14. Cray House

CRAY HOUSE



This is the oldest house in Stevensville. John Denny purchased this lot from J. Stevens in 1809 and constructed both this house and the adjacent structure [See site 14].  A ship carpenter, Denny used an unusual post and plank construction method in which walls are formed by tenoning horizontal planks into mortices (slots) cut into vertical corner posts. The south portion of the house was added around 1842 by Mary E. Carville Legg. After a series of owners, it was sold at public auction in 1914 to Nora Cray, a widow who lived there with her three children. Her heirs deeded the property to The Kent Island Heritage Society in 1976. The house underwent extensive restoration and was rededicated in 2004. This house is on the National Register of Historic place. 


They Cray House is open for touring on the 1st Saturday of the month from April through November. For more details call 410-604-2100.