Town's charm is easy sell

The Baltimore Sun

When Jeff and Cynthia Lewis first saw the dilapidated Taneytown property in photographs three years ago, they believed it needed to be saved.

Inside, the ceiling was crumbling and the entire structure needed upgrading. But Jeff Lewis said he was up for the challenge.

"I bought the building for $170,000, sight unseen, with the intention of fixing it up on a part-time basis," said Lewis, 51, of Fort Myers, Fla. "The location and the town were perfect. Taneytown still has the historic fabric laced in the community."

After spending three years, and more than $500,000, the Lewises opened The Cherry Tree Shoppe in the building. They have turned it into a boutique that carries new, old and vintage gift items ranging from handmade purses and jewelry, to shoes, plaques, signs, shawls, homemade quilts, and furniture.

The Lewises aren't the only new tenants in Taneytown, said Nancy McCormick, director of economic development for the town.

"The Cherry Tree Shoppe is one of a wonderful resurgence of quality businesses that have opened in Taneytown in the past year," McCormick said.

Other shops that have opened recently in Taneytown include: Pristine Antiques and Collectibles, East Baltimore Market, Pampered Lady Spa, and Piccadilly's Tearoom, the Red Hat Bazaar and BEI Collectibles.

The town hasn't always bustled with activity, she said. When she came to Taneytown in 1995, she said the town faced challenges.

"People told me that Taneytown would be a ghost town in five years," McCormick said.

But in a few short years the town has undergone a transformation, she said.

There has been a surge of new residents - mostly baby boomers - who have moved into the area, she said. And business owners like the character of the town, she said.

"The new business owners know they are on the ground floor of something wonderful," McCormick said. "This town has its problems like any other town, but it's a neat little place. People wave at you when you go by - whether they know you or not. Our town motto is: 'We're a small town with a big heart.'"

The idea to open the shop in Taneytown came because of the Lewis' history in the area - they attended Westminster High School together. At age 19, they married and moved to Florida in a Volkswagen minibus, and didn't come back.

"I tell people I live in paradise in Fort Myers," Lewis said. "And I live in heaven in Taneytown."

Life in Florida evolved from living in a tent to owning Bralew Construction, a company that employs about 200 people, he said.

Lewis said he and his wife planned to retire and restore the building, which they will use as a northern getaway. But Cynthia, his wife of 32 years, and Sandi Miller, who introduced the couple in high school, got involved. Miller became the store manager. She left a job at McDaniel College as the special events coordinator for the president and development offices.

The two women wanted to open the store immediately, he said.

"We wanted a place that would enhance the history of this great old town, but also something that would enable older generations to tell its story to future generations. We wanted a shop that would create curiosities," Jeff Lewis said.

The first step was to research the history of the shop, he said, pulling out a folder filled with old newspaper clippings and other documents. What he found was incredible, he said.

Before 1798, the Adam Good Tavern was on the site, he said. In a drawing of the tavern around that time, there was a sign that read, "Adam Good Tavern: A Damn Good Tavern Entertainment for Man and Beast."

And George and Martha Washington were said to have dined at the tavern, he said, taking out a document that contained a journal entry written by George Washington in 1791.

It read: "I set off this morning a little after four o'clock in the prosecution of my journey towards Philadelphia - lodged in Taneytown. Taneytown is but a small place with only the street through which the road passes, the buildings are principally of wood."

Below the entry it is written: "Local tradition states that Mrs. Washington was traveling with him in a coach, and that they ate a dinner of mush and milk at the Adam Good Tavern."

The tavern was torn down and replaced with a house built by Norman Hagan between 1840 and 1860, Lewis said.

A bowling alley was opened in the back in the 1930s.

"We found bowling balls in the wall," Lewis said. "And some items were original, such as the wallpaper and the floorings."

Despite the changes, the house is a sight to see, Miller said.

"I feel like we've made the house smile - and come to life again," she said.

Like the tavern, the house has some legends of its own, Jeff Lewis said.

Norman Hagan's daughter, Anna, died in the house on her wedding day of a heart attack, he said.

"We believe there is a spirit of Anna's ghost in the building," he said. "But whatever is here is friendly."

Once the renovation was completed, the Lewises commissioned John Stewart, a local artist, to create a mural in the shop to document the history, Jeff Lewis said.

The 270-foot mural cost more than $20,000 and took Stewart about 523 hours to paint.

It wraps around the main shop area and includes panels depicting the battles of Gettysburg, George Washington's prayer at Valley Forge, Abraham Lincoln in a caboose in Gettysburg, the Adam Good Tavern, the Hagan's in front of the building, the town mill and a portrait of Joseph Adelsperger, the first mayor of Taneytown.

"The mural is my mark," Jeff Lewis said. "It records pieces of history, and people will enjoy it for generations to come."

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