Community of Lisbon loses some of its 19th century past

Two houses in Lisbon, dating back to the early 1800s, were demolished Sept. 20. The historic houses were on a lot adjacent to the traffic circle at the intersection of Frederick Road (Route 144) and Route 94.

"The houses were built before the Civil War," said Michael Prosise, a history buff who lives in nearby Daisy Woods. "Now we have a big eye sore."

The Lisbon Hotel, across the street from the two houses, is now one of the last remaining buildings of historic significance in Lisbon, Prosise said. The two-story brick building was a way station for stagecoach and wagon travelers journeying on the Old Frederick Turnpike.

The log house, one of the two houses torn down, was built between 1805 and 1815 and was in "bad shape," according to Ken Short, architectural historian for Howard County Planning and Zoning. The other house, a frame and brick structure constructed in 1820, was in better condition, Short said. It is conjectured that the brick house may have been built to house work crews who were constructing the Old Frederick Turnpike-Route 144 which eventually was connected to the National Road, he said.

Talk that the brick house was the original home of Caleb Pancoast, credited with founding Lisbon, is not true, Short said.

According to the Maryland Historical Trust Web site, the Caleb Pancoast house was the first home built in what was then called New Lisbon, but that house fell victim to time in the 1950s and is no longer standing. Pancoast, a Quaker, welcomed all religious denominations into his home and allowed it to be used as a meeting house, according to the Web site. The house stood across the street from the property where the now demolished houses sat.

The property, where the houses were located, is owned by Gary Myers. Myers, a life long resident of Lisbon, said as a boy he cut the lawns of the two houses for the residents who previously lived in them.

He said the houses had become a liability for him because of their condition.

"Kids could go in there and get hurt, a wall might collapse," Myers said. Myers' business Myers Mini Barns sits behind the site of the demolished houses.

In January of 2006, Myers applied for a demolition permit to take down the houses. The permit was approved by the Howard County Historic District Commission and the Howard County Department of Planning and Zoning in October of 2007, said George Beiser, division chief of zoning administration and public services for the county,.

"I don't know why people didn't know this happened." Myers said.

According to Beiser, a permit for demolition was issued to Myers by the Department of Public Works, Sept. 5, 2008.

Beiser said the Historic District Commission determined the log house was "in deplorable condition and unsafe."

Some of the more well finished parts of the brick house were salvaged and are on display at the Howard County Historical Society Museum, Beiser said. Of particular interest is the corner cupboard, said Shelly Wygant, 1st vice president of the Howard County Historical Society.

"The top was closed up and when we opened it, there was an old honeycomb inside," she said.

Two years ago, Prosise said there was a public outcry when a service station was under consideration to be built at the location.

Hugh Flaherty, a member of the group Concerned Citizens of Western Howard County, recalled the community concern about the use of the property for a service station.

"I though this (the dispute) was still under protest. I was totally shocked the houses were torn down," he said.

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