The Log Cabin at 417 Jonathan Street
Richard O. Davis lived at 417 Jonathan Street until an accident in October of 2018 condemned his home. The house did not suffer demolition because demolition experts Joel and Josh Merrbaugh saw the underlying log structure and decided to investigate further.
In the meantime, efforts to save a different house on Jonathan Street had not succeeded, but had rallied community organizers determined to preserve remaining buildings important to the heritage of this neighborhood.
In 2020 Preservation Maryland puchased the property and worked with Western Maryland Community Development Corporation, the city of Hagerstown, Maryland Department of Transportation and State Highway Administration and Habitat for Humanity to preserve the historic building in a way that would serve the interests of the Jonathan Street community.
Also see Preservation Maryland's account of the historical ownership of the cabin, "Forgotten Hagerstown History on Jonathan Street."
Reggie Turner and Tereance Moore talked with HCC faculty recently about collaborating with Preservation Maryland and the central role they hope the refurbished cabin—now the Richard O. Davis Homestead—will play in the revitalization of the historic Jonathan Street neighborhood.
Out of the Past: The Log Cabin on Jonathan Street