Main Street OEC Old Ellicott City - South side

A 'walk' by historic & flood prevention sites along Main Street, Old Ellicott City OEC. For more information click on the HABS - Historic American Buildings writeup.

NOTE: this is a work in progress




Link to the buildings on the north side of Main St. HERE

Floods and fires

Floods The flood heights sign Oliver Viaduct (RR bridge) was lost in the 2018 flood. The 1868 flood reached 21.5 feet - at the top railing 1868, next 1972 was 14.5 feet.

Terrible fires: Fire Nov 1984 6 buildings, beyond white bank Chez Fernand and 8149 Leidig's Bakery. an art gallery, and a clock/watch shop.
Fire Nov 9 1999 5 buildings south side Rosenstock (3 stores) 8089 Main Street Blues, 8095 Rugs to Riches, Legends, 8103 Nature Nook, 8111 Spring House Design.


B & O train station 3711 Maryland Ave and Main. Blog post of a picture tour of the station (go visit!) HERE. About 35 posts on B & O HERE. HABS HERE

Town Clock. The Kiwanis clock was washed away in the 2016 flood. Found and put up until the 2018 flood when it was washed away, found, and now in the HoCo Historical Society Museum at top of hill.

Base (electrical plug in the center)

New clock - April 2026

Kraft Meat Posts HERE. Partington-Collier-Kraft Store and Dwelling 8081 Main Street. By 1839 HABS HERE. Stone building behind was a small grist mill then an electrical power plant HERE.

8085 Main St. 1999 fire, rebuilt 2001. Portalli’s restaurant.
8095 Main St. Shoemaker Country (in Rosenstock Building) now up hill at 8334 Main St.

Shoemaker building window displays. Momentos. Mosaic. (click to enlarge)

Art on Shoemaker Building's corner --

8109-8111 Main. Wallenhorst-Holtman Building (Green) HABS HERE, more HERE.
8113 Main St. Ellicott-Lauman Building. HABS HERE. Elizabeth Ellicott Lea's (first Md cookbook author 1845) ground rent connection. post HERE

Faux art in the windows 2016

Display with glass windows 2025

Caplan 8125 Main Street 2026. First built in 1926. Small portion remains as "The Market at Caplan's" - rotating local vendors under HoCo Economic Developement Authority HERE

Caplan's inside. Hole over the Tiber from 2016 flood

Caplan's sign. Different paintings over the years on the plywood, including these wings (people would stand in middle of wings for photos) 2018?

Jones-Mayfield-Kirkwood Building 8129 Main HERE Now: Stone House Collective;
George Ellicott Jr. Tenant House/Fissell's Store 8133 Main HERE. Now: Lucky Lane

Bank to Taylor's

Washington Trust Company bank. 8137 Main 1906-1934 HABS HERE. Now: Unusual Company (Gelato, Nondairy ice cream, books, unusual shirts, accessories, and art).
8141 Main St. Now: Smoke Capital

Brick alley 8143 Main St Now: Pink Lady (clothes, jewelry, souveniers, puzzles. & 8167 Main St. Now: GamersCorps.

View of New Cut Branch (top left) and the Tiber Branch (right) from end of alley

Cameras to detect water height/flooding

8167 Main (brick), Now: UMI Sushi; 8173 Main Now: Southwest Connection; 8181 Main Now: Discoveries - gifts, ceramics, blown glass; taller white 8185 Main Now: Time Warp videos.

Entrance floor tiles and clear stained glass above entrance & windows

8191 Main (brick) Now: Sugar Plum Tea & Pastry
8198 Main St Taylor's c1890. Now: Doc Taylor's Toy Emporium. A branch of EC Pops. Two floors with lots of toys, games, puzzles, scientific and engineering kits.... 10-7

Taylor's sign

OLD COLUMBIA PIKE

3709 Old Columbia Pike - Fahey House and Shop. HABS HERE. Curiously, all three businesses use the same address. Now: Artists Gallery (various artists), Sweet Cascades Chocolatier (many types of truffles, Old Bay Chocolate crabs, other chocolates, workshops), and EC Pops.

EC Pops (Many flavors of popcorn, large variety of unique soda flavors, Maryland gifts and more)

3715 Old Columbia Pike. Now: ClayGround studio and gallery. classes

3723 Old Columbia Pike. Now: a private home

3733 Old Columbia Pike. Now: Manor Hill Tavern (and restaurant). Taylor's Row - "Barns and sheds" 1830-1870s

3771 Old Columbia Pike. Quaker Meeting House, now private. Ellicott family cemetery also private (wall)

Across the Old Columbia Pike are houses. Two without parking, so they park in Parking Lot D. They appear small, but are much larger..

Tonge Row 3736-3742, 3744-3748, and 3752-3744 Old Columbia Road. Blog post on Ann Tonge and her 3 duplexes 1840s HERE. HABS HERE

Tonge Row Back at Parking lot D busineses

Parking lot D is also where the Tiber Branch and Hudson Branch join.

3732 Old Columbia Pike. Wexford House Shop. HABS HERE Now: Hi Ho Silver

Ellicott Theatre 8225 Main St. Art (mill wheel and water) - "Waterwheel" by David Hess, 2022. Fund for Art in EC. on Old Columbia Pike side

MAIN STREET

Ellicott Theatre 8225 Main St. 1940. Now: Crazy Mason. Church 8227 Main (red brick, Now: Unique Kitchens & Baths) 1920. Higinbothom Funeral Home. c1890 8231 Main (yellow brick, Now: Bee Inspired - Honey items, tea, creams)

After 1940 fire (picture from A History of Ellicott City and Its Fire Department)

8239 Main grey Now: Gloss Hair Studio; 8241 Main 1870 Now: Attic Antiques, Doll Hospital; 8247 Main Now: Primitive Beginnings; 8249 Main tall corner, Yates

Yates Market, Hardware 8249 Main. Tile entrance floor "Yates" [split by flood] Now: P Lotus

Mural on side of Yates building painted by Wiley Purkey from Ellicott City. Sanborn Fire maps and second painting of buildings. Rack to hold business cards, now chunks of wood. HERE
Entrance to Parking lot D

Sanford map 1904 Firehouse in yellow, Livery now Post office/Visitor Center. Horses for the fire engine. More images in Firehouses blog post HERE

Post office 8267 Main St. 1940 HABS HERE. Now: Visitor's Center. Tue-Sun 10-5

"The mail room has a safe, and above it is the observation booth, with narrow slit viewing ports at the top of the wall that look down upon the mail room." [HABS]

Petro Paul de Anna painted both New Deal Murals inside - a "mural of Ellicott City, while the southeast end has a mural depicting early settlement and building in the region." [HABS] Go inside to see both murals. One mural depicts the flour mill silos and the train station (the oldest in America) across the river.

Flood siren at rear of Post Office staff parking (by Lot D)

Ellicott City Garage (Ford dealer, then Reedy Electric) 8289 Main St. (brick) HABS HERE. In 2020 Antonia Ramis Miguel of Ellicott City painted the mural. [Baltimore Sun article HERE] Now: Sweet Elizabeth Jane.

Brick garage/dealership. Doctor Mordecai Gist Sykes home and dental office c1895. 8293 Main St (white) HERE. Tersiguel's (French restaurant) for many years. Now: River House Pizza & Bistro on Main.

8329 & 8333 Main St duplex. Caleb Merryman's Two Frame Buildings (Abend House, Kirkwood's Double House) now: Georgia Grace Cafe. Peach statue by Jan Kirsh 2025. HABS HERE

8345 Main St. (Stone, blue front), 8357 Main (double stone), 8385 Main St. former grocery store now Judge's Bench (bar and food). HABS HERE

8357 Main St. Stone duplex. Ida Holzweig's Double Stone House. now: The Ruckdeschel Law Firm HERE

8385 Main St. Buzz Suter Building. Grocery store across from first courthouse (next to log cabin until the flood). HABS HERE Now: Judges Bench Pub & Restaurant. 19 taps of craft beer, the largest single malt selection in MD. 3rd Floor Chambers speakeasy.

8411 Main St. St Luke African Methodist Episcopal Church. 1889

8511 Main Street Loughran House and Bakery c1882. Brick ovens; sold out of family in 1949. HABS HERE

8683 Frederick Rd (Main St) The Ellicott City Colored School. 1880. Blog post HERE

Link to the buildings on the north side of Main St. HERE

EC Maryland's National Register Properties HERE
Maryland Inventory of Historic Properties by HO- # search name, address HERE
tour EC infoHERE

©2026 Patricia Bixler Reber
Forgotten History of Ellicott City & Howard County MD