“A House of Reconciliation”

With origins dating to the late 18th century, this handsome brick house was originally built by Joseph Harrison as a tavern. Since then, it has worn many hats: it was the town’s first post office, a post-civil war doctor’s office, a bed & breakfast, and a private home. It was expanded in 1872 by Sarah Louisa Auld Bruff. In 1878, it became the residence of Dr. Robert Dodson, whose name it still carries.

But its most famous story unfolded in 1877, when Frederick Douglass returned to St. Michaels and met here with his former enslaver, Captain Thomas Auld. Their conversation of forgiveness and reconciliation makes this house a landmark in the town’s — and the nation’s — history. When Douglas visited the residence, he was welcomed through the formal entrance, marking the first time a black man had entered through the front door of a white man’s house in Saint Michaels as an honored guest.

Look closely at the brickwork and you’ll see seams between the original 1800 tavern and the 1872 addition, telling the story of how the house, like the town itself, grew and changed through the centuries. The distinct sections unwittingly nod to a house reconciled.

Today, it stands as one of the best-preserved examples of early brick architecture in St. Michaels and a witness to the town’s layered past. Situated on the corner of Cherry and Locust Streets, its stately architecture is an iconic location within the Saint Michaels Historic District.