Somerset County Circuit Courthouse-Princess Anne Historic District – Princess Anne MD - NRHP Historic Districts - Contributing Buildings on Waymarking.com

National Register of Historic Places Registration Form

“SIGNIFICANCE Princess Anne Somerset County, Maryland, is located fourteen miles south of Salisbury on the Manokin River. This town is historically significant because of its architectural heritage, as the administrative center for the county and as an important regional trading center. Princess Anne has one of the finest collections of Federal and Victorian dwellings and late 19th to early 20th century commercial structures on the Delmarva Peninsula. Most of them have had few alterations. There has been little change due to industry or other development, and the town retains much of its historic character. It has been the governmental center since the county was formed in 1742 and the present courthouse is one of the most architecturally distinguished in the state. Since the beginning, Princess Anne, now with a population about 1500, has remained the important commercial and banking center for the surrounding countryside. During the 18th century, and especially the 19th, this community grew in importance as a shipping point for local farm produce since the Manokin River was navigable as far as the Princess Anne Bridge. As late as 1900, three-masted schooners could still exchange fertilizer and manufactured goods for farm and forest product


Contributing Building:
The Somerset County Courthouse, on the northwest corner of Somerset Avenue and Prince William Street, is the last of a series of buildings serving the official needs of the county. The first courthouse was at Somerset Town, laid out in 1688 on the Manokin River below the spot where Princess Anne now stands. Somerset Town did not survive, and court was held on Dividing Creek from 1694 until 1742 when Princess Anne became the county seat of Somerset County. The first courthouse in Princess Anne was erected in 1747 on the corner of Broad and Bridge Streets (Somerset Avenue); but when this building burned in 1820, the public records were temporarily stored in the old Teackle Bank building which was the site of the present courthouse. Another courthouse, erected in 1833, was used until 1904 when the present structure was built. Designed by Frank E. and Henry R. Davis in the Georgian Revival style, the courthouse is an imposing building located on the town's principal axis. Inside is preserved a contemporary portrait of Queen Anne by Sir Godfrey Kneller purchased by a former native of Princess Anne and presented to the citizens on the mistaken belief that the town was named after her.”

Name of Historic District (as listed on the NRHP): Princess Anne Historic District Link to nationalregisterofhistoricplaces.com page with the Historic District: [Web Link] Address: Intersection of Prince William Street and Somerset Avenue (Maryland Route 675), Princess Anne MD 21853 How did you determine the building to be a contributing structure?: Narrative found on the internet (Link provided below) Optional link to narrative or database: [Web Link] NRHP Historic District Waymark (Optional): Not listed

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Date Logged Log User Rating   10/17/2022 Don.Morfe visited it