Harry C. Darby built this home in 1921 following the success of his store front (built in 1910) next door.
From the MD Historical Society: “The property on which the Darby store and house stand was part of the Brewer farm in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. In the mid-1800’s the Brewers built a store and blacksmith shop on the northwest corner of the intersection. In 1891, the Allnutts acquired the farm and the commercial properties, which included a post office. In 1908, when Harry C. Darby bought some 27 acres, he tore down the existing buildings (including a gristmill built by George A. Staub, who built the Staub building) to build a larger commercial outlet. In the 1920’s and 1930’s the residents of nearby communities and farms shopped regularly at the Darby Store. In 1954 Harry C. Darby’s widow sold the store to their son, H. Dunbar Darby, who closed it in 1974, when he retired.”
