The Richard Potter House, Repurposed and Restored

The Fiber Arts Center of the Eastern Shore Dedicates New Building in Denton's Artsway

The Richard Potter House dedication ceremony was held last month. The house dates to roughly 1805 based on architectural analysis. Inside, original construction details like Roman numerals on beams and horsehair plaster (now preserved behind plexiglass) hint at the building’s early nineteenth‑century origins. The town of Denton had owned the Potter House for years and secured a grant to stabilize it before selling it to the Fiber Arts Center of the Eastern Shore (FACES). FACES is now restoring it for use as an African American museum, preserving both the building and Richard Potter’s story.

Mickey Pullen

A shot of the restored interior of the Richard Potter house. Potter was a free African American child who was kidnapped in 1853 to be sold into slavery. Potter was rescued by his father and welcomed back to his hometown of Denton. At age 21, he wrote his memoir in this very house.

Mickey Pullen

During construction work, Harper & Sons staff uncovered a trove of artifacts beneath the house, which they saved and donated to FACES. Harper presented these artifacts as a surprise gift during the ribbon-cutting.

Mickey Pullen

Harper & Sons staff surprised FACES with a display case full of artifacts that were found under the Potter House during the restoration process.

Mickey Pullen

The ribbon is officially cut by Victoria McConnell of FACES and Yolanda Acree of the Caroline County Council of Arts.

Mickey Pullen

The furniture inside the house was permanently loaned by the Caroline County Historical Society. Kathy Spence, a member of both FACES and the Historical Society, perused the Historical Society’s attic for pieces. She paired them with other donated items, along with period quilts, to create an authentically 1850s styled home.

Mickey Pullen

The restoration and dedication of the Richard Potter House is an example of true community collaboration, involving the town of Denton, the Maryland Historical Society, Harper & Sons, the Caroline County Historical Society, the Caroline County Council of Arts, architect Barton Ross, and a slew of FACES volunteers and neighbors. “We just couldn’t ask for better partners around us, and all the neighbors who look out for us,” said McConnell.

Mickey Pullen

The front door of the Richard Potter House is adorned with a handmade lock and a large brass key, designed and created by a blacksmith to replicate the kind that would have been used on the original house.

Mickey Pullen

FACES is an arts-based non-profit run almost entirely by volunteers. They serve roughly 150 members, offer more than 20 classes, and host nationally touring quilt and fiber arts exhibits that draw over 1,200 visitors a year. FACES President Victoria McConnell said that while the organization is successful, they currently operate in only two rooms inside the Hardee House next door to the Potter House. Their long-term goal is to expand the Potter House to add more classroom and studio space.

Mickey Pullen

Beyond quilts and knitting, FACES hopes to keep “disappearing arts” like rug hooking, basket making, tatting, and natural dyeing from fading into obscurity.

Mickey Pullen

Inside FACES’ home base, the Hardee House, which sits within one of Maryland’s nine designated “Arts Ways.”

Mickey Pullen

Posted Thursday, July 16, 2026 12:00 am

by Mickey Pullen

DENTON – The Fiber Arts Center of the Eastern Shore (FACES) officially unveiled the newly restored Richard Potter House in Denton on June 23. After years of collaboration with the town of Denton and historical preservation partners, FACES transformed the structure into an authentic representation of the early 1800s home. FACES plans on stewarding this piece of local African American history while working to expand its footprint to offer more arts-related space.

President of FACES, Victoria McConnell, said the town of Denton owned the house and helped to stabilize the building with grant funding before selling it to FACES. The house is the former home of Richard Potter, a free African American boy who was kidnapped in 1853 to be sold into slavery, before he was rescued and returned to Denton by his father.

These photos, taken by Mickey Pullen during the dedication ceremony, tell the story of the project and the home itself.

The Richard Potter House, Repurposed and Restored

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