Seller Story: Fran Ruchman, Annapolis, MD
“Severn Side Farm has been our family’s home for 20 years, however its history dates back to the 1840s. On the north shore of the Severn River overlooking Maryland’s capital city, the property was originally built by Jacob Winchester, who was granted 1,500 acres on the river upon his marriage in 1832 to Mary Ridout, the daughter of a prominent Annapolis family. They went on to have ten children before Winchester’s death during the time of The Civil War. After that, Mary ran the farm alone for 30 years until her death in the 1890s — isn’t that something? In the late 1920s, the home was purchased by the Rich family, and in 1997 I bought it from Mr. Rich’s daughter.
There are six bedrooms, all connected, and everyone gets a bathroom and a waterfront view. The kitchen used to be an old cookhouse, and there’s a ballroom that was a 1920s addition. My friends tease me and call it “Fran’s Estate” and I just hate that. It’s just an old farm house! And if you would have seen it when I first bought it, you would not be calling it a mansion. Maintaining 30 acres means you work every day. Every day. But you have to love it, and over the years we put a lot of work into the house. It has been a great place to raise a family–it’s right on the water with a tennis court, a swimming pool, and a great location. We host the afterparty for the Hospice Cup. It’s a sailboat race that we can watch from the house. Severn Side Farm has seen a lot of parties, a lot of celebrations, weddings and fundraisers. I’m hoping I can walk away and not look back, as I move onto my next party.” –Fran Ruchman


Antique Hand Cranked Portable Sewing Machine with Case

2000 Jaguar XK8 Black Convertible

Four Columbian Exposition Silver Half-Dollars

Vintage Kittinger Desk

Antique Louis Vuitton Steamer Trunk

Bamboo Bench with Woven Cane Seat

Whimsical Claire Murray Hooked Area Rug

2002 Tacar 22 Foot Launch With Trailer


Yogi Berra Signed Baseball

Vintage Cross English Riding Saddle

Hand Knotted Floral Herati Area Rug

Collection of Copper Clad Cookware

Antique Leonard's "Polar King" Ice Box

Metal and Die Cast Tractor Toys Including Hubley

Linda Kyser Smith Oil on Board Painting

Vintage Canvas Covered Mahogany Rowboat

Hand Knotted Pakistani Tekke Bokhara Carpet Runner

New Holland 1725 Diesel Compact Tractor

Meg Mercier Signed Limited Edition The Island Collection Prints

Antique Louis Vuitton Suitcase

Vintage Tiffany Style Tulip Hanging Light

Vintage Mahogany Grandfather Clock By Colonial Manufacturing

Blue Corduroy Pillowback Swivel Chair

Antique Pottery Jug

Balloon Back Parlor Chair

Antique Wooden Three Panel Room Divider

Prints From Civil War Era

Adams Tunstall Dark Blue Jasperware Bowl

Gerald H. Lubeck Signed Artist's Proof "Homestead"

Marquetry Dressing Stand with Drawer

1950 Scott Atwater Outboard Motor

Antique Belleek Willets Pitcher with Dragon Handle

Macomb "6" Pottery Crock

Antler Handled Meat Carving Tools Including Anton Wingen Jr.

S. Kirk & Son Sterling Silver Repousse Dish

Group of Kennedy Silver Half-Dollar Proofs

Decorative Fireplace Screen

1879 Morgan Silver Dollar

Vintage Louis Vuitton Suitcase

Mirrored Piecrust Table with Handles

After William Marshall Portrait of Lincoln

ScanCom Outdoor Bench

Pair of Vintage Wall Mirrors

Vintage Wagner Ware Magnalite Roaster with Trivet

Handwoven Karabagh-Style Carpet Runner

Frank M. Whiting & Co. Sterling Handled Carving Set

Set of Seven Queen Anne Style Dining Chairs

Set of Morgan Silver Dollars

F.B. Rogers Silver Plated Samovar Coffee Urn

Vintage Charles Field Haviland Limoges Serving Pieces

Bamboo Style Butlers Tray With Removable Rack

Vintage Boston & Lockport Block Company Wood Pulley

Crosley Tabletop Stereo

After Joseph Hirsch Print "Till We Meet Again"

Marx Tin Tractor and Bulldozer

Vintage Louis Vuitton Suitcase

Marble Top Accent Table

Mirror with Ornate Gold Tone Frame

Power Loomed Red and Cream Area Rug

Vintage AMF Ranch Trac Turbo 502 Pedal Tractor

Original Henry Raleigh Lithograph Poster "Hun or Home?"

Large Group of U.S. Indian Head Pennies

Leather-Topped Drum Table

Pair of Wrought Iron Andirons

Vintage Two Tier Pie Crust Table

Victorian Cameo Back Sofa

Handpainted Bavarian Porcelain Bowls

Oak Antique Revival Style Dowry Chest

Antique Oak Framed Hall Mirror

Antique Metal Mirrored Stand with Drawer

Iron Footstool with Cream Cushion

Large Indian Decorative Metal Basket

You have been so generous to share Severn Side Farm as the venue for many fundraising affairs, weddings, and parties. What’s it like being infamous for your fêtes?
I have a modest streak. I don’t want to make it sound like, “Oh, I give the best parties!” But I love to give parties. I’m blessed with many friends, and almost everybody and their kids have had a party here. There’s no problem with parking because there’s so much land, and you can get here by boat. Tennis parties. Pool parties. Our max capacity inside is about 200. Outside, there is almost no limit.
Tell us about the Kittinger desk in your sale.
It belonged to a gentleman named J. Walter Jones, who was my real estate broker in the late 1970s. The desk was given to him by his best friend, Spiro “Ted” Agnew, Richard Nixon’s first Vice President. You might know him for being the only Vice President for resigning after criminal charges, but regardless, this was the desk he used in The White House!
In what ways has the home’s history surfaced in your time living here?
While I was gardening I found some foundation pieces for outbuildings. There is also a little bell in the master bedroom that was used to ring for the maid. It has a wire that goes down to the kitchen, “Please bring me my breakfast!” There was a link to the B&A Railroad on the border of this property and you can still see the train tracks. The Baltimore & Annapolis Railroad was used during the Civil War for a troop train.