Poplar Hill
Poplar Hill, built in 1749, is the oldest house standing in Aberdeen.
As the Harford area was settled predominately in the 18th century, the upper bay counties being the later settled. It received settlers from Pennsylvania and from the more southerly counties of Maryland, and their respective influences can be seen in our earliest architecture. Cecil County, at least the portion north of the bay, shows stronger influence from Pennsylvania whereas Harford County shows a stronger influence from southern Maryland.
One of the oldest houses still standing in Harford County is the example pictured above, near Aberdeen, probably built in the mid-18th century. Its one-and-a-half stories with a gambrel roof relate it to many eighteenth century houses throughout Chesapeake Bay country.
The gambrel roof was a popular form and very practical one. It afforded almost as much second floor space as a two story, with neither the construction expense of two story walls nor perennial taxation as a two story house. A study of the remarkable Federal Direct Tax records of 1798, wherein a description is given for each house standing shows these houses classified as one-story houses. Harford must have had many gambrel roofs for at least 8 survive to this day, a large proportion of 18th century survivors and at least two others survived late enough to be recorded by photography.
Map Published In 1799 By C. P. Hauducouer entitled " A map of the Head of the Chesapeake Bay and Susquehanna River" shows house locations, owner names and property boundaries, roads, fields, orchards, forests and streams in great detail, and rather accurately. The house on this article indicated as "Aq. Hall’s". Research by Mr. David L. Hill found Aquilla Hall’s dwelling described in the 1978 Federal District tax as being in “Harford lower Hundred”, owned by the heirs of John B. Hall, 39 by 20 feet, one story, of wood construction, with a kitchen 20 by 18 of wood. The outbuildings, all measured, include quarters, a meat house, a corn house w/ shed, two tables, a granary, a smith shop, and outhouse, and a stone gristmill 35 by 24 feet; his other assets include 22 slaves. Obviously his should be the dwelling of prosperous planters as is the house of this article, which was not a humble dwelling, when compared to the majority. It was probably built in two stages: the center hall, with its staircase, and the parlor on the left, compromise one section, and a dining room of similar size on the right compromises the other. The two sections were built very close in time, for the details match. The kitchen, a gabled roof addition to the extreme right, was probably added but a century ago; the original kitchen wan undoubtedly a separate building perhaps at least the basis of a small house which still stands beside the dwelling.
This frame house was originally covered with horizontal, random-withed, weatherboards: if they were sawn, they probably quite wide, with a beaded edge; if they were riven, they were probably uniformly 4 or 4 and 1 ½ feet long, and rather narrow. The house stands on a brick foundation, of handmaid laid in English bond. Like many frame houses of the period, its exterior walls are nogged, or filled with soft bricks, an earl form of insulation, fire stopping and rodent proofing. The partition between the hall and dining room on the right is nogged, hence the conjecture that it was once an exterior wall. The cellar extends only under the hall and the parlor on the left, another indication that the house was built in two stages.
The interiors are distinguished. The molded handrail of the staircase is supported by boldly turned balusters, and a turned newel, and is reflected on the wall by half-rail, similarly molded. The wall beneath the stair, enclosing the cellar stair, is the fully raised panel, as is the door to the cellar to the cellar stair. The exterior door to the southeast- the back east door- is of double thickness for weather resistive ness, a typical construction for exterior doors in this period. The exterior surface is a paneled door and on the interior, beaded boarding is attached with hand-wrought nails to achieve the double thickness. In this example the boards are on a slight angle up from the horizontal, no doubt intended to compensate for a doors tendency to sag. This door is hung on its original iron-wrought hinges. A molded chair rail and bold, classical cornice complete the embellishments of the hall.
The glory of the house is the paneling in the parlor, on the left. The fireplace wall is full paneled, with fully raised paneling. The fireplace itself, centered, is very large, about 4 feet wide and nearly as high. It is unframed with a shouldered or “dog eared” architrave. To the left, two pairs of paneled doors, one pair above the other, enclose a cupboard with exceptionally handsome butterfly shelves. To the right is a large, plain closet, A complete classical cornice, like that in the hall, consisting of bed molding, soffit, fascia and crown molding, extends around the room. A molded chair rail, baseboard, and six-paneled door with original trim, all remain in place as initially constructed.
The dining room once had similar paneling as revealed by the top ends of the stiles, still in place. A cornice and chair rail like those of the hall and parlor, extends around the room. Paneling went out of fashion in the early 19th century when the plain smooth surfaces of plaster were preferred, and during the next century and a half, many people often removed paneling, or covered it in lathe and plaster.
Second floor rooms are usually simpler, and these retain their original doors, chair rail and mantels. The second floor doors are especially interesting, because their design is similar to those in another Harford County house that is around the same age and design, near Bel Air, and the design is not common: They are not unlike typical six-paneled doors, but the top two small panels are combined as one horizontal panel.
Authentic 18th century houses are rare survivals in Harford County, rarer than many would believe. Untouched by the often-too-heavy hand of the restorer, every surviving detail is unquestionably authentic, making it a valuable textbook for the Architectural historian.