Caroline Cunningham
Hotel Keeper
1859-1870
Caroline Cunningham and her husband James took over the operation of the old tavern from Washington Taylor in October 1859 and renamed it the Cunningham Hotel. Neither Caroline nor James used enslaved labor at their hotel; instead, they employed a servant, a bartender, and a hostler or ostler to take care of guests’ horses. On August 7, 1865, they bought a 1/5th interest in the 4-acre hotel property from Israel and Mary Allen of Havre de Grace.
They lived there with their son Frank until sometime after 1870, when they moved to Wilmington, Delaware, to become the proprietors of the Black Horse Hotel. Caroline took over the Black Horse from James after he died in 1871. She was also the administrator of his estate. A few years later, in 1876, following a murder-suicide at the Black Horse, she sold her home in Wilmington, DE, and purchased an 87-acre farm near Port Deposit in Cecil County.
Associated Workers
Biographical Information
Born:
ca.1839 in Maryland
Parents:
Unknown
Spouse:
James Cunningham (b. June 24,1826 in MD or PA, d. August 2, 1871 in New Castle County, DE, m. date unknown);
Children:
Francis (Frank) Cunningham, son (b. January 30, 1859, in Cecil County, MD, d. November 29, 1899 in Woodlawn, Cecil County, MD)
Lived:
Perryville, Cecil County, MD
Port Deposit, Cecil County, MD
Wilmington, DE
Died:
Unknown
Additional Information
Information Sources
