Elkton's historic Howard House sustains $1.5M damages in Sunday evening blaze

ELKTON — The historic Howard Hotel building, which most recently housed Minihanes 1853 Land & Sea, a downtown Elkton icon that dates back 170 years and has hosted two U.S. presidents, suffered an estimated $1.5 million in damages during a three-alarm Sunday evening blaze, according to fire officials.

The fire broke out around 5:30 p.m. in the building at the corner of Main Street and North Street. The fire was quickly upgraded to a two- then three-alarm fire, calling nearly 100 firefighters from local fire departments to battle the blaze for nearly three hours.

According to a Maryland Office of the State Fire Marshal press release, an off-duty Delaware firefighter first noticed smoke rising from behind the former Howard House and attempted to put it out using fire extinguishers. According to officials, the firefighter remained on the scene and assisted officials with their investigation.

Investigators have concluded the fire originated on the rear exterior of 111 W. Main Street, the commercial building next to Minihanes, and the cause remains under investigation as of Monday afternoon.

Officials stated that no evidence has, thus far, been found to indicate an act of arson.

Firefighters arrived on the scene to find fire on all floors and heavy smoke coming from the building. A portion of the building’s rear collapsed during the blaze, causing firefighters to be ordered out of the structure. A three-story commercial building next to Minihanes, which houses Angelucci Bail Bonds and three apartment units, also suffered damages.

According to officials, the nine residents of the apartments were safely evacuated, but have been displaced by the blaze. They are being assisted by the Red Cross.

The Howard House building dates back to 1853. Over the years, it has been used as a hotel, several different retail businesses, horse stables, apartments, a dentist office, a barbershop and most recently a restaurant.

The Howard Hotel hosted a presidential campaign reception in 1908 for William Howard Taft and his running mate, James Sherman. Richard Nixon gave a speech from the Howard House porch while campaigning for president in 1952.

In 2013, the Howard House bar and restaurant closed. It later reopened as Minihane’s Irish Pub & Restaurant, then as Minihanes 1853 Land & Sea, which shut its doors in 2022.

One firefighter sustained minor injuries during the fire and was taken to nearby Union Hospital, according to officials.