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One of the most unique
structures on the Eastern Shore, this National Register site is
located on a tract of land once called Steven’s Adventure, granted
to Francis Stevens in 1694. Built c. 1809, the Cray House is a rare example of
post-and-plank construction, where hand-sawn logs are mortised and
tenoned into vertical corner posts, forming the sides of the
building. |
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It is one of a handful of
post-and-plank buildings to survive in Maryland and is also
important as a rare survival of the small, two-room plan houses that
were a dominant part of the pre-industrial landscape. In this case,
the hall-parlor plan had only one heated room on each floor, yet
despite the modest size, the house was finished with a full
complement of interior trim, including beaded board partition,
beaded baseboards, a two-piece hair rail, refined trim and first
floor mantel.
The house was sold at public auction in 1914 and was lived in by
Nora Cray, a widow, along with her nine children. In 1975 her heirs
donated the house and lot to the Kent Island Heritage Society, who
have restored and furnished it. The meat house in the rear, although
moved to this site, is a rare example of what was once a common
feature of houses in the region. |
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