Town of Somerset, Chevy Chase, Maryland

The Somerset Historic District

Martin House - c. 1902

This turn of the century 2-1/2 story standardized, foursquare, clapboard house has a front-gable with dropped hip roof. It was built by Canadian father and son Richard and William Ough probably in 1902, but certainly before 1904. It was identical to the houses either side of it when it was built, but now looks somewhat different: it underwent extensive renovations in 1987 when the house was extended on the south side and the front porch was wrapped around that side, and a rear addition was built.

The house was built for Miles Fuller, one of the founders of the Town of Somerset, who died in 1902. In September 1904 his widow, Mrs. Nora Fuller, sold it to Charles S. Moore for the sum of $2,450. Mr. Moore was to serve as Mayor of Somerset from 1916 to 1919. Mr. Moore sold the home to Frank P. and Bessie Dudley in July 1917. It is likely that the Dudleys rented it for a while before purchasing because Mr. Moore moved to the house two doors away in 1910. Mr. Dudley worked as a quartermaster in the Navy Yard.

When the Dudleys lived here, they took on the task of watching the gauge mounted on the side of the water tank which was located across the street. Seventy years later, Henry Dudley helped locate exactly where the water tower and wells were since "he and his brother Frank went down the hill at all hours to start the gasoline motor to pump the water up the hill to the tower. His father was a plumber and paid by the town to keep the pump working."[1]

The house changed hands in August 1918 when Robert and L. Celeste Candor purchased it. In 1923 they sold it to Ambrose and Mary McDermott. Because Mrs. McDermott was crippled by arthritis she had a bedroom downstairs. She loved children and handed out candy liberally to the neighborhood children. Mr. McDermott died in 1943 and Mrs. McDermott lived out her remaining years in the Home for Incurables in Washington.

The house was sold in June 1950 to Lealon Martin Jr. and his wife Lucile who were to live in it for more than 30 years. In the late 1980's, Mr. Christopher Cross and his wife, DeeDee, bought the home. Mrs. Cross' son, Charlie, also lived with them. The Cross' undertook extensive renovations and additions to the property.

Mr. Cross had a distinguished career in the education field serving as Assistant Secretary of Education in the George H. W. Bush administration, and then as president of the Washington, D.C. based Council for Basic Education, which advocates high academic standards. He also served as president of the Maryland State Board of Education. Mrs. Cross was a staff member with the International Monetary Fund and a talented photographer. They sold the house to the present owners on moving to California in 2001.

[1] William Offutt, "Bethesda: A social history of the area through world war two," 1995, p.235.