On January 1st of 1809, a 20-year-old penniless Carlisle native by the name of Andrew Blair hired on for three months for the sum of $9 per month with Joseph Hays, a tanner and currier at 148 South Hanover Street. The 1st of April, he was hired again for twelve months at $12 a month and was made manager of the tanning yard. One year later, he entered a three-year partnership with Hays and fell in love with and married Joseph Hays’ daughter on March 31, 1812. With his successful management of the business, he borrowed $8000 in 1813 to purchase over 21,000 square feet of the Hanover Street land from Hays.

Thirteen years later, in 1826, he took down the small building in which they lived and for a bit more than $3000, built the Federal-style home which is today called the Carlisle House. The Victorian features, such as the front window pediments, stairway curlicues and fancy newel posts were added in the 1880s by the family of Anna Woods, the succeeding owners. In 1927, William and Jessie Ewing moved their family home and business from West High Street to this home.

Our inn is actually two adjoining homes, the older built in 1826 and the newer in 1884. The first map to which roll at the top of this page is a map of significant properties in Carlisle which was produced for a display marker on the town Square. The “Blair House” is marked as one which no longer exists, and may be the small building referred to above.

The second map was apparently produced in 1884 when the German Reformed Church had moved from its location and the property had been subdivided and sold on. The northern half of the property had been constructed, but the southern half is still shown as an empty lot.

The third map is extracted from the Sanborn map of 1885, which was actually slightly out of date. The Blair House was now owned by William Sterrett Woods, but the lot immediately north which had been shown as empty on the previous map was purchased by David Bailey on February 7, 1884, for $125. It became 144 and 146 South Hanover Street (146 was the nine-foot wide by seventy-foot long first-floor section which now houses our office, and was the present structure which has housed many businesses including a steam laundry, tin wares shop, undertaker, doctor, confectioner and tailor). In the 1940’s the Ewings purchased the property and for some time it was interconnected with 148. Sometime later the two doorways were bricked up and were re-opened in 2005 as part of the new, expanded Carlisle House Bed and Breakfast.

In 1915, another Sanborn Map was issued – these were all for fire insurance purposes by the way – and this clearly shows that Hanover Street is now fully built up, and that the carriage house behind the Carlisle House is there in its current footprint. The fifth and final map shows the Carlisle House Bed and Breakfast as it is today, restored, re-roofed, and the pride of South Hanover Street!

We look forward to hosting you at our property, and to introducing you to all the features of Carlisle, both Historic and Modern.