There’s another overlay to the history of The Dr. James Murray House in Annapolis, Maryland that places it in the historic context of the colonial days, and this too deserves to be shared with our readers. We discussed the house, now let me share with you me of the characteristics of the house which you may very well find intriguing.
Much of the materials used to build the house came from England. Since Annapolis was an early colony at the time, it had few resources at its beginnings, and most of its activity consisted of trading, but not manufacturing. The bricks and lumber were most probably used as ballast on ships from England which were deposited here in Annapolis and then replaced with trade items brought back to England.
The exquisite crown moldings in the living room and dining room are still very much in beautiful condition. They are a mixture of plaster combined with horse hair which was used as a binding agent. The ceiling medallion in the living room above the chandelier is also original and beautifully preserved as well.
In the cellar of the house leads an entrance and exit of the Underground Railroad Tunnel. This particular tunnel originates at the State House and runs down Prince George Street and ultimately to the water’s edge. Annapolis is actually honeycombed with these tunnels. They were constructed for two very different reasons. In colonial days we all remember from our elementary school American history classes that the colonists smuggled items in and out of the country in order to avoid taxation by England. The tunnels were built to help serve that purpose. Also, it was deemed to be very inappropriate in colonial days for slaves to be seen entering and exiting their masters’ homes visibly. These tunnels were used by slaves to run many of their errands around town without being seen. By the time that the abolitionists came into existence, these tunnels were already in place and easily accessible. It’s amazing to think that our basement was once a holding pen for slaves who were kept there until nightfall when they would be led to ships that would be waiting to transport them north of the Mason Dixon Line.
Until next time,