As a social historian specializing in community studies, I am often asked to do media interviews after catastrophes or significant accidents. These tragedies can profoundly impact the social, economic, and historical fabric, altering lives, historic buildings, landmarks, and artifacts.
This was the case this week. After a three-alarm fire destroyed a 170-year-old hotel in Elkton on Sunday, May 21, 2023. WJZ-TV Baltimore asked me to provide context around the landmark’s story, discuss how things have changed over the centuries, and comment on the impact of the destructive fire for the interview.
Once located on the main thoroughfare between Philadelphia and Baltimore, the Howard Hotel was an anchor in downtown Elkton for generations. It was a popular destination for travelers, families, and locals- a gathering place for generations.
The Northeastern Maryland landmark bustled with activity as waitresses served fine meals, bartenders dispensed drinks, and overnight guests booked comfortable rooms. This was long before Interstates and dual highways bypassed the town center, and hotel chains sprouted up along those new roads. In that earlier age, traveling salesmen, families making their way up or down the east coast, and others passing this way came right down Elkton’s Main Street, formerly Route 40.
The Howard Hotel was more than just a place to stay. It was a gathering place for the town. People met here for celebrations and to catch up with friends and neighbors.
Now a place that has anchored downtown since before the Civil War and prospered under the guidance of generations of hotelkeepers and tavern owners is gone.
