Main Street OEC Old Ellicott City - South side

A walk by historic & flood prevention sites along Main Street, Old Ellicott City OEC

NOTE: this is a work in progress




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. Picture tour of the station post (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

New clock - April 2026

Kraft Meat Posts HERE. Partington-Collier-Kraft Store and Dwelling 8081 Main Street. By 1839 HABS HERE

8185 Main St. 1999 fire, rebuilt 2001 Shoemaker Country, now up hill at 8334 Main St

Art on Shoemaker's corner - large glasses on frog

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.

Caplan inside. Hole over the Tiber 2016

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

Jones-Mayfield-Kirkwood Building 8129 Main HERE; George Ellicott Jr. Tenant House/Fissell's Store 8133 Main HERE

Bank to Taylor's

Washington Trust Company bank. 8137 Main 1906-1934 HABS HERE

brick alley 8145 & 8167 Main St.

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); white 8173 Main, 8181 Main, taller white 8185 Main.

Entrance floor tiles and clear stained glass above entrance & windows

8189 Main (brick) 8198 Main St Taylor c1890

Taylor sign

OLD COLUMBIA PIKE

3709 Old Columbia Pike - Fahey House and Shop HERE. Curiously, all three businesses use the same address. Artists Gallery. Sweet Cascades Chocolatier (many types of truffles, Old Bay Chocolate crabs, other choc), 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 house

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

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

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

Ellicott Theatre 8225 Main St. Art (mill wheel and water) on Old Columbia Pike side

MAIN STREET

Ellicott Theatre 8225 Main St. 1940. Church 8227 Main (red brick) 1920. Higinbothom Funeral Home. c1890 8231 Main (yellow brick)

8239 Main grey G, 8241 Main 1870 Attic Antiques, marron doors & shutters, 8247 Main blue, 8249 Main tall corner, Yates

Yates Market, Hardware 8249 Main. Tile entrance floor "Yates" HERE Mural on side by Wiley Purkey from Ellicott City.Sanborn Fire maps and second paining of buildings. Rack to hold business cards, now chunks of wood. HERE

Post office 8267 Main St. 1940 HABS HERE.

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 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]

Walkout basement.

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]

Brick garage/dealership. Doctor Mordecai Gist Sykes home and dental office c1895. 8293 Main St (white) HERE

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

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

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

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