An artist's depiction of London Town in the colonial era.
Click here to see a closeup view.
The town of London was founded in 1684 on the shores of the South River. In an attempt to encourage commercial development and control trade for the purpose of taxation, Maryland's General Assembly established a series of town sites along the Chesapeake Bay. Virtually all of the other towns failed while London grew and became a thriving port.
From 1710 through 1750, London Town reached a significant size and obtained economic vitality that rivaled that of Annapolis and Williamsburg, Virginia, Although the Anne Arundel county courthouse was located in the town of London from 1684 to 1695, London Town differed from the other colonial capitols in that its success came, not from its importance as a seat of government, but instead as a seat of trade. Ships laden with merchandise from Europe and the Caribbean arrived at London to fill the many stores that had emerged in town. With their vessels anchored in the South River off the shore of London Town, captains and crew would wait for the arrival of the year's tobacco crop for the voyage home.
To supply the needs of the merchants, planters, and ships' captains in the town, tradesmen settled into the area. Rope and barrel makers, leather workers, carpenters, and ship builders diligently practiced their trades in the busy port. Innkeepers housed and fed the often large transient population, tailors clothed them, and doctors tended to their medical needs.
One such doctor in London Town was Richard Hill. As was the case with many medical men of the time, Hill was a botanist: and was in search of new plants in North America. Dr. Hill sent his collection of horticultural finds to some of England's foremost botanical scholars.
London Town was located on the "main road" from Williamsburg to Annapolis and Philadelphia. With water too deep to ford and too wide for a bridge, ferries were established to take Travelers across the South River. The ferry at London Town was the 12th and final ferry crossing on the trip from Williamsburg to Annapolis. Many of the most notable figures of the period, including George Washington and Thomas Jefferson, traveled the route. The two ferries that serviced the region at London Town ultimately outlasted the town itself
Even though London quickly grew and succeeded, it diminished rapidly. In 1747, the Maryland Assembly passed an Act which limited tobacco export to specifically designated inspection centers. London Town was not among the designated sites. Stripped of its principal reason for existence, the town rapidly declined in the 1750s and 1760s. By the Revolutionary War, only a few scattered buildings and the ferries remained. In 1783, much of the town was consolidated into farmland.
The last visible remnant of this once bustling seaport is the house that was built by William Brown in about 1760. His house, constructed with brick laid in header bond, is a fine example of colonial Georgian architecture. Brown, a joiner and cabinetmaker, was issued a license to operate the ferry across the South River in 1753 while he was leasing the property from Stephen West. Ferry-master Brown later purchased the property from West's son and constructed his house. Unfortunately, William Brown's aspirations of success, which are evidenced by the impressive home he built, were never quite realized. Financial difficulties led to foreclosure on his property. his house and lots in London Town were put up for sale in 1785. Brown was able to buy them back using money he borrowed from Allen Quynn, a business associate. However, he still was unable to pay his debts and the house was sold at auction to John Hoskins Stone in 1793. Stone, governor of Maryland between 1794 and 1797, may have lived there after 1797, but probably let the house to tenants during his political tenure. John H. Stone held the property until 1806 when it again was put up for auction and sold to Edward Hall. Almost immediately, Hall sold the property to the last private owner, Mr. James Larrimore. In 1828, Larrimore sold it and 10 acres of surrounding land to the Trustees for the Poor of Anne Arundel County. The William Brown house continued to be used as the county almshouse until 1965.
In 1970, the house was registered as a National Historic Landmark. After extensive restoration it was opened to the public.
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