This is Teackle Mansion, currently home of the Somerset county Historical Society. Over two centuries old, the house’s first brick was laid in 1802. The full 20 rooms of the mansion weren’t finished for 17 years, but at that time it was one of the largest buildings on the eastern shore, and was most certainly a symbol of the wealth of the Teackles.
The home was also the setting for the book, The Entailed Hat, by George Alfred Townsend. The book is largely about Patty Cannon, a woman who kidnapped free black men from the eastern shore in the early 19th centry to sell them into slavery in the south. The book is supposed to represent an accurate portrayal of life around Princess Anne at the time, but it comes with a warning that it also offers an accurate representation of the racist attitudes and perceptions of its time.
3 responses so far ↓
1 Jess // Oct 6, 2009 at 11:53 AM
What is an entailed hat?
2 Gump // Oct 7, 2009 at 9:44 AM
If I had to take I blind guess I would say it’s a hat that is passed from generation to generation. That’s generally how I’ve seen “entail” used.
3 Jess // Oct 9, 2009 at 6:05 PM
Ah, like the sisterhood of the traveling pants.
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