Perhaps the most famous home associated with the Scrivener Family is Holly Hill in the Friendship area of southern Anne Arundel County. The Scriveners called their home Rose Valley, but the house had a long history before the Scriveners acquired it.
Originally constructed in about 1698, Holly Hill or Holland's Hill was a two-room, one-and-a-half story frame dwelling probably built by Richard Harrison (a wealthy Quaker planter) for his son, Samuel. An addition was made in 1713 and about 1730, the whole structure was encased in brick and another addition made. It is one of the few extant examples of the Medieval Transitional style of architecture. Inside, original floors and paneling are still visible as well as an early 18th century mural that shows the house and grounds.
The house remained in the Harrison family until the 1850's, when William Boswell Scrivener bought it for his bride, Sarah Jane Barber. William and Sarah raised their family of five sons and five daughters at Rose Valley. After William's death in 1895, his son Frederick managed the house and farm. The photo below shows Sarah with three sons and three daughters at Rose Valley about 1905. My great-grandfather, Frank Phillip Scrivener, is standing behind his mother. The other man in the hat is Frederick Scrivener and his brother Kent is standing next to him.
In the late 1930's Fred and his wife, Annie, feeling the effects of the Depression, sold the house to Captain and Mrs. Hugh LeClair who did extensive renovations. The photo below shows Rose Valley about 1935.
Holly Hill was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1971.
The Library of Congress houses an excellent collection of photographs of Holly Hill made for the Historic American Buildings survey in 1937 which highlights some of the unique architectural features of the home.
https://www.loc.gov/resource/hhh.md0412.photos?st=gallery.
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