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Historic "Friendship Hall" 
LOCATION: Railroad Avenue, East New Market, Maryland RESIDENCE: Georgian Colonial, built in 1795 LOT SIZE: 15.79 acres +/- A 20 lot subdivision is nearing final approval Virtual Tour: Take the Tour! ROOM SIZES First Floor:
Second Floor:
Large Basement Friendship Hall is one of the finest post-revolutionary dwellings remaining in Dorchester County. Located adjacent the southeast corner of the town of East New Market, this Georgian style brick dwelling consists of a large asymmetrical five-bay, two story portion (42' x 31') with a two bay, one story hyphen and a one half story kitchen set at right angles to the hyphen and main block. The hyphen and kitchen have an "L" plan, with the north façade being on the same plane as the main portion. The entire structure is built of brick laid in common bond. There is a molded water table, belt course and pilasters on the north façade extending from the water table to the bolt course of the main portion. Both the north and south facades have a central door, the north having been altered (around 1880) with sidelights and transom. There are segmented arches above the first-story windows, but the second-story windows on the two aforesaid facades arc located beneath the handsome modillion cornice. The cornice extends around the west gable forming a full pediment which has two oval windows lighting the attic. The east gable is stuccoed and has two square casement windows. It appears to have been planned for a full pediment, like the west, but the lower part of the cornice is lacking beyond the cornice returns. Beneath the east window of the main gable end is the entrance to the basement. The small shed covering the entrance is a late 19th century structure. South of the kitchen and east of the basement entrance stands a tall frame smokehouse with board and batten siding and a steep "A" roof. The interior floor plan consists of a central hall with study and living room on the west, and dining room and service facilities on the east. The hall is divided by a nearly semicircular arch into a stair hall and corridor, the stair extends into the northwest quarter of the building, and has a raised panel soffit. It extends in three flights to the second floor and the same to the attic. The lower step and handrail terminate in a volute, and there are three square balusters per step. The handrail curves upward to extend over the square newel posts. There is applied scroll fret to the spandrels of the steps, and a raised panel dado extending to the attic. Each of the rooms of the first floor has paneled dado, windows jambs, and seats. In the living room, above the wide segmentally arched cornice fireplace is a paneled overmantel with crossette trimmed panel supporting a full pediment. The fireplace, window, and door trim all possess crossette trim, and there is a bold fivepart cornice around the ceiling. Sash in the living room hall and lavatory of the first story has been replaced in the late 19th century by two over two slash, whereas the other windows retain original twelve over twelve and twelve over eight sash on the first and second stories respectively. The study is the smaller of the two west rooms and is the only room to have a wall-of-Troy motif in the cornice. There is a smaller fireplace off center in the diagonal paneled wall. Crossette trim above the mantel shelf lacks the pediment of the living room. Crossette trim around the windows and doors is lacking in the dining room, but it possesses paneled window seats and jambs and dado. The fireplace is blocked for us by the furnace flue. Cupboard doors are located above the former fireplace in the raised panel wall. Beneath the third flight of the stairs is a door opening into a corridor to the wing. A secondary stair, lavatory and basement stair open into tile corridor on the north. Basically, the hyphen and kitchen which are presently plastered with whitewashed walls and exposed ceiling beams. They are situated about four steps lower than the main block. The large kitchen fireplace has a wood lintel and one iron eye indicating the existence of an iron crane. A lattice porch of late 19th century date is located on the east side of the kitchen. The collar beneath the main block is divided into two portions with a batten door on long strap hinges between the two. The west portion has all area, presumably for storage, separated by whitewashed slats. The usual arched supports are located beneath the three fireplaces. Like the first floor, the second is divided into a central hall with stair to one side and four rooms. The hall has raised panel dado and paneled window jambs. In the center of the hall, above the first story arch are pilasters, suggesting the separation achieved by the arch on the first, story. Each of the chambers have raised panel fireplace walls, the dining room chamber having a closet and cabinet flanking the fireplace. Between the living room chamber and the study chamber is a beaded board partition. Old beaded boards, taken from the demolished Rose Hill on the opposite side of town have been installed on all walls of the study chamber. The attic of Friendship Hall was originally divided into three rooms and a stair hall by vertical beaded boards. One partition has been removed for use in the kitchen. Significance – Friendship Hall is located at the end of a long driveway on the south side of Route 14, 1/10 of a mile east of East New Market, Dorchester County, Maryland. This late eighteenth century colonial home is significant to those who study Maryland for two reasons. First, very little has been done to the house to alter its eighteenth century appearance on either the interior or the exterior. Only five first floor window sashes and the front door are not original to the house. Secondly, Friendship Hall was from all indications built by a family that came to Maryland in 1695 and played a loading role in Dorchester County history throughout the eighteenth century. According to one source, Major James Sulivane, an officer in the army of James II, and two of his brothers came to America after the Battle of the Boyne in 1690. These men settled in Maryland and the descendants of Major James became prominent in Maryland politics and the military. In 1726, Daniel Sulivane, Major James son, was one of the gentlemen justices of the county who were appointed by the proprietary or his representative. He later became a Delegate from Dorchester County to the General Assembly in Annapolis. Daniel Sulivan’s son James was also a delegate to the General Assembly, serving his term in 1775. First a lieutenant and then a captain, he helped to organize a militia company called the "New Market Blues" during the Revolution. In 1778, he became the Deputy Assistant Commissary for Dorchester and Somerset Counties. At this time the patriot army was in dire straits, having difficulty both in retaining its men and in feeding and equipping those who remained with the army. Sulivane and the other commissaries had important work in finding and purchasing food for the starving soldiers. It was apparently this James Sulivane that built Friendship Hall. In 1783, he took out a patient for a tract of land containing 911 acres which he called "New Market." This was a resurvey of parts of eight original patents, two of which were owned by his father Daniel. The house was probably built sometime during the next ten years. In 1834, Henry W. Hicks bought a half share in the property from W. Anderson whose mother was a Sulivane. The house remained in the Hicks family for over 100 years until Mrs. Mary L. Hicks died in 1964. OFFERED FOR: $1,850,000. For further information or to schedule an appointment, contact the Listing Agent, Craig Linthicum, via telephone (410) 726-6581 or (410) 770-9255, or via email at clinthicum@bensonandmangold.com. 
Information is believed to be accurate, but should not be relied
upon without verification. Accuracy of square footage, lot size and
other information is not guaranteed.
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