Welcome to Emmitsburg

James Rada, Jr.

As Emmitsburg officials look for ways to fill the vacant storefronts along Main Street, they are also looking at their own property at 22 E. Main Street, the old town office building.

“We use that 12 hours a year, so basically, it’s a vacant property,” Mayor Frank Davis said during a recent town meeting. That 12 hours is when the building is used as the town’s voting site during town elections.

For this storefront, at least, Davis has a vision of what he would like to see happen. He wants to use it as a town museum/welcome center that would be staffed by volunteers.

“Emmitsburg has tons of history, and we are starting to accumulate some neat ‘stuff’ that people need to see,” Davis said. “Just some of the things we have is the first ‘red light’ that was at the square, a grandfather’s clock and a street light that were manufactured here. That’s just a small sample.”

Since he first started sharing his vision for what the building could become, residents have also started adding to the artifacts that could be put on display.

“The logistics are still in the planning stages, but my hopes are to have volunteers staff the building, so open hours would depend on interest,” Davis said.

The old town office building at 22 E. Main Street in Emmitsburg.
Photo by James Rada, Jr.