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DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT, MARYLAND HISTORICAL TRUST (Historic Sites Survey) var.d. MSA SE16-6 Image No: se16-6-0271 Enlarge and print image (65K) |
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DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT, MARYLAND HISTORICAL TRUST (Historic Sites Survey) var.d. MSA SE16-6 Image No: se16-6-0271 Enlarge and print image (65K) |
| NFS Form 1 0-900-a (8-86) OMB Approval No. 1 024-001 8 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Continuation Sheet Section 8 Page 6 The Stonebraker & Harbaugh, Shafer Building Name of Property ______Frederick Co., Maryland______ County and State All slaves in Maryland were freed by the new 1864 Maryland Constitution, making Shafer's manumission's obsolete, however between the years 1858 and 1864 it appears that Shafer would have needed to house at least four slaves, either on the Middletown property or on his valley farm. In 1895, Peter Shafer, Sr. died at the age of 93, wealthy but childless.16 His Middletown lot, "embracing the large brick house and all other buildings thereon," was sold in April 1896 to William L. Rudy for $3,997.50 (Deed Book JLJ 14, page 12). The surprisingly reduced price may be the result of the national depression of 1894. William Rudy made some of the more dramatic changes to the commercial section of the Stonebraker & Harbaugh, Shafer Building. The December 25, 1896 edition of The Valley Register noted the changes: Mr. W. L. Rudy, this place, who last year purchased the large brick dwelling of the late Peter Shafer, on the corner of Main and Jefferson streets, is converting the upper floor above the storeroom and wareroom into a public hall. A new hallway leading to the room from the street has been made by moving the steps over to the west side in the wareroom and putting a new doorway through the brick wall. The large posts and chimney in the center of the room have been removed, and the room is now large enough to seat over 300 people after a good-sized stage is erected.17 Cast iron support columns in the first floor storeroom were probably also installed at this time to support the large upper story hall above. Entertainments continued at "Rudy's Hall" until 1899 when the building was sold to Daniel Shafer (no relation to Peter Shafer) for $4,075 (Deed Book DHH 3, page 534). The 1899 Sanborn Fire Insurance Map of Middletown shows the building much as the newspaper had described it in 1896, including a storeroom and warehouse room on the first floor of the commercial section, and a hall with stage on the second floor. The dwelling house section shows the two-story front and two-story addition. Also shown on this map are the one-story carriage house (now garage) and a two-story stable. Prior to Daniel Shafer's death in 1902, it was noted that the upper story hall was used as a "Town Hall."18 The 1904 Sanborn Map showed some of the changes to the building initiated by Daniel Shafer; the dwelling house and center storeroom appear to remain the same, however the warehouse room had been converted to a dwelling (apartment). In 1910, the year that son Charles W. Shafer took possession of the ''ibid, p. 242. 1 As cited in Rhoderick, p. 244. 18 Rhoderick, p. 247. |