This structure is significant for both its history and architecture as one of the few remaining toll houses along the old National Road. The National Road was chartered between Hancock and Cumberland in 1819 and completed in 1822, following an 18th century trail. A deed dated March 29, 1820, from Thomas C. Brent to the President, Managers and Company of the Cumberland Turnpike records the purchase of ½ acre of land for $50.00 and refers to a brick toll house lately erected within the boundaries above described. The ½ acre came from a tract called Brent’s Chance, which contained 406 acres originally surveyed to Thomas Brent on March 31, 1793. This deed evidence indicates that the toll house was built around the same time as the turnpike and was used to collect tolls since the opening of the National Pike. When the State acquired title to this road, popularly known as the Bank Road, the description stated a strip of land 60 feet wide from the west bank of the Concheague to Cumberland. The property was later sold to John and Iva Shives, then purchased by Charles Locher in 1946, and after several later ownership changes William and Dottie Dugan became the last owners of record. In 2000 the Dugans donated the property to the Town of Hancock on condition that it remain a historical structure. Mr. Stanley Fulton and the France/Merrick Foundation of Rockville, Md., provided the necessary funds, and the Town of Hancock administered the funds and worked with the Hancock Historical Society during rehabilitation of the property. Although the Town of Hancock owns the property, the Hancock Historical Society maintains it and controls activities at the site. Many residents of the Hancock area recall the toll house in operation earlier during the past century. Architecturally, it is a documented example of an early 19th century structure combining use as a service building and a residence, equipped as a permanent dwelling for the toll keeper, so that its functional appearance also reflects its intended residential use.
