It is difficult to look through the Maryland State Papers of
the late eighteenth-century without coming across Jubb Fowler's name. A skilled
carpenter, messenger to the Governor and Council, and caretaker of the Maryland
State House, Fowler, like many Annapolitans of the Revolutionary period, had
multiple jobs. However, according to Dr. Edward C. Papenfuse, Jubb Fowler is
the only laborer of late eighteenth-century Annapolis to have gained significant upward
economic mobility in his lifetime.[1]
Jubb Fowler was born on November 14, 1735 to Benjamin and
Helen Fowler of Anne
Arundel County Anne Arundel
County
 |
| The James Brice House, 42 East Street, Annapolis, MD, where Jubb Fowler worked as a carpenter during its construction. Photograph by Marion E. Warren. Courtesy of the Maryland Historical Trust. |
Jubb Fowler first appeared in Annapolis in 1767 as a carpenter for employer James Brice's house, now a National Historic
Residence. After Fowler's initial work, Fowler and Brice appear to have
maintained a professional relationship. In 1769, the pair advertised together
in The Maryland Gazette for two
runaway indentured servants. Fowler also borrowed money from Sarah Brice on several occasions, as recorded in the Brice account books.[2]
On February 6, 1781, Jubb Fowler was appointed as messenger
to the Governor and his Council to replace the recently deceased Robert Reith.
For nearly forty years, Fowler performed a variety of miscellaneous tasks
around the State House as Messenger and Doorkeeper to the Governor and Council
and Caretaker of the State House. Apart from daily duties, Fowler was also
trusted to take care of public arms. In 1790, he was given the keys to the
gallery of the dome and charged "to suffer no person to mount them without
being attended by himself or some person on whom he can depend to prevent
damage to the Stairs or Gallery."[3]
During this time, Fowler rose in social prominence. He was worth a respectable ₤110 in the 1783 Tax List and was listed as a scrivener/clerk, though he continued to refer
to himself as a mechanic.[4] He
also appeared to have great influence in the town, using his house on at least
one occasion for a meeting of Anne
Arundel County Levy Court .
Jubb Fowler died in September of 1817 at the age of 81. Until
the time of his death, Fowler maintained the title of Messenger to the Governor
and Council. His death notice in the Maryland
Gazette, while short, affectionately called Fowler "an old and
respectable inhabitant of this City."
 |
| Death notice for Jubb Fowler. Maryland State Archives, The Maryland Gazette and Political Intelligencer, 11 September 1817. |
Jubb Fowler is highlighted as one of many laborers of great
interest to the restoration of the Old Senate Chamber. While his work may seem inconsequential, Fowler's responsibilities as caretaker actually reveal
key components of the eighteenth-century State House. His experience in carpentry, as well, at the Brice House alters our perspective on Fowler's future career in the State House because of his experience in skilled labor.
His job included a multitude of tasks such as scouring the
floors of the Old Senate Chamber and other offices before the beginning of legislative sessions, providing candles and wood, delivering messages, and
tending to the needs of offices and officials, tasks not dissimilar to the
seasonal preparations required in the State House today. From these eighteenth-century
receipts, researchers can determine the type of daily work and maintenance
required for the State House, and gain another series of clues to aid in the
reconstruction of the Old Senate Chamber.
For more information on Jubb Fowler, please see his bio page.
[1]
Papenfuse, Edward C., In Pursuit of
Profit: The Annapolis Baltimore , MD
[2] Ridout,
Orlando IV, Building the James Brice
House 1767-1774. Annapolis ,
MD
[3] GOVERNOR
AND COUNCIL (Proceedings) 1788-1791. MSA S 1071-27. Archives of Maryland , Volume 72,
page 118.
[4]
Papenfuse, Edward C., p.251.
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