Secretary House in Dorchester, MD - First Look!

I am sharing the best news EVER…we bought a house in Secretary, Maryland on the Eastern Shore! I will share more with you as we go along, but for starters it is over 100 years old and needs a ton of work, and I am over the moon with it!

We purchased our house in late October and have been working on it every chance we get since. It is a 1.79 acre lot which encompasses wetlands along the side. The front of our house faces a boat ramp and the river. To say that it needs work is a little bit of an understatement.

Here is a quick video to start the journey!

Day 1: Secretary House

A little history…Secretary is located in Dorchester County, Maryland, and was founded at the time of the proprietary governorships of Maryland in 1661. In 1661, Lord Henry Sewell was made secretary of the province of Maryland, serving in this role until his death in 1665.

In 1662, Charles Calvert, the Lord Baltimore and governor of the Maryland colony, gave Sewell a grant for 2,000 acres of land in appreciation of his service. This is where Sewell would build a large manor home for his family and where Secretary would get its start, as settlers eventually built on land near the manor.

The custom then was to name large parcels. Sewell's was called Secretary, for the position he held under the king. The Warwick River which flows by the site was originally known as Secretary Creek. For any history buffs out there, you can find more history on Secretary in this very interesting article.

More to come :)