Easton Sons Funeral Home & Haunted Ellicott City

Bernard Fort and brother William 'cabinetmaker and undertaker' came to Ellicott City from England. They had a small place in 1836 but in 1878 Bernard Fort built a new funeral parlor crossing the stream (Tiber River). Clinton Easton bought it in 1891, continued by son Milton, who built a new building in 1931 and then to his son, Clinton. Building on left, carriage house with hearse on second floor, at right rear. EC haunted taped talks.


William Fort Jr. (1807-1854) and Bernard Fort (1810-1895) arrived in EC with their parents. The brothers bought the lot in 1836, and their cabinet making and undertaking shop was set back from Main St. “B. Fort CM” (cabinet maker) on 1860 Martenet map. Click to enlarge image.

In 1878 the Ellicott City Times reported that E.A. Talbott was building a warehouse, with Mr. Fort’s new store crossing the stream. Details on the original 1878 architectural pieces still in the 1931 structure are in the report below by the County Architectural Historian p57. 1892 Sanborn map

Bernard Fort married Eliza (1814-1881), and after her death, their daughter Mary Catherine (Kate) and Francis Heine owned the business briefly before selling to Daniel and Elizabeth Laumann (Lizabeth Lowman) in 1885. The Laumann's daughter married an Easton.

In 1891 Clinton Easton (1852-1894) and his wife Amice/Anna (Lowman) bought the property from her parents. Their son Milton Easton (1875-1948) continued as undertaker, and opened a new funeral home in February 1931, taken over by his son Clinton M Easton (c1904- ), which lasted into the 1950s.

Name of Easton Sons carved into the stone between the doors. The current three 'windows' are actually painted on plywood. The above image is of the 1931 building before loosing the third floor in front, and showing the original windows.

Damage from the 2018 flood - the Tiber River runs under the building. At that time it was the Bean Hollow coffee shop.

Wagon Wheel Antique Shop at 8061 Tiber Alley, in the Easton carriage house behind (and off to the right) the funeral parlour.
On the second floor of the antique shop, is a large c170 year old hearse! Check it out.

Hearse

There is a sheet with description on one of its windows:
"Funeral Easton hearse. Dates around 1850. After it was no longer used it was stored up here. It was brought up by the elevator still used in this building. The hearse has been stored here around [115] years. It is now being restored. This building was used to store caskets and was originally a barn."

Floor plan, long after funeral home, Sept 2020 by Howard County Department of Public Works. Main Street on the right. 35 pages HERE.

Howard County Historic Preservation Commission. Historical info by County Architectural Historian & photos page 55-78 HERE

Report on public hearings about tearing down four buildings (including Easton's) on lower Main Street HERE. Those last four buildings curve in, acting as a wall/dam to funnel the flood waters at the end of Main St away from hitting the oldest train station in America. The raging water was over 10 feet high (Main St runs downhill to river) during the 2018 flood.

TAPED TALKS, BOOKS

Oct 6-Nov 30, 2022 A Brief History of Historic Ellicott City’s Undertakers and Funeral Homes. EXHIBIT by Patapsco Heritage Greenway, Inc. at Howard County Welcome Center 8267 Main Street, EC (Old Post Office) HERE

TAPED TALKS

Howard County Historical Society TAPES HERE

Haunted Howard County. Shelley Davies Wygant. 2021 Howard County Historical Society TAPE HERE

HoCo Stories. A Few Odd Minutes. 19 tapes, some on ghosts, such as Ghost of Manor Hill Tavern; HoCo historical museum, Wine Bin, more. Howard Community College TAPES HERE

Haunted Ellicott City Ghost Tour #2. Sharon Schultz. TAPE may be HERE

Haunted Maryland. 4 ONLINE TALKS: It's Supernatural Hon; Mediums, Magicians, and the Ouija Board: A Spiritualist History of Baltimore; Maryland Mayhem: Scoundrels, Spies, and Sinners in the Free State; Witch's Brew: True Tales and Folklore of Witchcraft in Colonial Maryland. Enoch Pratt Free Library Maryland Department librarians. Topics and tapes HERE. TAPES below.

BOOKS

Haunted Ellicott City (Haunted America). Shelley Davies Wygant. 2018
Haunted Howard County, Maryland (Haunted America). Shelley Davies Wygant 2021

©2022 Patricia Bixler Reber
Forgotten history of Ellicott City & Howard County MD