The history of the house is featured in Paul Touart’s book “At the Crossroads: The Architectural History of Wicomico County, Maryland.” Experts from that work, along with historical research by the neighbors and the current owner, describe the house's history of more than 125 years.

      The Frank B. Kennerly House, aka Christmas Tree House, aka Polka Art House, is a “well-proportioned and finely crafted house" designed by architect J. Woolford Johnson and erected by his brother William J. Johnson. The house was financed by B. Frank and Ella Virginia Kennerly around 1904, shortly after the lot was transferred to the Kennerlys from Southern King White for $800. B. Frank Kennerly owned the clothing retail store known as Kennerly, Mitchell, & Co., which sold men’s, women’s, and children’s garments in a large storefront on Salisbury’s Main Street. Frank Kennerly also served as Salisbury mayor from 1912 to 1914. Unfortunately, Frank died in the last year of his mayoral term. His wife, Ella, sold the house around 1920.

      The Methodist Episcopal Church purchased the property as the residence for its Salisbury District supervisor. The Church used the House until the late 1950s, when the Messick family purchased it; after that, the house changed owners a few times. In 2023, Anita Kazmierczak and her daughter, Ruby, bought the house and moved in with their black Labrador and two unruly cats. Over the last three years, the house has received a major “facelift” and has been open to anyone who wants to see its timeless beauty.

      According to Mr. Touar, the house has a few unique characteristics beyond being one of the “prominent” Queen Anne-style residences in Salisbury's Newtown neighborhood. “The expensive frame residence is distinguished by a three-story octagonal tower (turret) capped by a conical roof (one of the last slate roofs in Salisbury, perfectly intact as of 2023, fingers crossed) and covered wth fish-scale shingles. The adjacent entrance bay protrudes from the hip-roofed main block and features rounded front corners and fish-scale shingles. Encircling two sides of the front is a wraparound porch of paired Tuscan columns supported on high brick plinths. To each side extend two-and-a-half-story pavilions partially sheathed with decorative shingles. Characteristics of the Queen Anne style is the dynamic contrast of geometric architectural forms in an asymmetrical format. The octagonal tower with its conical spire, a bold design focus for the southeast corner, contrasts distinctly with the triangular pediment that tops the entrance pavilion. The steeply pitched hip roof offers a unifying base to the multigabled roof, as does the wraparound porch that shelters the south and west side. Also typical of the Queen Anne style are the contrasting surface textures established by the variety of surface finishes. Fish-scale shingles cover various sections of the front wall, while plain weatherboards are found on the side elevations.”