Hager's House at Hager's Fancy

By Molly Mishler

Hager’s Fancy, more well known has Hager House, was built in 1739 by Jonathan Hager. He was a German immigrant who came to America in 1739 aboard the ship Harle with 387 other passengers. After he arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, he decided to settle in the area between the Blue Ridge and Alleghany mountains where Hager House is now. He bought 200 acres of land from Daniel Dulaney for 44 pounds, which is equivalent to $4,522 today.

The house today is located on 110 Key Street in Hagerstown, Maryland. It is a two-story house that sits on a stone foundation with walls that are two feet thick. He built the house over a stream of fresh water and two natural springs, which helped the inside stay cool during the summer. During the winter, the house had a single, central chimney so that it kept the entire house warm. The stone foundation itself also served as protection against attacks from Indians during that time. The layout of the house included a kitchen, parlor, and storage room on the first floor, with two bedrooms on the second floor. It had an attic, and in the cellar there were three rooms and a large Dutch door on the front side. The house also served as a trading post while the town around it started to grow.

Jonathan Hager played an important role during the French and Indian War, and ended up obtaining the rank of Captain. He became the first American that was born in Germany to hold a legislative seat as the Delegate to the General Assembly of the Providence of Maryland. One of his children, Jonathan Hager Jr, served in the Revolutionary War. His daughter, Elizabeth, married General Daniel Heister Jr, who had been elected to Congress three times. The location of the house was very close to the boundary between the British territory and the French territory during the French and Indian War, which is the reason that Hager House, and other houses in that area, were built on top of springs with stone cellars underneath since it helped pro,tect against Indian attacks if they did occur.

Hager sold the house to Jacob Rohrer after living in it for five years. Some additions were added to the house, and it stayed in the Rohrer family until 1944. The Washington County Historical Society, led by President Mary Vernon Mish, then looked to the City of Hagerstown to obtain funding to purchase the house. They were able to purchase the house and surrounding land, plus one acre that was right in front of the house. A plan was then created to restore the house to how it originally was in 1739. They also received furnishings through donation that would fit that time period. Finally, after lots of problems along the way, the project was completed in 1962, which was also the same year as Hagerstown’s bicentennial year.

Today, the Hager House is the oldest building still standing in Hagerstown and serves as a museum for people to come and visit. It is still complete with the time-period furnishings that were donated when it was restored, as well as some artifacts. There are guided tours available, as well as a haunted tour.

“17. Historic American Buildings Survey February, 1953 a Preliminary Drawing for the Jonathan Hager House Restoration – Jonathan Hager House (Foundation), Hagerstown, Washington County, MD.” Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/pictures/collection/hh/item/md0715.photos.084986p/

“120 – Hager's Fancy, circa 1739, Hagerstown, MD.” Washington County Historical Trust, https://washingtoncountyhistoricaltrust.org/120-hagers-fancy-circa-1739-hagerstown-md/

Jonathan Hager House Museum.” Hagerstown, MD Official Website, https://www.hagerstownmd.org/309/Jonathan-Hager-House-Museum

Hill, Ann & James, Pamela. “National Register of Historic Places Inventory – Nomination Form.” United States Department of the Interior – National Parks Service, Aug. 1973, https://mht.maryland.gov/secure/medusa/PDF/NR_PDFs/NR-256.pdf

Holman, Heather. “1739 – Hager’s Fancy.” Historic City Park, 22 Feb. 2013, http://www.historiccitypark.com/1265/1739-jonathan-hager/