There isn’t much remaining at Frenchtown these days to remind anyone that this place was a bustling commercial spot. But it once was on the maps of the newly formed nation as boats, wagons, carriages, and trains brought people and freight to this little Chesapeake Bay port. The reminders of this activity largely faded away around the middle of the 19th century.
But the beautiful old mansion house or tavern was a survivor. When Frenchtown was put to the torch during the British attack during the War of 1812 it was not touched. Then as the transportation revolution disrupted the order of things as the canal and railroad bypassed the hamlet, this sturdy old building remained, ready to make a run through a large part of the 20th century.
Built around 1800 as a mansion house it was on the estate of Frisby Henderson, a large landowner in the area. The two and a half story English brick building had 17 rooms with fireplaces on each floor, and elegant interior molding and finish.
The mansion became a public inn at some point as traffic on the main route between Baltimore and Philadelphia grew. Travelers stopping at the village included Andrew Jackson, Davy Crockett, Daniel Webster, Henry Clay, Sam Houston, Louis Napoleon, Stonewall Jackson, and an Indian delegation, which included Chief Black Hawk.
Lorenzo Alagia bought the property around 1944 from the estate of a Philadelphia theater owner. At that time, the land once occupied by Frenchtown was part of a 300-acre asparagus farm and the tavern, a private dwelling, the Baltimore Sun reported in 1969.
The Algias ran the tavern as a business until a devastating fire swept through the inn on Nov. 21, 1957. The business never reopened as the flames heavily damaged it. As Singerly Fire Company battled the flames a wall caved in, injuring two Singerly firefighters, Bob McKeown and Harry Hammond.
Then in June 1964, the unoccupied remains were hit agan by fire, totally leveling the empty structure. While it had survived the British attack and the burning of the village, the 167year-old tavern had been totally removed from the shoreline as the second fire finished the destruction.
Frenchtown was never more than a village with its tavern, wharf, warehouses, stables, and a few dwelling, but it experienced more than its share of notable events. And the old tavern was a central part of the story, hosting, the great and the near-great over the centuries.
Much more research needs to be done on the Frenchtown Tavern and this little corner of Cecil County, to fully develop the story.
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Thank you for your prompt reply. When I was about 13 my family and I lived on Frenchtown Road, I would often ride my bicycle down the hill near the tavern but for some reason I was afraid to get too close. I remember it was partially standing at that time.
That area along the waterfront there has lots of history Faye.
I lived on irwin ave most of my life what year was you there faye
My grandfather salvaged some ceiling timbers from what I thought was Frenchtown Tavern in the late 1940’s and installed them in his house in North East. I also have a large blown glass vessel that was found in the marsh down there. I am not sure what he was doing down there, but working on a project of some sort.