Charming Easton is dotted with Federal-style and Victorian architecture.
Within the year the town of Easton will be celebrating its 300th anniversary. Steeped in history dating back to 1711, Easton began as a center of trade and government. European settlers were drawn to Talbot County’s wealth of natural resources and abundance of waterways for ease of travel. Its first English settlers, arriving by boat in the 1630s, established tobacco plantations along the shores of the Choptank, Wye, Tred Avon, and St. Michaels (now Miles) rivers. For over 300 years, Talbot County life has centered on tidewater and agriculture.
Since the earliest days of the town, Easton residents have come to do business, participate in county government, and be a part of the community’s future. “It’s a charming town that has managed to retain its small-town character, thanks in good part to some specific activists in the 1950s. One is our town planner, Bill Corkran, who stopped Route 50 from coming into town and kept industry out on the highway,” says curator for the Historical Society of Talbot County, Beth Hansen.
“Dr. H. Chandlee Forman was also a great contributor to the downtown charm of today’s Easton. In the 1950s he submitted an article to the local newspaper that asked business owners to alter their buildings facing the courthouse and make them alter the architectural style of the town center in order to create a charming Federal-era feel,” says Hansen. “Dr. Forman saved us from the strip malls most towns have today,” she adds.
Easton had an enormous population boom in the 1870s when the railroad came through town. Suburban Easton is still comprised mostly of the Victorian homes that were built during that time period.However, you will find Federal and Victorian style buildings in Easton’s town square today. “I have worked on several renovations and restorations in Easton’s downtown historic district. Several of the commercial buildings have shops on the first floor and apartments, small businesses, or offices on the second floors,” explains local architect Christine M. Dayton, P.A.
There are four major arteries through Easton: Washington, Harrison, Hanson, and Aurora Streets. “Washington Street is one of the main business corridors and leads into the center of town. Harrison Street transforms into another main business corridor and the southern end is lined with Victorian and Manor houses. Hanson Street is comprised mostly of neighborhoods with Colonial style and Foursquare homes, while Aurora Street runs along the east side of town. You will find several brick cottage style homes but the rest of the street varies from block to block,” explains Dayton.
The town of Easton is very neighborhood-like with small front yards and porches that line the street. It has a population of over 11,000 residents who love living in a small town. “It’s a family-friendly, all-American community,” says Dayton. “People live and work in Easton. You have the arts and commerce all around where you live. The schools and parks are close in proximity, and people don’t have to leave town to enjoy the area,” says Dayton.
Today, Easton is a highly desirable place to live or even to own a second home because it is a short distance from DC, Philadelphia, and Baltimore.Talbot County also has the most waterfront property in the continental United States. “Easton has all the amenities, restaurants, shopping, and superior medical care,” says Cliff Meredith, 30-year licensed real estate broker in Easton from Lacaze Meredith Real Estate. “We have Memorial Hospital and a number of top physicians are lured here because of the lifestyle of Talbot County. People want to be close to city life with a waterfront view.”
PRICE COMPARISON OF EASTON HOMES
Listing Agent: Cliff Meredith/Lacaze Meredith Real Estate. (410-820-7707)* First Realty. (443-553-4958)*
This 1800 colonial has four bedrooms, three full and two half baths, a total square footage of 8,272, and is situated on 20.50 acres. It is an active listing with an asking price of $9,950,000.
Listing Agent: Kurt Petzold/Chesapeake Bay Properties. (410-820-8008)*
This 1987 Cape Cod has four bedrooms, four full and one half baths, a total square footage of 4,300, and is situated on 2.31 acres. It is an active listing with an asking price of $1,524,000.
Listing Agent: Martha Witte Suss/Benson & Mangold, LLC. (410-310-4856)*
This 2008 Arts and Crafts home has four bedrooms, four full and one half baths, a total square footage of 3,500, and is situated on .20 acres. It is an active listing with an asking price of $939,000.
Jennifer K. Dansicker is the Special Projects Editor for ChesapeakeHome.
Contacts:
Christine M. Dayton Architect, P.A.: cdaytonarchitect.com or 410-822-3130
Historical Society of Talbot County: hstc.org or 410-822-0773
Lacaze Meredith Real Estate: lacazemeredith.com or 410-820-7707
*The status of all listings was current at the time of printing. These listings were compiled with the help of Lynn Summerlin Hoeckel, Residential Agent for Yerman Witman Gaines and Conklin Realty (410-583-0400 or lsummerlin@ywggrealty.com).
