About Us
Officers
Margaret Bobb, President
Phyllis Mercer, Vice President
Gwenn Mauk, Treasurer
Pam Van Mooy, Secretary
About the North Baltimore Area Historical Center
The North Baltimore Area Historical Center has been operated since 1998 by the North Baltimore Area Historical Society. The Center’s extensive collections include artifacts, photos, and memorabilia including:
A Civil War flag made by the women of North Baltimore in 1861
An engraved 1892 Knights of Pythias Sword owned by 19th-century entrepreneur Dr. A.G. Henry
The champagne bottle used by North Baltimore resident Carrie Swartz to launch a Liberty Ship on July 4, 1942
Local school memorabilia such as photos, trophies, and yearbooks
Displays dedicated to the town’s members of the military, firefighters, police, and doctors
A parlor and dining room furnished with vintage furniture and antiques
THE HISTORICAL SOCIETY HOUSE
The Historical Society house is a mail-order house which was designed by George F. Barber & Co. of Knoxville, TN. It was built for Jefferson and Martha Richcreek in 1895. They chose a house plan from a catalog and sent the fee to purchase the plans and materials list. A local builder used the Barber & Co. plans to construct the home. The cost to build this house, which was known as Design No. 56, was estimated to be … $2,400 to $2,700! The 1894 mail-order catalog description for Design No. 56 states:
“This house was recently erected in Knoxville, Tenn., and is highly satisfactory, both for convenience and general appearance. There is a handsome plate and stained glass window in parlor, which is 54 inches wide. The wide window in angle bay in hall is also an artistic feature where an oblique view is required. Plan No. 2 has a bed-room and bath-room on first floor, which will meet the approval of many.
George Barber marketed his house designs worldwide. He was one of the most successful residential architects of the late Victorian era. Some of Barber’s success came from his willingness to make modifications to his plans to suit the customer’s needs. His first catalog had a statement that read: “Write to us concerning any changes wanted in plans, and keep writing till you get what you want. Don’t be afraid of writing too often. We are not easily offended.”
Although some changes were made to Design No. 56, the floor plan as it appeared in the catalog is remarkably similar. The main change is that the entire plan was reversed, possibly because the house was built so near the commercial building on the lot to the north. Some features that were included in the plans are no longer visible, but may not have been included when the construction took place or have since been removed. Although there is a parlor fireplace in the original plans the fireplace was not included in the house. Some features such as the sunburst on the gable on the south side and attic windows on east and south sides may be covered by aluminum siding. Significant changes were made on the west side first floor (kitchen area) where the plans call for a porch on the north side and bathroom on the south side. Again, the reason for these changes may have been the location of the commercial building. Interestingly, the current dining room was intended to be a bedroom and the current rear entrance area was to have been a bathroom. The current downstairs bathroom was a pantry with access to the dining room (Bank Room). The current upstairs bathroom was originally the “trunk room.” The current Juvenile Room was the servant’s quarters--the back stairway leads to the kitchen.