As part of our occasional series on historic structures in Cecil County, we visited one on Main Street in Elkton, the former Cecil County Public Library Building, which has watched over Main Street for centuries.
The town’s Main Street has a strong cluster of 18th and 19th-century structures and 135 E. Main Street is one of them. The former bank building continues to bustle with activity as the county’s hub for arts and culture.
The building reflects three historic periods of construction, according to the Maryland Historic Trust. It was built in the second quarter of the 19th century to accommodate a bank and cashier’s quarters. The Cecil Whig reported that the building on East Main Street had been constructed by “General James Sewell for, and occupied by a branch of the old Bank of Maryland1.” The first floor had a large front banking area, with an interior office/meeting room behind the lobby, and a thick masonry vault for safe storage of money and valuables. The upper floor provided residential space for the cashier.
Later in the 19th century, The National Bank of Elkton operated out of here beginning around 1873. The cashier, Charles B. Finley, and his family resided in the living quarters on the second floor. The new owners replaced the gabled roof with a mansard roof and other exterior alterations were made to the rectangular structure.2
The third period of construction occurred in the twentieth century. In 1922 the National Bank of Elkton moved to North Street, after occupying the structure since 1873.
Shortly after that, it became a private home when Henry H. Mitchell acquired it in 1925. The long-term mayor of the town resided in the home until his death in 1955. During Mayor Mitchell’s ownership, the southeast porch was enclosed and a decorative stone wall was constructed along the front sidewalk.
The Friends of the Library of Cecil County purchased it from the Mitchell estate so it could serve as the library headquarters following the mayor’s death. Ernest A. Howard, a benefactor of the Historical Society, made a significant donation to the Friends so they could acquire the building and he stipulated that the owner had to provide a home to the Historical Society.3
Four years after that, a two-story wing was constructed on the north and west sides of the building through the generosity of Mr. Howard. The Library made several significant changes and when the library relocated to Newark Avenue around 1987 the space was turned over to nonprofits.
Today 135 E. Main Street serves as the hub for arts and culture in Cecil County. The Historical Society, Arts Council, and Land Trust are headquartered here.
For additional photos of 135 E. Main Street, see this album on Facebook.
Endnotes