Our History
In the seventeenth century, the neighborhood now known as Lindamoor on the Severn was a fruit orchard and tobacco farm. In 1899, the home that stands at 1841 Cove Point Road was named for its owner, Linda Moore Combs. In 1947, the Lindamoor on the Severn subdivision was established. In 1971, the Lindamoor Improvement Association was formed.
Porter's Hill
On November 20, 1651, the land between what are now known as Weems Creek and Luce Creek was surveyed as two tracts. One 320-acre tract between Weems Creek and Cove of Cork was surveyed for and, on January 5, 1658, patented to James Warner for having transported himself, his wife, Joan, his daughter, Joan, and a servant, John Mathew, to Maryland. The other 200-acre tract between Cove of Cork and Luce Creek was surveyed for Peter Porter for having transported himself and his wife, Frances, to Maryland. Eight months later, on September 10, 1659, Porter's Hill was patented to Peter Porter's son, also named Peter Porter. Porter's Hill extended to about 1,200 yards from the Severn River, about where Dubois Road is now.​
Cove of Cork Farm
On April 10, 1662, Peter Porter sold Porter's Hill to Samuel Howard, who came to the Severn from Virginia. Samuel Howard married Catherine Warner, one of James Warner's daughters. Through her, Samuel inherited James' 320 acres. Samuel now owned 520 acres between Weems Creek and Luce Creek, and called the entire tract Porter's Hill.​
When Samuel died in 1703, his property and its various parts passed through his son, his grandsons, and his great-grandsons. In 1765, 236 acres between Luce Creek and the Cove of Cork were sold to John Davidge. They passed through a series of owners until they were purchased in 1803 by Samuel Harvey Howard, a likely descendant of the original Samuel Howard. During the 35 years that Samuel Harvey Howard held Porter's Hill, it came to be called Cove of Cork Farm.
Wells, Melvin & Dubois
In 1838, Samuel Harvey Howard suffered a mental illness, and his property was sold by his appointed trustee. In 1846, through a series of transactions, Porter's Hill was conveyed to George Wells. Like some of Porter's Hill's earlier owners, George Wells was a prominent Annapolitan and president of Farmers Bank. An 1860 map of Anne Arundel County by Simon J. Martenet shows one house between Weems Creek and Luce Creek, labeled "Geo. Wells."
​In 1877, Wells was forced to convey all of his land in Annapolis and Anne Arundel County to Farmers Bank to secure notes. In 1878, Farmers Bank foreclosed and gained possession of Cove of Cork Farm (or "Waterloo") and all the personal property thereon. In 1884, Farmers sold a lot that was approximately equal to what is now Lindamoor's Plat 1. In 1891, Farmers sold and mortgaged the remainder of Wells' property to George Melvin: 711.78 acres at a price of $30 per acre. As a condition of the sale, Melvin built a bridge across Weems Creek. The road leading across the bridge and on to Luce Creek was called West Annapolis Avenue, but is now known as Ridgely.
​While George Melvin intended to develop the property as Melvin's Garden Farms—consisting of lots two acres and larger—his plans did not pan out. By 1895, much of the land was subject to a forced sale by Farmers Bank. By then, the lot that had been sold in 1884 had also been reclaimed by Farmers and sold to Charles A. Dubois, an oyster packer and future (1901) Mayor of Annapolis. This lot was sold a few more times until 1898, when Linda A. Combs, wife of W.A. Combs of Chicago, bought the property.
The Combs Family
​In 1899, the Combs installed the gateposts and built the house that, with some modifications, still stands at 1841 Cove Point Road. The homestead was named Lindamoor after Mrs. Combs' maiden name, Linda Moore. In 1909, the Combs deeded one acre on the Severn to their daughter, Nancy. Nancy and her husband, Dr. Harry Rue, a dental surgeon from Baltimore, built the house that still stands, with renovations, at 1832 Cove Point Road. By 1911, the Combs had expanded their land holdings to just over 40 acres, which included all the land in present-day Lindamoor. In 1918, they sold the estate in its entirety, including both Cove Point Road homes. It was again sold in 1924 to Gustave and Helena Fast.
Who Was Linda Moore?
The Lindamoor home, as it came to be called, was named for its owner, Linda Moore Combs. She and her husband, Will A. Combs, a "capable and energetic railroad man," arrived in Annapolis from Chicago in the late 1800s. The family home was completed in 1899, and housed Mr. and Mrs. Combs, their three children, and Mrs. Combs' parents, Charles and Cynthia Moore.​After their estate was sold in 1918, the Combs family moved to Los Angeles with their oldest daughter, Nancy Rue, and Nancy's two young children. Nancy's husband, Dr. Harry Rue, returned to Baltimore. The Rues later divorced. In 1927, Linda Moore Combs passed away in California.
Lindamoor on the Severn Subdivision
After Gustave Fast died intestate in 1946, his heirs agreed to sell Lindamoor for $60,000 to John S. and Marguerite C. Duvall, Reginald T. and Mildred B. Jones, Philip H. and Helen J. Ross, and James L. and Dorothy M. Purdy. In 1947, this group had the land subdivided and drawn in two plats under the name Lindamoor on the Severn. The deeds for all of the lots on Plats 1 and 2 can be traced to them.
The first homes in the new Lindamoor subdivision were built in 1948 and 1949 at 35, 39, 51, and 1849 Carriage Drive. At that time, a pony gamboled in the small orchard opposite number 39. Development along Woodlawn Drive, later renamed Lindamoor Drive, came several years later. This resulted in the nominal distinction between "Old Lindamoor" and "New Lindamoor," although homes continued to be built in both sections during the next two decades and beyond.​
The original Sleepy Hollow Lane extended to the shore of the Cove of Cork. As the head of the cove filled with silt and the water line receded, several neighbors built a walkway and pier to compensate. Over the years, the pier was extended to keep up with the receding shoreline; eventually, it reached its current configuration.