East New Market
Property Reports
3 Main Street
Leckie House (ca. 1797 or 1815)
An 1814 deed describes the property to the south as beginning at the SW corner of Jonathan Bunnell's Shop. Jonathan Bunnell is described as a coach and chaise maker in an 1805 deed and likely had a shop here at the time. He purchased the lot in 1796. A deed of 1832 for the property to the immediate south refers to a house here belonging to William McKeane. McKeane purchased the property in 1814. John B. Leckie bought the house from William McKeane in 1840 and members of his family lived here until 1902.
Notes from Kirk Hurley
Thomas Quincy Leckie was a local surveyor and was active in
local Democratic Party politics. He ascribed the names to the Streets in
the “Fletcher Subdivision”. “Leckie Street ” and “Bramble Street” are fairly
self explanatory but “Cleveland Street” was for President Grover Cleveland first
elected in 1884. He also plotted the road leading past what is now
“Trinity United Methodist Church” and named it “Grover Street”. This plat
is in the Md. Room of the Dorchester County Public Library.
It is also worth noting here that the earliest record of the East New Market
Town Picnic was held in 1884. This was to celebrate the election of
Grover Cleveland to the presidency for the first time and the “defeat” of
the Republican Party which was locally heavily supported by the
African-American population.