The Hammond-Harwood House is a busy place since we’re preparing for tonight’s Volunteer Appreciation event, so I only have a short post for you. Check out this Sanborn Fire Insurance Map from 1885. You’ll find Hammond-Harwood House on the corner of Maryland Avenue and King George Street, right where it belongs. The interesting thing is that the wing further from King George Street has an addition on it. That addition to the house is still standing; today, it contains the office kitchen and “necessary.” But no one imagined that it dated back that far; in 1885, the House was occupied by the Harwoods, who had fallen on tough economic times after the Civil War, so it’s surprising that they had added on to the structure. So, the question is: why was the addition built? Had the Harwoods scraped together enough money to add modern plumbing? By what year did most people in Annapolis have indoor plumbing? If you have any answers, leave them in the comments!
Thanks to docent Gary Glossop for bringing the map to our attention and inspiring endless conversations about privies and plumbing amongst the staff!
