According to Christopher Weeks, the author of my primary research source about Talbot County’s historic houses, “Where Land and Water Intertwine”, “Jena” is “among the most charming of Talbot County’s buildings” and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Sited on 2.8+ acres near Oxford on an inlet of Goldsborough Creek, the house was christened “Jena” after the most significant battle between Napoleon and the Prussian Army that ended the Napoleonic Wars. Sources are unclear whether Jacob Gibson, a great admirer of Napoleon, was the original owner of “Jena” since Gibson named his other houses after major battles won by Napoleon, including Austerlitz, Friedland and Marengo. Other sources credit Gibson’s contemporary, Perry Spencer, as being the owner who merely admired his friend and followed Gibson’s lead in naming his house.
A long gravel drive lined with mature trees with fields on either side leads to house and detached garage. The cream colored walls and historic light green trim stand out against the surrounding colors and textures of the mature trees. A brick walkway lined with low shrubbery leads to the brick steps at the front door. The original house was a one and a half story three-bay building laid in Flemish bond brick on the front elevation with the gable ends being laid in common bond, two dormers in the roof and the chimney rising from the end gable wall. Later additions in the 20th century included a two-story, two-bay wing to the opposite gable end wall and a one-story addition that contained the kitchen, informal dining area and sunroom.
The two original parlors with back to back corner fireplaces are now used as a family room and a formal dining room. Moldings, wainscot and the paneled wall over the firebox openings add character to the rooms. I especially liked how the chair rail became the sill and apron trim for the windows for a seamless look. The original side entry hall now connects to the large living room with a fireplace and French doors flanked by two windows in the rear wall lead to the sunroom with water views. The other vista from the entry hall ends into the kitchen-informal dining area.
The spacious kitchen has a perimeter bulkhead with recessed ambient/task lighting below the pitched ceiling that extends over the informal dining area. The “C” shaped layout of cabinets and the freestanding butcher block island create plenty of prep and storage space and a side exterior door has direct access to the driveway and detached garage. The wood flooring of the kitchen and informal dining area changes to the sunroom’s brick laid in a herringbone pattern and the long room with wrap-around windows offers diagonal views of the landscape, salt-water pool area and Goldsborough Creek.
The second floor contains the two original bedrooms that are now charming guest bedrooms and the chair rail, moldings, sloped ceilings and corner fireplaces add great interior architectural character. One bedroom has a stained wood fireplace surround and a double bed with a colorful duvet. The other bedroom’s fireplace surround is painted and large fans cleverly become headboards for the two twin beds. Opposite the center hall and bath is the spacious master suite. The master bedroom and the rear guest bedrooms have bird’s eye water views.
For additional guests or extended stays, there is also a story and a half guest house. The main level contains a living room, two bedrooms, bath and mud room/laundry. Wall of pine boards and the wood floors create a cabin feeling. The upper level is an open space that spans the full length of the guest house. Bunkbeds line the walls and there is a small living area with French doors leading to a circular balcony. The knee walls are finished with pine boards and the pitched ceiling is finished in drywall to reflect the sunlight from the two end gable walls.
History from the late 1800’s with upgrades for today including geothermal HVAC, synthetic cedar roofing, cedar siding, privacy, pool area with terrace and guest house – “Jena” awaits its next stewards of this charming property!
For more information about this property, contact Jim Corson with Benson and Mangold Real Estate at 410-763-7461 (o), 410-310-6275 (c) or [email protected], “Equal Housing Opportunity”. For more photographs and pricing, visit www.jimcorson.com, “Equal Housing Opportunity”. Photography by TruPlace, 301-972-3201
Spy House of the Week is an ongoing series that selects a different home each week. The Spy’s Habitat editor Jennifer Martella makes these selections based exclusively on her experience as a architect.
Jennifer Martella has pursued her dual careers in architecture and real estate since she moved to the Eastern Shore in 2004. Her award winning work has ranged from revitalization projects to a collaboration with the Maya Lin Studio for the Children’s Defense Fund’s corporate retreat in her home state of Tennessee.
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