing and a new foundation was poured. The original addition at the back of the house was widened to create room to relocate the stair for better flow. During demolition, they discovered both an old wooden peg and a horseshoe that were left undisturbed. The result was well worth the effort and now the house proudly reclaims its place in the urban streetscape. The open front porch is a cozy spot for relaxation and offers opportunities to connect with neighbors on their daily stroll.

The main floor open-plan layout is similar to the “shotgun” style since you have a clear view from the front door to the pair of French doors at the rear wall. The Craftsman style front door and the windows bring sunlight into the room. The side brick chimney was left exposed and the original mantelpiece with its narrow firebox opening is now decorative. The wide wall opening leads to the dining room and the “L” shaped side stairs are in front of the former exterior/now interior rear window and lap siding of the living room wall that was left exposed. The landing of the L” shape stairs is centered on one of the original side exterior windows.

The expansion of the rear wing creates both a spacious dining area for entertaining and the large galley kitchen with a large center island, built from reclaimed wood from the demolition. The bar sink and an overhang for bar stools creates both a secondary food prep area and a cozy space to keep the cook(s) company. The R/F is conveniently located on the rear wall between the sink cabinetry and the range cabinetry. The beautiful oversized wood exterior door opens to the driveway for ease of unloading groceries and restocking the large pantry. I liked the combination of open shelves on the kitchen sink wall of cabinets and the upper cabinets on the opposite range wall. Another wide wall opening leads to a room with the laundry along the side wall opposite the door to the power room. Since the French doors access the rear yard, I would be tempted to move the W/D to the pantry and free up this pleasant space to become another seating area.

The second floor hall is sunlit by the two exterior windows above the run of the stairs. The primary suite overlooks the rear yard from a delightful private deck complete with rattan seats for family pets. The primary bedroom is enhanced by the former ceiling rafters stained to highlight their hand cut edges, the pair of leaded glass mirrors above the bed’s headboard and the French doors leading to the deck. The primary bath has separate European style lavatories below a long mirror and a bowed shower rod with the curtain’s aqua background picking up the exterior wall color against a pattern of white branches. The front bedroom is furnished as a charming nursery and the side door accesses the attic area for storage.

The tax records note the house’s construction as 1920 but while cleaning the chimney interior, the contractor found the date “1890” carved into the brick, perhaps by the mason who was proud of his work. Whatever the date, this meticulous restoration/renovation was done with loving care and the open plan main floor is updated for today’s lifestyle without compromising the original charm. Some of the past owners’ family still live on Cannon St. and I am sure they are very pleased with the current owners’ efforts. Bravo!

For more information about this property, contact Lacey Sutton with Coldwell Banker Chesapeake Real Estate Company at 410-778-0330 (o), 443-480-35 80(c) or lacey@cbchesapeake.com. For more photographs and pricing visit https://suttonteamhomes.com , “Equal Housing Opportunity”. Photography by Justinian Dizpenza, Andover Media, 410-204-1992

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.

I looked forward to visiting this house after seeing the aerial picture of the waterfront site bordered by woods and how the house and three outbuildings curved around the drive. My hectic day slowly began to dissipate as I drove along the gravel drive between a pond where goslings were having their swimming lesson across a grove of mature trees. The drive becomes a “doughnut” with plantings in the center on axis with the front door of the house and then curves around to access the garage/guest house and the other outbuildings. 

Brick steps with deep landings between plantings on either side lead up to the front door. After opening the door, it was immediately apparent that this 2009 house was built to the highest standards of construction and finishes.  The center entrance hall creates an open vista through the cross hall to the rear windows of the two-story living room. Instead of furnishings, the interior architecture of the entrance hall is the “star” with the stairs to the left opposite the wood wainscot painted white below a warm light apricot wall. The artful eight-pointed star compass of two toned wood inset in the beautiful wood floor and the serene marsh landscape on the wall set the tone for the serene interiors within. 

Three columns define the edge of the living room at the cross hall.  The steeply pitched ceiling has two rear dormers above the rear wall of French doors to the adjacent porch flanked by large picture windows with operable units that frame the views to the landscape and water beyond. One side wall has a fireplace centered in built-in millwork that rises to the underside of the second floor hall molding. The other side wall has a wide elliptical arched opening to the kitchen between the dining and breakfast room.  I loved the breakfast room’s simplicity of the sloped ceiling, three sides of large picture windows and French doors to the porch off the living room. The lack of window coverings brought the landscape and water views into the room and the three Danish Christmas plates were the only decoration except for the wood table and spindle backed chairs. 

Beyond the spacious gourmet kitchen with a center island is the dining room at the front of the house. Beautiful wood furnishings including a sideboard, hutch, wood table and Windsor chairs anchored by the Oriental rug surrounded by walls of blue above the white wainscot create a setting for a relaxing dinner with family and friends. 

Before dinner, most guests would convene in the large family room that spans the full depth of the house. As I stepped through the wide cased opening of the dining room, the interiors change dramatically into a hunting lodge with pine paneled floors, stained dropped beams to break up the expanse of the ceiling and brick fireplace. Hunting is the theme of the art here with mounted fish and the parade of duck decoys on their wooden shelf perch.  One bay window encloses the table for cards and the other rear bay window offers views of the landscape and water.  

The cross hall off the living room leads to the primary suite.  The master bedroom is perfectly sized as a bed-sitting room with the bed opposite the fireplace and a rear bay window defining a waterside seating area. The clever touch of Plantation shutters over the lower pane of the double hung windows only gives seated privacy while allowing light in from the upper pane and transom. I was envious of the roomy laundry with side by side washer and dryer above drawers below that creates a comfortable height for loading/unloading clothes.

The upper stair landing off the hall has a large nook by one dormer window with an oversize chair and ottoman centrally located to the guest bedrooms for a cozy bedtime story with children or grandchildren.  The spacious bedrooms have different room arrangements ranging from double beds to a daybed and twin beds to accommodate guests. I especially liked the symmetry of one bedroom with double beds covered in colorful patchwork quilts opposite each other with identical oval hooked rugs and wooden nightstands with lamps. The space between the beds aligns with the space between the rear wall’s two windows completes the symmetry and  creates a serene mood for sleeping below the ceiling with its slightly chamfered ends at the side walls for extra height.

Both the front and rear porches have great bird’s eye views from their elevated floors and the rear porch has brick steps down to a deck that connects to the primary suite and more brick steps to the raised gunite pool level. The progression continues to the large bluestone terrace at grade level at a wonderful outdoor room with a fireplace, chairs for relaxing and a table and chairs for crab feasts. 

While the main house was under construction, the owners lived above the detached two-car garage in a sunny open plan suite with windows on all sides and stained knotty pine walls and ceiling. This is now a guest suite for extended stays.

What is a rare opportunity to own this parcel and the adjacent waterfront property containing 100 acres of privacy and protected views from additional ownership of the view opposite Swann Creek. Perfect setting for enjoying the abundant wildlife including deer, ducks, eagles, fox, herons and turkeys that also call the property home. This splendid house is sited for iconic water views of Swann Creek and Rock Hall Marina. I could well imagine relaxing on the rear porch as the sun sets and how magical the lights on the masts must be at twilight. Launch your boat from the private pier and enjoy the short ride past four marinas to the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay. Splendid!

For more information about this property contact Gunther McClary Real Estate agents Chris McClary at 410-639-2118 (o), 410-708-2614 (c),  mcclary21@hotmail.com, or Lynn Hilfiker  410-639-2118 (o), 443-480-1163 (c), lynnhilfiker@gmail.com. (For more pictures and pricing, visit https://show.tours/DYRRVb76G0gz1xuK1TL2  “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.

I have featured several homes in this neighborhood and love its breathtaking setting on the Chesapeake Bay.  Since I moved to the Eastern Shore only seventeen years ago, researching the history of the neighborhoods I feature always unearths intriguing insights. I learned Tolchester Estates was established in 1920, during the heyday of steamboat crossings that docked at Tolchester Beach and unloaded happy vacationers or day trippers to enjoy the sandy beach that had been a popular spot by swimmers for many generations. After a day in the sun, the amusement park beckoned that was inspired by New York’s Coney Island that also included a dance pavilion, grandstand, many rides and a racetrack to extend the fun into the evening. The popularity of Tolchester declined after the Bay Bridge was constructed and the steamboat era survived only in historic photographs.  

Everything old is new again and Tolchester Estates is now sought after for its cottages on the Bay, the park, marina and for incomparable sunsets. The drive to this cottage is lined with mature trees and ends with a vista to the Bay. The concrete sidewalk leads to the front door and continues to a covered terrace at the waterside corner of the house and to the screened porch on the opposite side of the house. The cottage’s rectangular shape is sited with the long wall parallel to the shoreline to give the open plan living-dining-kitchen-breakfast areas Bay views from wide and long windows and sliding doors for an easy flow from inside to outside. The corner of the living room has a four-unit window on one wall and a sliding door between double window units for great diagonal views of the Bay. 

The wood floors and the retro patterned ceiling was a delightful surprise to tie the living and dining areas together.  I imagined how pleasant it would be to attend a dinner party here and sit at the table on axis with the sliding doors to the terrace with views of the Bay and the distant Western Shore beyond. The finishes in the kitchen-breakfast area change to an easy care vinyl sheet flooring and pine boards for the wall, painted white to contrast with the stained pine board ceiling. The spacious kitchen has a center island and abundant sunlight from the double window over the sink with glass shelves containing a charming collection of miniature lighthouses and the triple window above the breakfast table and chairs.

If I were a guest, my favorite spot would be the waterside covered terrace. Sitting here you feel as if the water were just beyond the edge of the lawn instead of forty feet below. What a delightful space for relaxing in the shade and enjoying the Bay breezes on a lazy summer afternoon! Another outdoor space is the screened porch with its Bay view from its extension beyond the side of the house. Screen panels on three sides open the space to the landscape and the Bay view. A short hall from the screened porch passes by two of the bedrooms, the bath and laundry to end at the open plan area. The primary bedroom is located at the rear corner which gives windows on both exterior walls. The property also includes an additional lot with its own sewer allocation for a possible garage/guest house to create a family compound.

Bay front property, one-level floor plan with great flow among rooms and between the outdoor rooms of covered terrace and screened porch, low maintenance brick exterior, mature trees and landscaping-and did I mention the stunning sunsets….

For more information about this property, contact Retha Arrabal with Doug Ashley Realtors at 410-810-0010 (o), 410-708-2172 (c) or retha@dougashleyrealtors.com. For more pictures and pricing, visit www.dougashleyrealtors.com,  “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.

I have featured several homes in the Country Club Estates since this neighborhood has great appeal for its close proximity to Chestertown’s Historic District and for the lots with mature trees.  When I drove up to this house, huge trees in the front yard provided privacy from the street and as I walked along the meandering brick sidewalk it was clear from the carefully created plantings with accents of color that a talented gardener lived here. The house has great curb appeal from its Cape Cod style with its symmetry from the center door, sidelights and transom, double windows on either side and three dormer windows centered above the door and the pairs of windows. Two tall hollies at each corner of the house and pairs of other shrubbery below the double windows complete the symmetry. A short “hyphen” connects the house to the one-car garage. 

When I walked through the front door, the entrance hall’s “L” shaped stairs open to the second floor’s handrail creates a pleasant vista with a small table and mirror opposite the front door.  The short hall next to the stairs passes the powder room and ends at  the rear open plan kitchen-breakfast area-family room.  Cased wall openings lead from the entry to the front left room that is furnished as an office and to the exquisite dining room on the right.  I loved the dining room’s wallpaper pattern in mocha above a white wainscot with a white corner cabinet for display of fine china and serving pieces. The lovely wood furnishings and the mirror centered over the sideboard on axis with the center of the cased opening deepened the perspective.  

Another cased opening at the rear of the dining room leads to the kitchen with its white cabinetry and appliances that contrast nicely with the beautiful wood floors. Accents of wallpaper in a foliage pattern for the backsplash and the soffit face above the upper cabinets breaks up the white surfaces for a unified look.  The bay window that defines the breakfast area also is the logical place for the wall color change to a soothing sage green for both the breakfast area and the family room.  The lovely marsh scene in the art above the pull down desk in the breakfast area picks up the wall color and adds more perspective to the interior wall.

The family room completes the open plan kitchen-breakfast area with its side wall of the fireplace, TV and comfortable upholstered furniture for relaxing by the fire or to watch TV.  Another wide cased wall opening leads to the room at the front of the house that is furnished as an office with stained woodwork and window trim. Behind the family room is a cozy sunroom with built-in wood work.  This corner room has skylights, French doors with full height sidelights that lead to the pergola that covers part of the rear deck with a side lattice panel that adds privacy. The Owner, who graciously gave me the tour, told me this open plan and the adjacent deck with a pergola sold her on the house and I was not surprised. When we walked  onto the deck, the distant diagonal view was to protected farmland and the rear view of the lawn, mature trees and colorful plants and flowers create a serene haven.

All of the bedrooms and baths are located on the second floor with the primary bedroom at one corner with double windows on the rear wall to the landscape.  The soft blue and rose interior design is restful and the spacious depth easily accommodates the bed and the chest opposite the bench at the foot of the bed.  One guest bedroom has a dormer window and the light blue walls, iron bed with a curved headboard and floral coverlet is another restful retreat. 

Highly desirable neighborhood with mature landscaping, faithful reproduction of a Cape Cod style house built in 1990 by one of the area’s best contractors, Tom Yetman, great flow on the main floor inside and outside, beautiful finishes of random width wood floors,  crown and chair rail moldings, rear wall of windows and French doors to the deck and pergola for indoor-outdoor relaxation, lovely dining room for family and holiday celebrations-all this close to Chestertown’s Historic District!

For more information about this property, contact Mary Fielding with Coldwell Banker Chesapeake Real Estate Company at 410-778-0330 (o), 410-708-4852 (c) , or mfielding@cbchesapeake.com. For more photographs and pricing, visit www.coldwellbanker.com/Coldwell-Banker-Chesapeake-Real-Estate-Company-2228c/Mary-Fielding-205443a , “Equal Housing Opportunity”.

Photography by Patty Hill, 410-441-4719

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.