The Creighton-Hanna House
Cambridge, MD
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The 1895 Creighton-Hanna House is a six bedroom, two-and-a-half-bath, three-story, Georgian Revival, frame house, situated on professionally landscaped grounds (0.30 acres). Located on one of the premier streets within the extensive West End historic district, the house is considered one of the grandest residences in the waterfront town of Cambridge, Maryland. Among the outstanding features of 307 Mills Street is its unusual historic integrity and beautiful detailing.
According to the architectural historian Christopher Weeks, the house was designed by the notable Victorian architect Benjamin J. Brown, and “flawlessly remodeled” in 1920 in the Georgian Revival style by the firm of Mottu and White of Baltimore.* Owned by only four families in the last 124 years, the house has been meticulously maintained. The current owners updated the interior in recent years with a flawless sense of design, and unusual attention to retention of character-defining features.
Previous owners of the house have been among the most prominent families in Cambridge, and thus the house has served as an entertainment hub for Governors, politicians, and affluent guests over the decades.
Inside, the central grand foyer and stair hall features the hard-wood floors and ten-foot ceilings found throughout most of the first floor. The half bath beneath the stairs could easily be transformed into a full bath. Beautifully trimmed segmental arches on either side of the hall lead to the Grand Parlor on the right and Formal Dining Room on the left. A soaring staircase and a distinctively carved newel post rises to the floors above.
The Grand Parlor (31’x15’) features a working fireplace with classically detailed mantel. Across the hall, the Formal Dining Room (26’x15’) features pilasters with acanthus motifs, a triple-trey ceiling, a denticulated three-dimensional cornice with a deep frieze below, and a brass chandelier.
Two sets of French doors open from the Dining Room to the Screened-In Side Porch (11’x28’), which features ceramic-tile flooring and a high ceiling supported by four fluted columns with decorative motifs.
It is in the Butler’s Pantry and Kitchen that the preservation-minded current owners have made well considered changes, preserving the Butler’s Pantry and many of its original features.
The Breakfast Room/Study adjacent to the kitchen features built-in bookcases and a large window (70”x76”) overlooking the Garden. This multipurpose room could easily be converted into a first-floor bedroom.
The second level of the house offers three Bedrooms, two Full Bathrooms, and generous closet space. Other features include chestnut hardwood flooring, crown molding, and a dozen electric wall sconces.
The third floor includes two additional Bedrooms and a Storage Room.
A professionally landscaped English-Style rear Garden features mature trees, boxwood, numerous flowering shrubs, a central element with sculpture, and a potager. A brick, boxwood-lined walkway connects the patio with a picturesque carriage house that accommodates one car and is accessed from a side street.
Finally, the Creighton-Hanna House is located near Downtown and its shops, restaurants, library and an extensive waterfront park, yacht club, and city marina. Visitors frequent the Long Wharf port to tour the Cambridge Lighthouse or sail aboard the Skipjack Nathan and dredge oysters on one of the last working boats under sail in the United States.
The West End historic district has been named one of the most extensive and beautiful in Maryland and was voted among the Best Small Towns to Visit in 2019 by the Smithsonian. This once-sleepy waterfront town, rich in maritime heritage, has become a hub for tourists, outdoor sports enthusiasts, seafood lovers, and artists.
*Between the Nanticoke and the Choptank: An Architectural History of Dorchester County, Maryland. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press and the Maryland Historical Trust, 1984 (p. 193) by Christopher Week
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