Henry R. Bennett

24234 Mary Street, Parksley, VA

1890 | Residence | Undetermined

“Minerva Parker architect, 14 South Broad Street, has made plans for a brick and shingle house, two-and-a-half stories high, for Henry R. Bennett, Parksley, Va., to have hard-wood finish, wood mantels, open fire-place, and all modern improvements.” (July 2, 1890)

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Minerva’s mother Amanda was an early stakeholder in the Parksley Land and Improvement Company, which sought to develop Parksley, Virginia as a railroad town on the Eastern Shore of Virginia. It is unclear how Amanda learned of the company, but several of the lead investors had Philadelphia ties, which may explain the connection. In February 1885, she purchased 130 shares in the company. A few years later, the company began hiring Minerva for multiple commissions (see also: this hotel project and these speculative residences).

Henry Bennett was one of the lead investors in the company. It is unclear if the commission advertised in the July 2 edition of the Philadelphia Real Estate Record and Builders Guide refers to a company project or a house specifically for Bennett.

However, research suggests that this house and Minerva’s other commissions in Parksley may not have been built: she did not mention these projects again, after their initial announcements. (Typically, she advertised her projects at multiple points in the design/construction process.) In the unlikely event that they were, a devastating fire broke out in 1896 in the commercial core of Parksley. In the aftermath of the fire, much of the town was rebuilt and developed after 1900.

— Research by Bill Whitaker