History:
"The Elms" is located on the Northeast corner of Mission Road and Route 33 in the village of Tilghman on Tilghman Island, Talbot County, MD. The house faces west, with the gable oriented on a north/south axis. Built around 1893. The Elms is clad in weatherboard and supported by a brick pier foundation. The roof of this two story frame home is covered in asphalt shingles. The five bay west main facade has a central door with sidelights and a four light transom. A latticed portico with a scroll sawn balustrade shelters the entrance door and is flanked by a pair of six over six sash windows. On the second floor, there is a central projecting five sided bay with a single four over four sash window on each side. A cross gable, clad in green shingles and supported by decorative brackets, roof this projecting bay. The central bay is flanked by a pair of six over six windows. The north elevation of the primary wing gable end has two four light windows at the attic story, cornice returns, and an interior brick chimney. An extensive addition extends from the rear of the primary wing to the east. The north elevation of this addition has a assortment of one over one, two over two, and six over six sash windows on the first floor and second floor. There is an exterior chimney located on the east side of the addition. The east elevation of the primary wing is an addition connected to the main house by an enclosed breezeway. The south elevation has a full length porch enclosed in 1943.
There are two outbuildings which were formerly used to house boarders which at a later date were used for storage. There is three room shed and a cinderblock garage with dormer winders and seven bedrooms.
"The Elms" was built by Charles James Howeth who came to Tilghman with his family from Poplar Island in 1893. This property was purchased from Charlotte Howeth by the current family in 1928 and operated as a boarding house until the 1960's. "The Elms" got its name from the two large elm trees at the entrance which stood in the front yard. The ornate central bay of the front facade is distinctive. The house is large and rambling and situated on two acres of land in the center of the village of Tilghman.
Like many houses on the Island, (Tilghman Island Watermen's Museum) the "Lee House" was named after its original owners. The Lee family, who owned the home during the early 1900s, was said to have resided there until sometime in the 1930s. The house was inherited by a Tilghman Island resident, Leona Garvin Harrison, and it soon became a part of “The Elms,” a very popular and successful island fishing party resort. The Elms included the property adjacent to the Lee House. “Miss Leona,” as she was known, ran the resort and decided that the Lee House would serve well as a boarding house, taking in any overflow guests.
The house could sleep up 12 people and is said to have provided lodging for doctors, lawyers and prominent business owners who would often visit. All meals were served in the main house and the well-traveled sidewalk leading to it from the Lee House is still visible. A day of fishing would cost $25 and for an additional $5.50 guests enjoyed a full breakfast, a packed lunch, and a family-style feast for dinner. Common on the dinner menu were the resort’s famous Crab Imperial, fried chicken, roast beef, and crab cakes always accompanied by sliced tomatoes, corn, and staff Chef Theodore’s freshly baked bread. After dinner and a long day on the water, guests would head back to the Lee House to play cards, exchange stories and call it a night.
As times began to change and more and more people purchased their own boats, the demand for the fishing party properties began to wane. The Lee House closed as a boarding house in 1971 and has remained vacant ever since.
In 1984 the house was passed on to Ms. Leona’s daughter, Shirley Garvin Walton and was later inherited by Shirley’s son John and daughter Barbara in 2000.
