Built in 1710 as the “River View House,” the Robert Morris Inn in Oxford was one of America's oldest continually operating inns. That is, until last January when the town of Oxford condemned the property overlooking the Tred Avon River, citing a leaking roof and other signs of long-term neglect.
Several weeks later, the building's new owner, David Snyder, filed for bankruptcy, staying a pending foreclosure. By then, the once celebrated inn had already closed its doors, leaving the beds made and the dining room table still set.
All this hit the upscale community of Oxford like a solid shot cannonball from the 18th century, threatening to eviscerate the memory of not only the patriot who bankrolled Washington at Yorktown, but also his father, Robert Morris Sr. who brought him over from England.
“It would be impossible to overstate the importance of the two Robert Morrises to the founding of our country,” said architect Cameron MacTavish, a long-time Oxford resident. “Likewise, it would be impossible to overstate the importance of the historic Robert Morris Inn to our town.”
MacTavish is one of the leaders of a citizen group called “Friends of the Robert Morris Inn.” The group has been pressing the town council to get involved either by intervening in the federal bankruptcy case, or lifting the condemnation, or both.
At a standing-room-only town meeting this month, Friends of the Robert Morris demonstrated that, this being Oxford, it has some well-placed lawyers and friends. One of them is former FCC chairman Al Sikes, who called on the town commissioners to lend a hand.
“I believe that the town should assert itself in the bankruptcy proceeding and try to emphasize to the bankruptcy court the importance of the Robert Morris and the importance of its preservation,” Sikes told the town council.
The group has succeeded in winning the town's approval to shore up the roof before winter weather takes more of a toll and complicates future renovation efforts.
But that is only the beginning. Between foreclosure, bankruptcy and condemnation, the fate of the historic inn is still in limbo, making it harder to unlock the federal and state historic tax credits that could help save it.
Steve Tull, the contractor working with the current ownership, said outside help is unlikely until the Robert Morrison Inn has a new owner with a set of renovation plans.
“There's nothing that can be done to move any of those sorts of things forward without a legitimate owner,” he told Delmarva Public Media.
The building is currently up for sale, but it's likely that potential buyers are waiting for the resolution of the bankruptcy case. Renovating the Inn and returning it to its former glory could easily be upwards of $5 million.
“A small historic inn is not a great economic investment,” said Dick Deerin, a retired attorney and longtime Oxford resident. “I mean, it takes a lot of money and a lot of commitment.”
Deeren told the commissioners that it's important to “send a message” that the town of Oxford recognizes the importance of the Robert Morris and is committed to “working closely and cooperatively with whoever ends up redeveloping and preserving the iconic building.”
The stakes, MacTavish said in an interview, come down to the town's legacy and its place in the nation's founding:
“It's no stretch that our country would not exist, that we'd be a British colony, if young Robert Morris hadn't loaned a lot of money to the U.S. government to pay the soldiers so they'd fight for George Washington at Trenton and they'd march from New York to Yorktown to get Cornwallis to surrender at the end of the war. It's that simple.”
For MacTavish, Sikes, Deerin and the other Friends of the Robert Morris Inn, that may be a memory worth preserving.
