The Hotel Esther
The origins of what is now known as the Hotel Esther go back to Dr. Robert Naylor, a prominent English physician. He had graduated from Oxford cum laude with a medical degree and started his practice in Manchester, the city of his birth in 1830. Early on, his success as a physician had provided him with sufficient money to pursue his interest in the world of economics. His success was such that he became a “man of means” before he had reached the age of 30.
One of his enterprises was the purchase of the GREAT EASTERN, the famous cable-laying ship that had laid the original Atlantic telegraph cable in 1886
In the early 1880’s, he accepted a commission from the Victorian government to come to the United States and visit the coal mines of West Virginia to assess the working conditions and see how improvements could be made back home in the coal mines of Wales and other British mining operations.
When Dr. Naylor looked for a suitable place to set up residence in the United States, he saw an advertisement in a newspaper for a farm just north of Salisbury,Maryland. When he saw it, he immediately moved his whole family down here. The property was then known as Ruark’s Mill.
Dr. Naylor had intended to retire here but his reputation as a healer with the latest methods and medicines soon thwarted his plans. The farm that he turned “into a marvel of beauty” was the destination for people from all over the Eastern Shore. He even built a depot at the nearby Williams Switch for the many patients that would come to see him.
Whether it was because of the dire need for more modern care or whether it was a matter of a more convenient location, Dr. Naylor chose a small farm on the fringe of East Salisbury and in 1895 began construction of a 20-room facility. Using his own plans and supervising all the details of construction, he completed the mansion in a year. There is only conjecture that Dr. Naylor intended to make a hospital out of the main house, but there are reasons to believe that he did. The wide halls and doorways and the plan of the room layout could easily have accommodated patients. He died, however, in 1899, only three years after he moved there.
The Naylor heirs apparently decided to dispose of the mansion shortly after Dr. Naylor’s death. The residue of the acreage around the home was subdivided into lots alongTruitt St., Benny St. and Cole’s Circle.
It initially became a home for underprivileged children and shortly after was the first John B. Parsons Home for the Aged. Later, when the Parsons home was moved to its present location, the Naylor property was acquired by the Primitive Baptist Church and used for their members who were “were aged and dependent”.
The house was finally sold during the 2nd World War to accommodate the existing housing shortage. The owner turned it into rooms and apartments, and since his wife was named Esther, the name of Hotel Esther came into being and the dwelling is known by that name to this day.
George Cavalier, is Naylor St named after the good doctor?
ReplyDeleteI've always admired this once beautiful home. Too bad it's in a shady part of Salisbury. The one thing I did know about it, was when John Thanos was released from ECI this is where he moved to. It wasn't long before he went on his murder spree.
ReplyDeleteCool story.
ReplyDeleteHave always loved this property and thank you now for the history, you are a treasure
ReplyDeleteI lived there in the mid 70's for a few months.We had heat 365 days a year whether we needed it or not because the system was messed up and couldn't be shut off.There was artwork in the lobby depicting the history of the building.When I lived there every nook and cranny was rented out.Full house.$12 a week for the room I lived in.Great memories but not something worth repeating.
ReplyDeleteNaylor St. and Naylor Mill Rd. are both named after the good doctor,
ReplyDeleteVery nice story...thank you...
ReplyDeleteBack when Church Street was a very nice place to live, my Grand Parents lived there. Wilson, Virginia and my Aunt Gail Taylor. Pop Pop Taylor was the Fire Chief. My Great Grand Parents lived on Truitt Street. They were Virgil and I think her name was Zella Hitchens. He used to me a Mayor of Salisbury if my memory serves me correctly. I remember as a child, when my sister, cousin and myself visited my Grand Parents on Church Street. If we were lucky enough to have a few pennies, a nickel, dime or were rich and had a quarter, we were allowed to walk to the corner store on Naylor and Church Street and buy penny candy. We only had 2 streets to cross. I believe the first was Marshall Street and then Naylor Street. I don't know how the other neighbors knew, but by the time we got to Marshall Street, there was a friend's Mom, I think they were the Bozman family at the time, sitting on the porch to make sure we crossed the street safely and their children would join us. When we got to Naylor Street to cross, the oldest of us was in charge. We were always so afraid of passing Hotel Ester because we believed that it was a haunted house.
ReplyDelete12:19 what an wonderful memory, thank you for sharing.
ReplyDelete