The Offices at Ebaugh House, 1891 Reisterstown Elementary

The Offices at Ebaugh House, 1891
By Jane Hienz
As you drive north on Main Street, notice the sweet
yellow house with green window trim on the right just
at the entrance to historic Reisterstown, 465 Main
Street. It is the old Ebaugh House with a new owner,
Kramer & Connolly, law offices, and all dressed up
to greet the 21st century.
The house was once the residence of Zachariah
Ebaugh, his wife and six children. Zachy, as he was
known, was the principal of Reisterstown Academy
and a prominent resident of Reisterstown. There may
be Ebaughs still living in Reisterstown.
The house was built in 1891 and had three major
renovations over the last century. The last one was in
2010 when the house was purchased at auction by the
present owner, Irwin Kramer, Esq. You may see a
simple cream yellow house when you pass, but it is
full of Mr. Kramer’s love of history, his eye for detail
and his pride in a job well done.
When he purchased the house at auction, he was
tempted to tear it down and build a new office on the
site, as the house was in extreme disrepair. After consulting with an expert, he decided to renovate and restore the beauty of the century-old house. The foundation was stone with 4X4 beams, so it had a solid base.
He needed to replace the old knob and tube wiring
with new electric; replace the window air conditioners
with updated HVAC; take out the 44 wavy-paned
windows and install new, weather-tight windows; install steel-core doors and then he reconfigured the interior floor plan, even enclosing outside porches.
When looking to replace anything in the house, Mr.
Kramer searched to see if he could find historic pieces. If that was impossible, he used period reproductions. The interior is tastefully done, with the old
PO Box 408
Reisterstown, MD 21136-0408
wood floors refinished, beautiful moldings, oriental
rugs, muted colors on the walls and simple window
treatments that give an impression of comfort and elegance.
Please note the weather vane on the roof: that motif
of a lawyer before the bar is repeated many times
throughout the house. It is quite clever and points
again to Mr. Kramer’s love of detail. That motif is
seen in an etched half window that runs down a hallway with the words “The Offices at Ebaugh House”,
along the outside of the house directing the client to
the rear entrance and on their entrance matts.
You can immediately tell this was a labor of love.
The house again sits with pride in comfortable surroundings and is a model of what we all would like
historic Reisterstown to look like. Thank you, Mr.
Kramer.
Reisterstown Elementary School Rumor
Recently a rumor being circulated says that “the
Reisterstown Elementary School is being replaced by
a new building that will be constructed on the current
play field and that once the new school building is
constructed the current school building will be torn
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www.chartleyhomeowners.org
July 2015