Chesapeake Bay homes serve as examples of the rich cultural and historic structures that exemplify early American life on the Eastern Shore of Maryland, primarily in the towns of Easton, Oxford and Saint Michaels, Talbot County. There are also exceptional examples in Chestertown, Kent County.

Georgian 1700-1830

This was the dominant style in the English colonies from 1700 to 1780 and locally to 1830, named for four King Georges of England, They were classic formal structures of brick or stone, side gabled, one or two stories high, and one to two rooms deep. American versions were often made of wood with clapboards and fewer ornamental finishes. Georgian classicism was most heavily influence by Palladianism, a philosophy of design based on the writings and work of Andreas Palladio, an Italian architect of the 16th century who tried to recreate the style and proportions of the buildings of ancient Rome. Georgian homes are refined and symmetrical with paired chimneys and a decorative crown over the front door. Doors and windows were aligned vertically and horizontally in strict symmetry and never paned. Most feature an orderly row of five windows across the second story. The front doors were usually paneled and surrounded by twin columns and capped with a decorative crown and glass transom. Later versions added dormers and decorative features.
 
Federal (Adam) 1780-1840

The Federal style became very popular for both homes and commercial structures and it was based on the English neo-classic design. Realistically it is the Adam Period because it was a development and refinement of the Georgian style of the work produced by the fashionable architects, the Adam brothers in Scotland, and popularized by the wealthy class in or near the major American seaports. Look for a more stylistic design, often with attached wings of dependencies, that were curved or polygonal projections two or more rooms deep. Federal homes sport symmetrical facades with central entranceways and foyers. Sitting rooms and bedrooms lead off from these halls. An equal number of windows flank each side of the door and the windows tend to have small panes, owing to the difficulty of making large glass sheets at the time. The windows are usually equipped with shutters. Federal roofs, sometimes shielded behind balustrades, are either hipped (sloped on all four sides) or central or side gabled (straight slope from ridge to eave). Facades are fairly smooth, only broken up by small porches. Cornices usually sport decorations, often tooth-like shapes called dentils. Notable features changes were fan lights over the door, more elaborate details around the doors and windows and Palladian windows.
 
Early Classical Revival 1770-1830

Championed by Thomas Jefferson, this architectural style was a popular estate home as well as a model for public buildings. The most notable feature was a large entry (portico) dominating the façade, usually an elaborate porch supported with columns. Early Classical Revival houses usually had one story wings on each side, in the style of the Italian Renaissance Palladium concept (three part plan).
 
*Architectural historians argue that a true “Colonial” building must have been constructed before the American Revolution (1776). Any structure built afterwards is considered a “Colonial style.”