Garden Pilgrimage

From the dentils that punctuate the roofline to the wide staircase leading upstairs, the home of Gretchen and A. Denis Clift is a classic. And it's in an Annapolis community where architecture is distinctive, gardens are gracious and century-old trees shade winding streets. The house offers views of the Severn River through original windows of rippled glass and looks over sections of Wardour. Even though the neighborhood is in the city of Annapolis, it feels anything but urban.

The hours for the open houses on the Maryland House an Garden Pilgrimage were incorrect in Sunday's editions. The houses are open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. For information, call (410) 821-6933.The Sun regrets the errors.

25 Years Ago* The Department of Chesapeake Bay Affairs has awarded a contract to add 20 boat slips to the Annapolis public harbor and improve various seawalls. The $94,000 contract was awarded to the E. A. & J. O. Crandall Company. -- The Sun, April 2, 1968.* An historian and dean at Adelphi University in New York, Dr. Robert P. Ludlum, has been named the new president of Anne Arundel Community College. -- The Sun, April 4, 1968.* The third Maryland House and Garden Pilgrimage tour will be held on May 4th in Anne Arundel County.

Helen L. "Susie" Swann, an interior decorator who was a co-founder of Swann-Hall Associates, died Sunday of cardiac arrhythmia at her Murray Hill home. She was 69. Helen Leigh Snodgrass, the daughter of a Baltimore & Ohio Railroad executive and a homemaker, was born in Washington and moved with her family in 1949 to Guilford. After graduating in 1949 from Bryn Mawr School, she attended Manhattanville College and Goucher before marrying Mason Swann, a business executive, in 1962.

50 years agoFor the next three months, the Navy will conduct underwater explosion tests in the Chesapeake Bay, opposite the mouth of the Patuxent River, to gain construction data for future ships. -- The Sun, April 4, 1948.Navy Academy Olympic wrestlers, led by Mickey MacDonald, won five individual championships as the final round of the fourth regional Olympic trials was concluded last night at Homewood. -- The Sun, April 4, 1948.In a welcoming talk to the annual Naval Academy Board of Visitors, Superintendent James L. Holloway Jr. put a top priority on a first-rate airfield for midshipmen aviation training.

NOW OR NEVER Haven't yet embarked on this year's Maryland House & Garden Pilgrimage? Better get to it. Saturday is your last chance. From 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., you'll tour and learn about the architecture and history of eight homes, gardens and other structures in Baltimore County's Green Spring Valley / Caves Valley area. This is the 67th year for the tour, which benefits preservation and restoration in participating counties. The day's tour is $25. Call 410-363-1359 or 410-821-6933 or visit www.mhgp.

APRIL IS SHAPING UP to be a busy month in Annapolis and south county. If you like to tour homes and gardens, view inspiring art, fly kites, listen to jazz, run road races or swing a hammer to help a neighbor, there's something for you in this quick preview of events. Art show at Maryland Hall Maryland Hall for the Creative Arts will play host to a reception from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. April 9 to celebrate the opening of a Hallway Gallery show featuring works from the Providence Art Institute.

Edna Eckley Lankford, who for decades worked as a secretary for the E. Churchill Murray Insurance Agency in Annapolis, died of Alzheimer's disease Thursday at a retirement home in Easton. She was 86 and had lived in Annapolis. Born Edna Earl Perrie in Lothian, she graduated from Anne Arundel County's Southern High School in 1936. Soon after, she started at the insurance agency. After her retirement, she worked part time as an administrative assistant at the Naval Academy and for the state legislature.

Young Jacob's Choice, a federal-style house built on a Belfast Road hilltop in Sparks in 1801, will be open for a special tour from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. May 9 to commemorate Preservation Month in Baltimore County.The house at 720 Belfast Road was constructed by Quaker builders in the early 19th century.The first owner was William Ensor, and succeeding generations of his family lived there and farmed the land. The farm was featured on the Maryland House and Garden Pilgrimage in 1986 and was added to the list of county landmarks last year.

The annual Maryland House and Garden Pilgrimage, which begins Saturday, offers rare glimpses of historic homes and private gardens in six counties. Proceeds from the tours support local restoration projects. Here are some highlights of the pilgrimage, which is sponsored by the Federated Garden Clubs of Maryland and its affiliates: April 23, Kent County: Chestertown, including the Custom House and the River House garden overlooking the Chester River. April 30, Calvert County: Maidstone, a 17th-century country home; Lower Marlboro.