East New Market

Property Reports

5 Academy Street

Saxton & Parker

(Also known as Saxton Hardware Store)

For more information about all properties at this location see the Northwest Corner.

In 1852, a tax record shows Nimrod Newton with a house & lot valued at $200.  This was one of the lowest valued houses in East New Market at the time.  The house on this lot in 1852 was either the Newton Dwelling or the Helsby Dwelling.  Since I have not located a record that shows a construction date, I am not able to determine which house was erected first.  The first house was likely erected by Samuel Corkran between 1810 and 1840 and the second house was likely built shortly after the owner acquired the property in the early 1840s.  The dwelling house owned by Helsby in 1852 survived until the late 1920s.  This small one-story dwelling house with a tin roof was shown on the 1922 Sanborn Fire Map.

In 1860, Newton made $150 in improvements to a shop on his property.  The assessed value of $350 continued to be one of the lowest valued properties in town.  When Nimrod Newton wrote his Will in 1872, he notes his dwelling House and lot where I now live with the adjoining house and lot now occupied as a dwelling and Post office.  Two structures appear on the 1877 map next to the name of Mrs. Newton at this location.  The tax records for 1866 through 1876 continue to list a house, shop, and lot for Nimrod Newton and the value increases to $400 and later to $500.

The 1896 tax record shows Helen Helsby with 1 storehouse worth $1000, and 1 dwelling house & lot adjoining the store house worth $600, and 2 small dwelling houses near the store house worth $500.  The Helsby Corner Store was built in 1882 and thus is the storehouse listed in 1896.  If the store to become Saxton & Parker existed in 1896, the store was either referred to as a small dwelling or was omitted in the tax records (unlikely). 

Is it possible the structure on the 1877 map in the approximate location of the Saxton & Parker store is indeed this store and the tax records missed listing it?  All structures referred to as stores and shops in the 1896-1910 tax record for East New Market are accounted for.  Each store and shop can be clearly be associated with another property.   Since the value of the store on Newton's and later Saxton's property was so low and since the Saxton & Parker building was large and impressive store, it is believed that the building on the 1877 map could be the Smith Tax Office as this office could be referred to as a small dwelling.  Therefore, it is believed the Saxton & Parker store could have been built after 1910.

The first entry for Saxton & Parker appears in the 1915-1917 Commercial Directory for East New Market along side an entry Clarence Saxton, blacksmith and agricultural implements.  Dating back to the 1906 directory, only Saxton was listed with "blacksmith and agricultural implements".  Saxton began leasing part of this property in 1905, but he may have built the Saxton & Parker Store several years later.

The 2005 photo shows a little wear and tear, but the structure could easily be restored to its former glory.  The aluminum siding and the long single story part of the structure in the rear were later additions.  A large residence occupies the second story.

By 1922, the long single story addition had been added to this structure.  In 1922, this structure fed into a large 35 car garage at the rear of this property and 7 Academy Street.  The large garage in the rear was demolished many years ago.

From the Maryland Historical Trust - State Historic Sites Inventory Form - 1985

The old Saxon hardware store stands on the north side of School Street within the center block of East New Market, Dorchester County, Maryland.  The two-story gable-front frame structure faces south with the gable oriented on a north/south axis. 

Built around 1860-1880, the two-story frame commercial building is supported by a minimal brick foundation and sheathed with a layer of pressed metal sheathing.  The steeply pitched gable roof is covered with a layer of standing seam tin.  Attached to the back of the front block is a long single-story metal addition that has been partially fitted with storefronts.

The south (main) two-bay elevation is an asymmetrical facade with large glass display windows defining the southeast corner. Paneled knee walls fill the space below the windows and a simple cornice stretches across the top of the windows.  The western bay is filled with a door that leads to a stair for access to the second floor apartment.  The second floor is marked by a pair of evenly spaced six-over-six sash windows, and a small vent is fixed in the upper gable.  The eaves to the roof are slightly extended.  The east and west sides are asymmetrical elevations with various six-over-six sash windows lighting the first and second floors. Attached to the back of the front block is a long single-story metal sheathed addition.  The east side of the addition is marked by a single storefront.  A narrow brick stove stack rises through the roof.  The interior was not seen.

The old Saxon hardware store is one of three frame commercial buildings that still define the crossroads of East New Market.  In contrast to the other two single-story buildings, the hardware store is a two-story structure covered with pressed metal siding and sheathed with a standing seam tin roof.  Large plate-glass display windows with paneled knee walls mark the southeast corner.  The building is extended to the rear by a long single-story addition that is partially converted into commercial space.  A structure approaching the size of the front section appears on the 1877 town map under the name of Mrs. Newton.