1811 Baltimore County “Bare Hills” 99-Year Renewable Lease — Thomas Rutter to Solomon Hook
Original manuscript Maryland indenture dated 1811, leasing approximately 2½ acres and 8 perches of the tract called Bare Hills from Baltimore merchant Thomas Rutter to Solomon Hook. The property is described by metes and bounds near Frederick Hook’s land and the historic Falls Turnpike Road.
The lease grants a term of ninety-nine years, renewable forever, subject to an annual ground rent apparently corrected to approximately $12.40. This renewable ground-rent arrangement was a characteristic form of long-term Baltimore-area land tenure: the lessor retained the underlying title while the tenant received durable possession and renewal rights.
An earlier lessee’s name was crossed out during preparation and “Solomon Hook” inserted throughout as the operative tenant. A matching 1811 lease from Thomas Rutter to Solomon Hook is cataloged in the Philpot–Randall Family Papers at the Maryland Center for History and Culture, providing valuable archival corroboration.
Four handwritten sides, with signatures, remnants of seals and a Baltimore County acknowledgment. The reverse is docketed “Lease for 99 years & renewable forever.”
Condition: Fair, with substantial age toning, stains, edge chipping and losses, fold wear, small separations and manuscript corrections. The principal text remains substantially legible. Sold as an original historic document and exactly as photographed.
Original manuscript Maryland indenture dated 1811, leasing approximately 2½ acres and 8 perches of the tract called Bare Hills from Baltimore merchant Thomas Rutter to Solomon Hook. The property is described by metes and bounds near Frederick Hook’s land and the historic Falls Turnpike Road.
The lease grants a term of ninety-nine years, renewable forever, subject to an annual ground rent apparently corrected to approximately $12.40. This renewable ground-rent arrangement was a characteristic form of long-term Baltimore-area land tenure: the lessor retained the underlying title while the tenant received durable possession and renewal rights.
An earlier lessee’s name was crossed out during preparation and “Solomon Hook” inserted throughout as the operative tenant. A matching 1811 lease from Thomas Rutter to Solomon Hook is cataloged in the Philpot–Randall Family Papers at the Maryland Center for History and Culture, providing valuable archival corroboration.
Four handwritten sides, with signatures, remnants of seals and a Baltimore County acknowledgment. The reverse is docketed “Lease for 99 years & renewable forever.”
Condition: Fair, with substantial age toning, stains, edge chipping and losses, fold wear, small separations and manuscript corrections. The principal text remains substantially legible. Sold as an original historic document and exactly as photographed.
