The name, Bohemia, which appears frequently in Cecil County, is associated with Augustine Hermen who came to this country from Bohemia, and then became Czechoslovakia. His holdings included the land on which the house "Bohemia" now stands.

Bohemia, on the State Road before crossing the Bohemia River, stands on a slight eminence by the south shore of the Bohemia River, opposite the junction of its two branches. The original grant was made in 1695 to Hugh McGregory of Cecil County. His son, Joseph, sold the land, then called "McGregory's Delight", in 1740, to Colonel John Baldwin. According to the approximate date of 1745, set as a building time, the present house was erected by this gentleman. He deeded it to his daughter, Catherine, who married George Milligan, of Chestertown, and for many years it was known as Milligan Hall.

The property later passed to the following families: Knight, McLane, Este Fisher and in 1967, Mr. and Mrs. W. Harrison Mechling.

Sometimes called "Little Bohemia," this estate was once the home of Louis McLane, member of the Delaware House of Representatives (1817-1827), Minister to England (1829-1831), (1845-1846), Secretary of the Treasury (1831-1833), Secretary of State (1833-1834). Mr. McLane was sent by President Polk on a mission to England during the Oregon Negotiations. Later he was president of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad from 1837 to 1847 and delegate to the Reform Convention at Annapolis (1850-1851). His son, Robert Milligan McLane, became minister to China, Mexico and France, and later Governor of Maryland. The picture of Little Bohemia show the house with a lovely brick wall and archway leading to the garden. An old sun dial adds to its charm. The house was said (in 1949) to be about 240 years old.

The Georgian residence with its hip roof stands in a grove of tall trees and is surrounded by boxwood gardens. From the north side, lawn and fields slope gently to the river shore.

The main part of the two story house is of brick construction, the bricks reportedly having been made on the farm. At least four different bonds can be observed in the walls of the house, but the most interesting is the all-header bond on the land side. The use of this bond results in an unusally attractive facade.

Aboce the doors on both the land and river sides are Palladian windows and above each of these is a small circular window giving light to the large attic. A wing to the east, although originally brick, is now finished with clapboards. To this has been added a one-story kitchen.

Of the interior features, the most spectacular is the staircase with its Chinese chipendale balustrade of twenty panels, no two being identical in design. The staircase is constructed without visible support, yet so clever is its design that it is far steadier than many stairways of modern construction.

Elaborate moldings and cornices in the two-story hall and in several rooms on the first floor are of plaster. They are attributed to an indentured French craftsman who earned his freedom upon completion of this work.

According to tradition, distinguished guests included Benjamin Franklin and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. It is said that the poet was inspired to write "The Old Clock On The Stairs" while visiting Bohemia.

Washington Irving may also have stopped here, since he and Mr. McLane were good friends both in England and America. One of Irving's letters to his brother Peter speaks of going to Mr. McLane's home in Washington and of seeing his three oldest children. Certainly Van Buren was a visitor, for he writes in a letter to J. A. Hamilton, son of Alexander Hamilton, dated Washington, July 18, 1829, "I shall leave here for McLanes on Monday morning."

Much of this information on the Homes of the Parish Area was taken from a commemoration booklet for the Two Hundred and Seventy-Fifth Anniversary of St. Stephen's Episcopal Church in Earleville, Maryland.

Last updated: January 22, 2002.