A TALE OF THE MANOR
Jun 27th, 2010 by wordpress
Great Oak Manor is rich in history dating back to the first recorded land grants. Lord Baltimore granted the land to Joshua Felton and Marmaduke Tylden in the 1600′s. The current Manor House was built in 1938 for the heir to the W. R. Grace shipping fortune. His name was Russell D’Oench, and Great Oak was to be his family’s private residence. Two years into the building of Great Oak, the architect, Douglas Braik, was awarded an Excellence in Maryland Architectural Award for creating Great Oak Manor’s 1700′s Georgian detail. A former grounds keeper for the D’Oench family told how Mr. D’Oench would fly in from business trips and buzz the house twice as a signal to the staff to drive the Packard into town to meet his plane. This commute got to be a little too much for the D’Oench family. In 1946 they moved back to Washington, selling Great Oak Manor (along with the surrounding 1200 acre farm) to a wealthy Ohio manufacturing executive, Mr. Frank Russell, owner and Chief Executive Officer of Rusco Storm Windows, Inc.
Mr. Russell had a vision to develop a private and very exclusive haven on the Upper Eastern Shore. The legend of Great Oak Farm & Lodge as one of this country’s finest sportsmen’s clubs was born. He invested mightily in recreational offerings including an eighteen hole golf course, four star restaurant and lounge, horses for the unskilled and skilled rider, duck and goose blinds for gunning, overnight lodging at the rustic Lodge, a fleet of water craft up to and including the 107′ motor yacht “Rusco” and a private airport for guest use on the premises. The Great Oak Farm & Lodge thrived well into the seventies. The Manor house was originally the Russell’s private residence with a total of twenty-six rooms, nine fireplaces, and eight baths in over 12,000 sq. ft. of living space. This afforded the Russell family ample space to entertain their prestigious guests. Notable guests of the time included Arthur Godfrey (a frequent visitor), Guy Lombardo, Robert Mitchum, and Jack Kennedy. After a hard day of sporting activities the gaming room on the Manor’s 3ri floor (The Russell Suite) served as a gathering place for a friendly game of cards or billiards. Rumor has it that entry stakes in one of these friendly games of cards could go as high as $10,000. After several unsuccessful attempts by the local sheriff to catch guests in these high stakes games, they finally succeeded, forcing Mr. Russell to spend thirty days in jail for these misdeeds. Undaunted by this moment of adversity, he instructed his staff to prepare his meals as usual, and deliver his meals to him in his new surroundings. They brought each of his meals hot from the estate into the town jail (three times a day) along with Manor place settings and Sterling flatware so as to make time away seem as civilized as possible. By the 70′s the clientele for such an exclusive club as Great Oak was dwindling. The Bay Bridge was whisking travelers to a bustling Atlantic seashore and jet travel expanded guests’ travel interest to more exotic and out of the way locations far from Great Oak. The lodge fell on hard times causing Mr. Russell to consider selling off Great Oak Farm and Lodge as parcels. In the process he even instructed his grounds men to cut down many of the mature Black Walnut trees on the grounds so as to raise working capital. A good-sized tree could easily bring in $5,000. Frank was looking for any creative means to keep his dream alive. In his quest for quick cash he failed to instruct his woodsman where Great Oak Manor ended and where trespassing began. This got him crossways with his neighbors as they watched in disbelief when then-beautiful trees became targets for the sawmills, bringing him very close to a return visit by the local sheriff.
By the mid-70′s the glory days of Great Oak Farm and Lodge where you could rub elbows with the power elite of DC and the glamour elite of LA was a thing of the past. The estate was sold off piecemeal. Even as diehard golfers were at play, nine of the eighteen holes of the golf course were plowed under for more profitable cash crops. Corn was fast becoming the most profitable industry on the Eastern Shore. The Manor House was abandoned for a time, and lay open to the weather. She became a private residence again for a short time only to be auctioned off to the highest bidder in the early 80′s. This gave rise to much speculation that the Manor was heading to a sad end through neglect like many of the fine estates of earlier times, just too much for a family to handle in such a far away location.
In 1983 a wealthy Philadelphia couple purchased for their Eastern Shore retreat the Manor and 12 acres of surrounding land. However, the lady of the duo would have nothing to do with such a place so far away from the Mainline. Necessity being the mother of most inventions, the husband decided (with the inspiration of a local enterprising real estate agent) to return the Manor to a form of its earlier glory. In 1984 Great Oak Manor opened for business as Great Oak Manor Bed and Breakfast under the ownership of a partnership group which went on to acquire six additional B & B’s in the surrounding area.. Just as Mr. Russell’s Great Oak of an earlier time catered to a high class clientele of corporate sportsmen so too did its Bed & Breakfast rendition. Indeed it thrived through the 80′s not only as an exclusive sporting retreat open now to the public but also as a romantic getaway for a growing legion of B&B patrons. In the early 1990′s the partnership had outlived its usefulness to the investors, and Great Oak Maor again began to suffer from neglect. It was for sale for two years during which time only minimal dollars were allotted for its upkeep. Visitors slowed to a trickle and its future loomed again as a major unknown.
About midway into this down turn Don & Diane Cantor discovered the Great Oak Manor. Their lives took a dramatic turn some 2000 miles away from Southern California. In 1992 after selling a California company in which Don had labored for the past 8 years, the future Innkeepers took off in their yacht to decide what to do next. They embarked on a quest of sorts. Namely an extended cruise up the intercoastal waterway from Florida to the Chesapeake Bay. Arriving in Chestertown in the fall of 1992, like many they couldn’t resist its magnetism. Don decided after thirty years of the corporate world with the phone ringing off the wall, he had enough. They saw some B&B’s along the waterway and thought maybe a small B&B (for Diane) attached to a small marina (for Don) would be a fulfilling business alternative. Fortunately there were no marinas that came along to steal their hearts. However they could not (thankfully) say the same thing about the B&B part of the idea. After a few outings with a local real estate agent, he suggested they try in his words, “a somewhat tired old manor house that needs some work” on the outskirts of Chestertown. After a few wrong turns he got them to the property and by the end of the day the Cantors were the proud owners of the “needs some work” B&B called Great Oak Manor. The strategy for success was simple in hindsight: bring it back to its former glory and use good old-fashioned owner occupied hands on management to see it through. The rest, as they say, is history.
Well, after nine years Don & Diane have taken their beautiful Labrador Beau to live in Chestertown with a view of the river and more time for friends and family. The Manor is once again a bright star thanks to the careful nurturing and loving care, restoration, and dedication of the Cantors. The Great Oak Manor is once more the Great Oak Manor of old, and serves its guest with unbridled comfort, and gracious living. Once more, nowhere on the “Bay” can a more beautiful, carefully restored Inn be found to rest your tired mind and sooth your weary bones.
The Cantor’s task, to find Great Oak Manor’s present Innkeepers, was not an easy one. They worried as to who would care for their beloved Manor House, and have the vision to see Great Oak Manor B&B into an uncertain future. Those fears have been put aside since your present Innkeepers, Cassandra and John Fedas; have quietly nursed the treasure that is Great Oak Manor onto a steady course.
These seaworthy travelers began their voyage in 1978, meeting in Marblehead Massachusetts. Cassandra visited one hundred and thirteen countries while flying for TWA International, but more importantly moved from New York City to Marblehead where she met fellow traveler John. She started her own historic restoration business in this quiet New England fishing village, designing and building fine homes and Country Inns while running a small B&B of her own, Cassandra never thought of leaving beautiful idyllic Marblehead. Alas, John and winter never did mix well, and his sailor’s heart yearned for the Chesapeake Bay and its temperate climate. Their now burgeoning Architectural and Design firm seemed mobile and the Bay beckoned. To the amazement of friends and family, off they sailed to Annapolis and the warmth of the city by the Bay. Could they ever be happier? Great Oak Manor lay only one hour by land and several by water but it would take ten years to find her. The Chester River drew John unerringly in, the Bay beckoned, and an overheard conversation in a local real estate office brought him to the driveway of what was left of Joshua Felton’s Great Oak Land Grant. It was love at first sight, (he tends to do that), and soon Cassandra asked… “Can we really buy this?” “I have always wanted to manage an Inn”. Cassandra’s philosophy….walk gentle in the Cantor’s footsteps, improve what they built, and care for the Great Oak Manor with the love this old house has earned. Give her quietly to the guest so that they may know her grace and charm. Keep her well for posterity, and enjoy the view.
