SINEPUXTENT NECK -- When it comes to saving an all but ruined landmark, there's the power of the buck, the power of the pen and the power of a united cause to make a miracle happen.
Rackliffe House is the historical pot of gold at the end of a bumpy, muddy, narrow dirt lane that snakes through weeds, scraggly bushes and decaying trees. Built in the 1750s by Charles Rackliffe, the house seemed to be ready for the bulldozer when Tom Patton had a vision just a few years ago.
He saw the house restored and open to educate folks about life in this neck of the woods as experienced by those living here more than 250 years ago.
Patton created the nonprofit Rackliffe House Trust in 2004, and the first order of the day was to lease the house and three acres (part of a 110-acre tract) for 50 years from the Maryland Department of Natural Resources.
Neglected for years, the two-story, 38-by 32-foot Flemish-bond brick house bore little resemblance to its former days of glory. Said to have been burned during the Revolutionary War or War of 1812, and again in 1928, fire was its first main enemy.
"Remodeled" over the years following the disastrous 1928 fire -- when a still said to have been operated by a tenant exploded -- the brick home had a new, lower roof; the appealing natural brick walls, once plastered and scored to resemble stonework, were painted white.
As the years passed, the house became well known in Worcester County for unexplainable "happenings" in the house of strange sounds, smells, objects levitated across the room and ghostly visions of the departed moving throughout the home. From the earliest times, when third-generation owner John Rackliffe was supposedly murdered by slaves he abused in the late 1700s, specters called the place home. Vacant by the early 1990s, the empty shell had all the appeal of a "ghost house" by 2000.
The house stands on land once part of the extensive holdings of Genesar, another early home nearby, Patton said. Unlike Rackliffe, Genesar faces a bleak future. Robbed of its interior woodwork years ago and vacant for decades, Genesar is an architectural gem fighting for survival. Rackliffe was once part of the Genesar's 2,200 acres owned by Edward Wale in the 1600s.
Patton has connection to Rackliffe House from its earliest history.
"My mother's family, in 1679, took out a grant with two brothers-in-laws -- Charles Rackliffe and Edward Wale. In 1681, the two men decided to divide their holdings. About 600 acres went to the Rackliffe family, and the balance to the Wale family. This 600 acres passed down through the family until three of my mothers' cousins sold it in 1939, when it was bought by the Lamar Corp. in Salisbury," Patton said.
A principal of Lamar Corp. was Franklyn Woodcock, the "great Realtor of the day." Within a few months, Woodcock 'flipped' much of the property, which included eight miles of waterfront. But he did not sell the house.
"He cleaned up the house with a fresh coat of stucco, modernized the interior, and in 1947 turned the upstairs and downstairs into separate apartments, a duplex arrangement, for his two tenant farmers," Patton said.
"It had a succession of tenants until 1991, when it became vacant. The land was purchased by developer Thomas Ruark in 1995 and 110 acres, as part of the deal, was set aside and sold to the DNR to be a state park," Patton said. "We have leased the house with three acres and the remaining 107 will have a hiking and biking nature trail which will pass by the house."
Ruark also built the Rum Pointe Golf Course which adjoins the state property.
"I live on the other side of the golf course," Patton said. "At one time, Mrs. Woodcock tried to sell the place to me, (the house and five acres) but her sister-in-law, who was the co-administrator of the estate, refused to sign the contract."
This time around, Patton, joined by others, is now devoting much of his time toward achieving a goal to benefit generations to come.
"We have seen a lot of changes around here in the past 10 years where soybean and corn fields have become high-end real estate," Patton said. "There is a wonderful history here deserving of preservation. People moving here sink down roots, but they hope there is something here that they can tie into and feel a certain continuity both before them and after they leave. There was a prehistoric base laid here by the Assateague Indians. Then the merchant planters came in and then following families added to the history. This is our opportunity to preserve a little bit of all the history here, below and above ground."
Even though this is not the 'gem' of early houses, it was one of the original early plantation houses on the seaside. When restored, it is said this will be the only period home of its kind (and age) facing the ocean in the Middle Atlantic states that will be open to the public. That's the opinion of Larry Points, who is retired from Assateague Island Park Service. According to Patton, Points has spent considerable amount of time researching the property and bringing in nationally recognized experts to share their opinion of the house.
"By the time our lease is up, we think Rackliffe House will be such a well-established institution and attraction, I think it will be properly maintained as a historic site for many years to come," Patton said.
The retired pharmaceuticals marketing executive has been successful in acquiring some funding to restore the house. Worcester County has put $125,000 toward the project, and the state has kicked in $150,000. Several foundations and private contributors have also stepped forward with financial help. Altogether, the restoration is expected to cost about $1 million and take three years to complete.
There's plenty of expensive work to be done.
From the roof to the bottom floor, all the interior woodwork from the late 1920s was recently removed. Four fireplaces, not rebuilt after the 1928 fire, are being reconstructed. The new roof with its architecturally correct "kick out" of the mid-1700s has been built. Bricks of the period were found for extensive reworking of damaged areas, including the sealing of later opening and the reopening of early sealings. Areas of the walls -- 18 inches thick at the base, a foot at the top -- needed repointing and repairing with period bricks. The original configuration of rooms, perhaps four down-four up, or three down-four up, is in the planning stage. Wiring, heating, air conditioning and plumbing will be installed. Best of all, Patton said, will be the reconstruction of interior woodwork.
"While we may not have the intact original fabric of the interior, what will be made by Larry Widgeon and his son, Shawn, (of Widgeon Builders Inc.) will be of such quality that people will want to come to see it. When I first looked at this house, I said to myself, 'This is a damn near impossible job to do.' I know of only one person who might be able to do it. I went to that person and said 'I will not undertake this unless you say you will come in.' That person was Larry Widgeon, the best of the best," Patton said.
Widgeon agreed to come on board. Working with other recognized experts, the house is quickly taking on the look of its former grand self. The only bit of visual documentation is a photo taken of the house in 1904.
"That's the only thing we have to show the early exterior," Patton said.
While nothing remained from the interior following the '28 fire, Patton and Widgeon have come across a bit of an architectural mystery, yet to be solved. Two pieces of pine paneling, perhaps from the 1700s, were found in the house as workers gutted it in preparation for restoration. It's been said they were removed from the Genesar House, maybe in the 1930s-40s. It may have been pieces left by thieves robbing Genesar and brought here to impart an authentic piece of the area's past to a house that had lost its own wooden soul by fire.
There's another mystery, too. Folks feel certain there is a graveyard somewhere near the house, yet to be found. According to oral tradition, it is somewhere on the west side of the house. Hopefully, Patton said, it wasn't unknowingly destroyed during site construction for the golf course.
There is also a rare surviving early example of a 12-by-15-foot "milk house" on site, also to be restored. Also to be restored is the adjoining brick kitchen, which may predate the house. There's plenty to do, Patton said, and success depends on the financial generosity of people yet to step forward.
"This is a wonderful opportunity to save one of the last unique unrestored 18th-century buildings in Worcester County. We need all the help we can get."
bstump@dmg.gannett.com
410-845-4653
