17th Century Historical Estate In Severna Park For Sale

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Perched above the Severn River, Holly Hill is a historic estate with a picturesque view and a backyard oak that began growing centuries ago.

The original house was built in 1840 when the estate was much larger and stretched as far north as Benfield Road. The estate was then known as Eagleston’s Range, and the property has gone through many metamorphoses since. It is registered by the Maryland Historical Trust.

So far, the property has had two notable owners. One of those owners was William F. Schmick Sr., the owner of The Baltimore Sun. He purchased the home in the 1940s and lived there until 1951. He was involved in newspaper journalism when it was gaining in stature, influence, responsibility, and luckily for him, prosperity. Schmick enjoyed a lavish life that was expected for a person of his stature. He added structures and did extensive renovations. Several trees were planted during his time on the property.

An inground pool (still in use by the community) was built on the beach below the house, along with a bathhouse and boathouse. Mel Merrit, a next-door neighbor since he was 9 years old, said, “I know Schmick put in the pool because I saw his initials on it.”

Merrit’s father was one of the builders who purchased land from the estate in the late 1950s to develop the surrounding community Fair Winds.

“I found a shoe buckle and broken pieces of a clay pipe on my property that date back to the 17th century,” Merrit said.

Holly Hill is now for sale. Kimberly McGrath and her family lived there happily for several years until Kimberly’s genial, down-to-earth, adventurous husband Henry Thomas McGrath Jr. died in 2018. The family also calls the estate “Toad Hall” because it refers to the couple’s shared love for a particular literary passage from a Graham Greene book.

Tom McGrath was the perfect owner for the historic estate, since he was the National Park Service superintendent of the Historic Preservation Training Center (HPTC)for 22 years. He received numerous prestigious honors and a special commendation from the Department of the Interior for his architectural expertise for his handling the most challenging historic preservation projects.

“Tom handled everything to do with the estate,” Kimberly said. “He loved to cook and built an outdoor gazebo with a full kitchen for entertaining.

“Tom was also responsible for the significant addition of a high velocity heat pump that perfectly suits a historical home,” she added.

A tribute to Tom in the Traditional Building magazine by Judy Hayward reads, “RIP, Tom. We mere mortals will do our best to carry on the fine example you set for us.”

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