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Bucktown
Village Store
4303 Bucktown Road
Cambridge, Maryland
Dorchester County
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| The Bucktown Village Store is located at the corner
of Bucktown and Greenbrier Roads in Bucktown, Dorchester County.
The store
and adjacent house, which form the center of Bucktown, share
similar construction features, such as the returning cornice
located
on the gable ends of the roof and window trim. |
| While there is no proof that the store was built
by or frequented by African-Americans, it is significant for
its location near
the childhood home of Harriet Tubman. Tubman "was born a
slave, in a family of eleven children, on the Brodas Plantation
in Bucktown,
Dorchester County, Maryland, about 1820." This store is
believed to be very near the site where, as a child, Harriet
Tubman was
hit in the head by a weight. (Blockson 1987, 98) |
| The original one-and-one-half story, gable-roofed
frame building measures approximately 38 feet deep by 20
feet wide and rests on brick piers. The exterior of the building
is covered in horizontal board siding. The roof is covered
with asphalt shingles and terminates with a box cornice. |
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| The gable front elevation of the store exhibits a shed-roofed
porch with brick flooring. The porch is supported by four chamfered
posts. |
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| Currently a large shed addition covers the south and east elevations
of the store and is primarily used for storage. |
| A set of double doors opens wide into
the store. These doors are constructed with glass panes on top
and wood panels on the bottom.
A unique feature of the doors is the removable top wood panels
that are made to fit over the panes of glass from the interior.
When
these upper panels are removed, light shines through the panes
of glass to the interior of the store. |
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| The first floor plan divides the store into two sections. The
larger area, measuring approximately 25 feet deep by 19 feet
wide, served
as the store
display area.
The main
block
of
the store contains four windows. Two windows are located on the
west elevation, one placed on each side of the front door. The
north and south elevations each contain one window. There are
two doors in this main section, one each on the east and west
elevations. |
| There is a chimney stack located on east wall. Like many village
or general stores there is a large open area in the middle of
the store which allows for a central gathering space. Today this
area in the Bucktown Village store contains benches and a wood
stove. |
| To the back of the building is a smaller room measuring approximately
11 feet deep by 19 feet wide, which served as the storage room.
This area is unfinished and the framing of the building is visible.
This room contains two doors, one each on the north and south
elevations. These large doors, measuring approximately 3 feet
6 inches wide,
allowed movement of goods in and out of this storage area. The
storage room also contains a ladder stair to the attic. The half-story
attic runs the full length of the building and currently is used
for storage. There is little information as to what the attic
was used for. Further investigation of this space may tell a
more complete story of its use. |
| The limited number of openings allows for the walls to be covered
with shelves for displaying goods. Shelves line the north, east,
and south walls. |
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| There is a U-shaped counter measuring approximately 2 feet
wide. The counter contains two wooden money drawers, one of which
still retains its bell system. |
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| While the Bucktown Village Store floor plan remains
intact it is important to note that there is no evidence to support
that this is how the building originally looked. The exact date
of
construction is unknown and it is possible the building plan
was altered throughtout the years. The existing floor plan of
Bucktown does, however, provide insight into how the building
was arranged and used by the community for atleast a portion
of the time it was used. The fact that Bucktown has an intact
floor plan and the Dawson Street Store does not skews the comparison
between the two buildings. The Bucktown Village Store is large
in comparison to the Dawson Street Store. The main room of the
Bucktown Village Store is larger than the entire Dawson Street
Store. The presence of a backroom and attic space at Bucktown
only increases the overall size of the building. The stairs to
the attic suggest that space was accessed regularly. The differences
in the two construction styles may have to do with when they
were built, the prevailing styles of the time, and the needs
of the community. Despite the many differences there are similarities
in the two buildings. Both stores are covered in horizontal board
siding. The Bucktown Village Store has the returning cornic visible
on the gable end which provides a decorative touch to the simple
building style. Both stores follow the same basic form of one
and one-half-story. The central location of the Bucktown Village
Store, as well as its floor plan suggest the importance of the
building to the community. |
Today the Bucktown Village store serves as an impromptu
tourist stop, displaying items that have been collected by
the owners.
The current owners are in the process of restoring the building.
They plan to remove the shed addition, as well as replace pieces
of the framing, such as the rotting sills. Future plans also
include replacing the current roof with historically appropriate
cedar shingles. To assist in these endeavors, the owners applied
for and received grants from the Maryland Historical Trust
and the National Trust, and intend to apply for more financial
assistance
in the future.
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| Contact Person: Jay Meredith (410) 228-7650/bvf@sastol.com |
| Blockson, Charles L. The Underground Railroad. New
York: Prentice Hall Press, 1987. |
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