CARR-42 London Bridge Road, Gamber - Maryland Historical … · CARR-42 London Bridge Road, Gamber Summary: In January 1845, following the death of her husband, Ann Gorsuch and her

CARR-42 London Bridge Road, Gamber

Summary:

In January 1845, following the death of her husband, Ann Gorsuch and her children divided the property of John Gorsuch. The land was divided into at least seven lots, with most of the children purchasing a lot for ten dollars. Lot two, 83 114 acres, was acquired by Sarah, wife of Edmond Stocksdale, lot three, 53 acres, by Thomas J. Gorsuch, and lot six, 114 acres, by Nathan Gorsuch. Ann Gorsuch and her son, John W., purchased one lot of 102 Yi acres for $1,000, and John W. 's wife, Eliza Ann, acquired another 102 Yi acre parcel for $10. The differing acreage probably reflect the quality of the land and its potential, including sufficient fall for mill seats. The comparatively high price of the lot Ann and John W. purchased probably indicates that this was the home farm. It was likely well improved, so worth more, and Ann may have had the right to remain there. It is also possible that John W. was farming this lot, and the other children may have already been farming and improving the lots that they acquired. Thus this division may simply formalize a process instituted while John Gorsuch was still alive.

Survey No. Carr 0 0 4 2

Maryland Historical Trust Magi No.

State Historic Sites Inventory Form DOE _yes no

1. Name (indicate preferred name) The Gorsuch Property

historic The Gorsuch Property

and/or common

2. Location 4430 London Bridge Road

street & number

city, town Gamber

state Maryland

3. Classification Category

district lr building(s) __ structure __ site __ object

Ownership ~public __ private __ both Public Acquisition __ in process __ being considered ~-not applicable

--~icinity of

county

Status __ occupied __!___ unoccupied __ work in progress Accessible __ yes: restricted _yes: unrestricted ~no

congressional district

Carroll

Present Use __ agriculture __ commercial __ educational __ entertainment __ government __ industrial _military

__ not for publication

__ museum __ park _ __x_ private residence __ religious __ scientific __ transportation __ other:

4. Owner of Property (give names and mailing addresses of ~ owners)

name State of Maryland, Department of Natural Resources

street & number Tawes State Off ice Building telephone no.: (4 10) 260-8186

city, town Annapolis state and zip code Maryland 21401

s. Location of Legal Description

courthouse, registry of deeds, etc. Courthouse Annex

street t_. number 5 5 N. Court Street

city, town Westminster

liber 757

folio 16 7

Maryland state

&. Representation in Existing Historical surveys

title None

date __ federal __ state __ county __ local

JOsitory for survey records

city, town state

7. Description

Condition __ excellent __ good __ fair

_X_ deteriorated __ ruins __ unexposed

Ch.eek one __ unaltered _x_ altered

Ch~ck one __x__ original site __ moved date of move

Survey No. 0042

Prepare both a summary paragraph and a general description of the resource and its various elements as it exists today.

SEE ATTACHED

8. Significance Survey No. 0 042 ( /' i. k" - l; l ~,.. \ I a--

Period __ prehistoric

- 140()-1499 150()-1599

- 160()-1699 - 170()-1799 ~ 180()-1899 _ 190<>-

Specific dates

Areas of Significance-Check and justify below __ archeology-prehistoric __ community planning __ landscape architecture __ religion __ archeology-historic __ conservation __ law __ science __ agriculture __ economics __ literature __ sculpture _x_ architecture __ education __ military __ social/ __ art __ engineering __ music humanitarian __ commerce __ exploration/settlement __ philosophy __ theater __ communications __ industry __ politics/government _x_ transportation

__ invention __ other (specify)

Builder/ Architect

check: Applicable Criteria: and/or

A B c D

Applicable Exception: A B c D E F G

Level of Significance: national state local

Prepare both a summary paragraph of significance and a general statement of history and support.

SEE ATTACHED

9. Major Bibliographical References Survey No. 0042

SEE ATTACHED

1 O. Geographical Data Acreage of nominated propertv __ 1_1_._5~8 __ 6---'8'----'A~. __

Quadrangle name F i n k s b u r g 1:24000 Quadrangle scale _______ _

UTM References do NOT complete UTM references

ALi_J I I I I I I I I I I ew I I I I I I I I I I Zone Easting Northing Zone Easting Northing

cLLJ ~I~--......... ~' ~' ....._..___._..___..... D lLJ I I I I E LU I I ~' ~_._-- F Li_j I I I G LLJ J l ~j _.__.____._ __ _.,. H LLJ l I Verbal boundary description and justification

List all states and counties for properties overlapping state or county boundaries

state code county code

state code county code

11. Form Prepared By

name/title Kenneth M. Short, Historic P 1 anner

organization Carroll County Planning & Develop. date May 17, 1999

street&number 225 North Center Street telephone ( 4 0 1 ) 3 8 6 - 2 14 5

city or town Westminster state Maryland

The Maryland Historic Sites Inventory was officially created by an Act of the Maryland Legislature to be found in the Annotated Code of Maryland, Article 41, Section 181 KA, 1974 supplement.

The survey and inventory are being prepared for information and record purposes only and do not constitute any infringement of individual property rights.

return to: Trust MAP.r'iJ~i;i, 11iSi,)RtCAL TRlJSl: r<'. ·:-·;L~HCD

1 '-.'- ,- -'. ·~· • (':;'."

~~F~r)\",. .'\;~" l} C.32.-2~2~

PS-2746

MARYLAND HISTORICAL TRUST Survey No.CARR-42 STATE HISTORIC SITES INVENTORY FORM

Description Section 7 Page 1

The Gorsuch Property is on London Bridge Road just south of Morgan Run. It is located on the west side of the road where the road turns to the west and the house faces south toward the road. It was recently burned and is scheduled for demolition. There is a banked 2-story log structure with v-notch comers, it is three bays x one bay and has gable roof of asphalt shingles with an east/west ridge. There is a porch added to the front and a wing on the rear that is a frame.

The south elevation foundation has a doorway in the west bay, the first story has center doorway with a window to each side, all of the doors and windows have been replaced. The second story has two new 1/1 sash with no opening in the center bay, there is a wood box cornice. The east elevation has no openings in the first or second story, the gable end has an interior brick chimney. The opening in the gable end was probably cut by the fireman fighting the fire. The west elevation has a new wide opening on the first story and a new window opening on the second story and gable end. On the north elevation the first story appears to have originally had a center door and window to each side. The two windows were converted to doors and the door was blocked off and converted to a shelf The second story has a new 111 sash in both end bays. The wing has been substantially destroyed by the fire.

The cellar has a dirt floor and a stone chimney support on the east elevation, there is a window opening in the center of the south elevation. The first story has entirely new flooring and framing of 2x4's with plywood. On the first story there is a fireplace on the east elevation that is covered with z- brick. The walls have paneling with no other finishes beneath it. There is a rebuilt winder stair that is made of plywood. There is no original trim and most everything here has been heavily burned. The second story has circular sawn lath that appears to be fastened with wire nails and is covered with early twentieth century plaster. The room arrangement has been greatly altered. The winder stair in the southeast corner appears to be original but has been burned through. The attic is finished where it is visible but is not accessible as the stairs have been damaged.

About 100' southeast of the house between the road and the stream is a spring house of rubble stone. The stone is set with the ends on the interior and exterior making each stone stick out strangely from the wall, these is an unusual construction technique. It has a shed roof that slopes down to the east, it is constructed with wire nails and is very deteriorated. There is a four panel door on the west elevation and a window opening on the north elevation. The interior of the building is plastered.

MARYLAND HISTORICAL TRUST Survey No.CARR-42 STATE HISTORIC SITES INVENTORY FORM

Significance Section 8 Page 1

In January 1845, following the death of her husband, Ann Gorsuch and her children divided the property of John Gorsuch. The land was divided into at least seven lots, with most of the children purchasing a lot for ten dollars. Lot two, 83 114 acres, was acquired by Sarah, wife of Edmond Stocksdale, lot three, 53 acres, by Thomas J. Gorsuch, and lot six, 114 acres, by Nathan Gorsuch. Ann Gorsuch and her son, John W., purchased one lot of 102 Yi acres for $1,000, and John W.'s wife, Eliza Ann, acquired another 102 Yi acre parcel for $10. The differing acreage probably reflect the quality of the land and its potential, including sufficient fall for mill seats. The comparatively high price of the lot Ann and John W. purchased probably indicates that this was the home farm. It was likely well improved, so worth more, and Ann may have had the right to remain there. It is also possible that John W. was farming this lot, and the other children may have already been farming and improving the lots that they acquired. Thus this division may simply formalize a process instituted while John Gorsuch was still alive.

Lot 7, also 102 Yi acres, was purchased for $10 by Lovelace Gorsuch. Six years later he sold the entire tract to William H. Shipley for $900. The low price just under $9 and acre, suggests that little had been done to the land. In 1852, by act of the Maryland Legislature, William Shipley changed his name to William H. Gorsuch. The following year he sold lot 7 to John W. Gorsuch for $600 and seven years later John W. sold it to Rachel Ann B. Gorsuch, the wife of Lovelace, for the same price. they in turn sold to John W. Hartzell of Baltimore City in 1878. While the 1862 map indicates the property, the 1877 map does not. Hartzell did not own the property long, selling 21 acres to Eliza A Gorsuch, the widow ofNathan Gorsuch, in 1881 for only $5. She in turn sold it to her daughter, Ella L. Murphy, for $300 in 1910, and the Murphys lost the property at a Sheriff's sale in 1916. The property continued to bounce around among owners, and again was not shown on the 1917 map.

This convoluted history suggests that the Gorsuch property was, for much of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, a rental property. The log house probably dates to the time when Lovelace Gorsuch acquired the land, c. 1845, though it could date twenty years earlier or later. Unfortunately, renovation of the building some years ago left little historic fabric inside the log shell. A recent fire actually revealed more of the fabric than it damaged, but there is nothing much to date the building accurately. Now owned by the Department of Natural Resources and used as a rental property, it is expected that the house will be torn down shortly.

Geographic Organization: Piedmont

Chronological/Developmental Periods: Agricultural-Industrial Transition AD. 1815-1870

MARYLAND HISTORICAL TRUST Survey No.CARR-42 STATE HISTORIC SITES INVENTORY FORM

Significance Section 8 Page 2

Historic Period Themes: Agriculture, Architecture

Resource Type: Small Family Farm, Rural Vernacular

IJ c ... .. ,

UJ :z: VI

2 0 0 IU 0 0 <

1.1.J U)

>-.;: < VI

t ... l c ..... 0 l: l. '.l

rorm 10 .. 14~ 1. STATE

(S/621 COUNTY fl~ TOWN VICINITY

STREET NO. i-(Jy..dtJVo... ii~ it'~

ORIGINAL OWNER

ORIGINAL USE

PRESENT OWNER

PRESENT USE

WALL CONSTRUCTION

NO . OF STORIES

HISTORIC AMERICAN BUILDINGS SURVEY

INVENTORY C/~ .{ A ;£)-

2. NAME ~ '-01 ~

DATE OR PERIOD

STYLE

ARCHITECT

BUILDER

3. FOR LIBRARY OF CONGRESS USE

w N ;;;

4. NOTABLE FEATURES, HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE ANt' DESCRIPTION OPEN TO PUBLIC

w ~

~ u. 0 ..... w w J: II)

z 0 0 w 0 0 < w U)

>­~ ~ II)

J: Q.

~­t S16:l)

~ 0 :L Q.

a 4 < z 0 ._ <( ':).

6 u. z ...J < ._ z w :2: w ...J Q. Q. .::> V)

~ ~., I

..o~n.~r~' ~ ~...: ~ ,, ~ " s~ ~v

~ y~~ t.J~·,f.s fl bk~

~ " ~ CrJr'- d: t "'- ~~ '-.... .

S. PHYSICAL CONDITION OF H~UCTURE Endangered

~ 6 . LOCATION MAP (Pion Oplionol}

3. PUBLISHED SOURCES (Author, Tiii•, Pages)

INTERVIEWS, RECORDS, PHOTOS, !OTC.

/

Interior Exterior

7. PHOTOGRAPH

19. NAME, ADDRESS ANO TITLE OF RECORDER

DA TE OF RECORD

~ t. f .

I

Form I0-4AS ( 5/ 62)

w N ;;; w ~ ~ V>

u. 0 1-w w J:

"' z 0 0 w 0 0 < w LO

>­< :l U')

:I: ll. ... ' (. 0 l­o :I: ll.

.:i z < z 0 I­<( ~ :.: 0 u. z

I

< 1-z UJ :l UJ ...J Q.. ll. :::> "'

1. STATE i\,ld . couNTY Ctt- l,;..~e-d TOWN

STREET NO.

ORIGINAL OWNER

ORIGINAL use PRESENT OWN ER ~ l. ( l I.LC:. U\

PRESENT use l \ "-"' t..C!...L'-' ~1-L J WALL CONSTRUCTION ) O::'I ' NO . OF STORIES -Z:..

2. NAME

HISTORIC AMERICM~ BUILDINGS SURVEY INVE~lTORY

13 t cl l ' 1l 1 &~ DATE OR PERIOD

STYLE

ARCHITECT

BUILDER

3. FOR LIBRARY OF CONGRESS USE

4. NOTABLE FEATURES, HISTORICAL SIGt-llFICANCE AND DESCRIPTION OPEN TO PUBLIC

I ""'1 \ f., C.. tA \..'.f: . '-'~ '-' \

crf.t,.. L t L.. c: ~A-c. a.A f\,L{)~ v- t>- l

l:f-''1:. t t~ ~(,~ \-k;.,) 1L~ ,

5. PHYSICAL CONDITION OF !TRUCTURE Endongerod In tori or E xtorlor V ~ o-ln;(

~ 6. LOCA TIOM MAP (pion Optional)

(). PUBLISHED SOURCES (Author, Title, Po99&)

INTERVI EWS, RECORDS, PHOTOS, 'ETC.

I

7. PHOTOGRAPH

9. NAME, ADDRESS AND TITLE (1F RECORDER

·()12. \Curo 1\: "i /VLt;--\ 1 I '2/ 7 D

DA TE OF RE CORO

Ii'.

i <

I

, P. 'ff'e!Jh Sr.

,P .,r,,tsh-"'

, Jackron 7fel<h

1J i F~!MJg0_M ~~~

DI STRICT N ':' :5 .1-w:JhJTkT~. &.ale l.lz !11clvs l.o flu Inch J,oUISVIl.LE .l/n1·r1<111s

Carr 0042 The Gorsuch Property

" J. .. ., ...,..., -..._; ·-c~

·-----....

London Bridge Rd. Gamber. Md. -­Lake. Griffing. & Stevenson Atlas, 18 ..

I

I

:1 •:·.:··

·.' • ~ :' 11 '

Im Jm 1Ri1R1ID TT ELECT10N DISTRICT N~l4

CARROLL Go. Mo.

I -·4..,--: ;~

~ 114

:i•• • ... \'"-'• '10/ll'''•ll\" ,.

'"'' ' I!, 'IA'll, /'I'." I -i•,! '•' !; ;•1 ',··"11 1 '. t.l\;'I. . ''; . .. , .... ,

0

'-';'

o' ,?

.T

\. ;-~ ., / P .. 83 "--<'/ /

1, P.396 I .\ ~· $'1.:. I~ 0~'

,--. ... -...; IP 5301 ~\~ \ /

I ,/ "' y / «'4 I ,. •"' '>\ -I ,t,,•'7 P. '482 ~) / ]

~ ,,' I q v I

:.c.10

JOHN w HtCJl:OLES, JR.,TR 'Je.5/ 232

52 97.6, • 36

3CALE IN FEET

~ 600 1200 1800

@ 809

~O!>t'.Al

3-41/142 {8.90 ....

P.12'.

lalEl m OCC'9

HERMAN M. HOFF 1410/286 107.67 A.

P.73

Carr 0042

POOLE Fl.R ... : 11'49/ 116 6Ll7 ~. P536

P.52 JO,tN E KfTCr'£..llf,[TAL

t09/Z79 SM.7Z4.. P/07

The Gorsuch Property London i;fridge Rd. Gamber. Md. Assessments & Taxation Map . parcel

flt€ ~Oll-S.v~H f¥?-1Jf'G1!-T'I t-orJ.DotJ 811-1.btiG ce!J~

O~L-'-- CoJIJTl/ H~ L/t-NJJ I

P f+TJTD '. I( CNN e.TJ-J H. ..S lftJf!T

.. >.--.. .., ..:..... r:.• j * * 1-...J 1'1 ,,J- : - C"J4 ::::-· 1-11 ( .<)-...J C1 • t:,, ...:.- J <;;-• -

vtrrr: JvA/C- 17?'1 A}e(i. ;...c;c '. HlffL'(~tJ lh~1t;.e1c/'/L 7k-VS7

Sf->f!.JA6t-ftJJS€ -N~rcnt ~ - '1Je)} €1-"EV1t771Jh.J

I OF~ - .

CIWY<-- Cf~ 17tb ~{)ILS uc1r P{(fJfc ~ry 1-0tJJ>lJrJ B/2.t~Gt=- g;_){)IHJ

CM!f!-Ot-L COJ"1Tl/1 H~VL-ltNIJ

f.>~77J : Kf;l!JNGT>t d . f1ft)er

/)fr/.€ '. :JUAl6 !CfCIK' /Vf5u'"'o~ '. 11MyutAJJJ /-hS1fJ,e_,c11L musr

f+oti.S€ - S lJ tJ77t ~ b7tST ~lt;;Vtr/lt>M J,-OF Y

CA~ L/2 &Jli,J~ ~/)!JfJeJ11j ( APMi UJuNll/ I tYID C. tflAtAJ,eeK

q/ i/1t tnD Depr. or: NATlJML ~ Fi'k DAM4& 1 Af~ fALADe

I ff~

tAPI- lJl BrtU11J{d f/JIJ f>tln( (AMolj_ Cav,.mfi tTlD C. fYJAZUle~

q/t/1'6 (ntJ fJl/f{ «- l\JAWllAL f!R£()1.}f!.&S

~f~1t11<._1 (~Nb tUatfJC (Y- ff_uo1"

i {)~~

I CNI.- l{L &UL irJ~ PRl>~Qfll/ (APMl { (J(JtJ Tl/ I /YID C. t11A2ulleK 1 /2/qg /ti!) Depr of rJmvML ReSIJv/2.£e5 DerA1L N fJJ6 (_r~J9'/2JY.J7~1r..i 1 (_yreJ.t~{

~ a~'-(

C;\(JR 42 Wf.1JJW- PPI>~ (A~U- Cov rJn/ I KID C, f(lAl;)R.ef(

1 /2/qg IYID et>pr. 6C (\JATIIA[ Re9JJ/2£,

~tJfH we« r-A Ott1e_

lf,. lf