EASTON — Standing in the foyer of Canterbury Manor in Easton, one’s eyes might dart straight out the window to the luscious green grounds that look out onto Trippe Creek.
Or their eyes might be drawn to the estate’s light and airy living room, which boasts a Steinway Piano from the 1920s, English furniture, and French and Dutch paintings. But no matter where the eye goes first, it’s undeniable that it won’t take long to feel drawn into the 1906 colonial revival style home.
For Easton resident Summer Parrish, it was the design of the kitchen — complete with French copper pots hanging above a big kitchen island — and the large but cozy-feeling butler’s pantry.
“Oh my gosh,” she said, talking about various parts of the house. “The flower arrangements that are in (the) sun porch and on the kitchen table are the most beautiful I’ve every seen in my entire life.”
Canterbury Manor was the second home Parrish and her family members, including her sister and mother, toured on the Saturday of Mother’s Day weekend. The Talbot County tour is part of the Maryland House and Garden Pilgrimage, which was started in 1937. Proceeds go toward the preservation and restoration of historically significant properties in the state.
Parrish’s mother, Hope Leuchter, said comparing the first home they visited — a 1928 two-and-a-half story central brick mansion called Ellenborough — to Canterbury Manor is like comparing apples and oranges.
“The first one has the most magnificent trees,” Leuchter said. “And if you’re crazy for trees and their botanical names and love their lore, that would have been it. Here (at Canterbury Manor), the artistry, the effectiveness of colors and choices. The home is beyond words beautiful.”
Every two years, the pilgrimage brings Marylanders from all over the state to ooh and aah at historic architecture, grand gardens and fragrant floral arrangements in Talbot County. Most of the flowers in the arrangements are from the gardens of Talbot County Garden Club members.
The money raised from the Talbot County tour “by and large” stays in the county, Talbot tour co-chair Kim Eckert said. This year, the Talbot County Garden Club, which organizes the tour, chose to put proceeds toward Scotts United Methodist Church and St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, both in Trappe.
“We wanted to focus on houses in Trappe, and we thought the best thing to do was to put the money back into Trappe,” Eckert said.
The funds raised from the tour will go toward fully fixing and preserving both of the more than 250-year-old churches. Eckert said Lane Engineering and McHale Landscape Design both donated or discounted services to help make this possible. She said the Garden Club will even have some money left over to put toward other projects, such as the Talbot Historical Society gardens.
Along with Canterbury Manor and Ellenborough, tour-goers also had the opportunity to visit Easton’s 219 S. Hanson St. and Trappe’s Chloras Point Farm, Ferry Farm House, Trappe Landing Farm and Lloyds Landing.
“You get a really neat collection of Talbot County’s homes, from the grand estates to the regular, beautiful farm homes,” said Jack Thompson, executive director of the Maryland House and Garden Pilgrimage.
At Lloyds Landing, an 18th century house on the Choptank River in Trappe, Sherwood resident Kevin Carnahan took in the history of the property. The house, erected between 1720 and 1730, is one of the only eight remaining structures from that era in the county.
“They all have a lot of history,” Carnahan said about the four homes he had visited so far. “But this one in particular.”
Montgomery County resident Lynn Konefal talked about the pieces of history in the house, like the old family photos hanging on the walls.
And even though it’s one of the oldest structures in the county, Lloyds Landing was built with air conditioning and heat in mind, Eckert said.
“Based on how the roof is pitched and how it’s located to the Choptank,” she said. “It’s mind-boggling to me that they designed all that in 1729.”
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