7606 Main Street
Main Street, Sykesville, seen in 2025 with Charlie Joe's Clothing in center with blue windows and an orange door.
History
7606 is part of the section of Town known as “The McDonald Block,” built in 1878. The structure today was rebuilt after a major fire in 1937, but the business immediately adjacent was not rebuilt until the construction of the Samsara hair salon (which as of 2025 shares the 7606 address, but is an entirely modern building on the footprint of what would have been considered 7608). Before the fire, this building served as a post office, confectionary, and music store. At the time of the fire, it was a carpenter’s shop with a residence on the top floor lived in by the family of Edward Barnes. After the fire, the Barnes family moved back in and opened a pool hall in the main floor of the building.
The pool hall closed in 1963 and the site later became a framing shop, a church, a restaurant, furniture store, and various boutiques.
See the photos below to learn more!
Architectural Details
(Awaiting from SHDC)
1913 Postcard--Main Street
In this photo postcard, 7606 is to the right of the store labeled "Drug Store" (Photo ID: 3453a GHM)
1983
Rick's Place Restaurant
(photo: gift of Thelma Wimmer 2024.005.004)
1996
Three Treasures Health Services was one of many businesses located at this site. (photo: gift of R. Berry)
1937 Fire
Thought to have started as a chimney fire, on October 21, 1937 four businesses with homes above them, and the physician’s office of Dr. H.L. Barnes were completely destroyed. Windy weather and a broken fire hose access at Sykesville Station required firefighters to pump water 500 feet down the street directly from the South Branch of the Patapsco River.
Evelyn “Puzz” (Barnes) Brightwell lived in 7606 Main Street at the time of the fire, when she was a fifth grader, and in 1996 recounted the events surrounding the fire vividly:
"My mother said she remembered seeing the front of the building that housed our apartment and my father’s pool hall, crumble down and our furniture falling with it. We lost everything. I remember that a day before I had won a set of triangular dishes at the movie theater. I never even got to unpack them."
Oral History collected by Errol G. Smith, 1996
1911 Sanborn Map
location "101" showing a large drug store on Main Street. A High resolution color version of this full map is available at the Library of Congress through this link.
1924 Sanborn Map
This excerpt from the 1924 Sykesville Fire Map shows an addition at location 101 on Main Street, with the location itself still serving as a drug store. A full copy of this map can be found at the Maryland State Archives online here.
Site Use
Research is ongoing to confirm the historical use of this property. If you see any errors or have additional information, please contact the Museum through the methods at the bottom of the page
Note: SDAT and deed information added May 2026.
Note that this property occupies two historical lots.
SDAT reflects that the main structure present at this site today was constructed in 2003--this reflects only the South side of the property (left when facing the front entrance from Main Street).
Confirmed Use as of May 26, 2026:
Historical structure (no longer extant)
1878: John McDonald constructs the McDonald Block of shops with apartments above, including this address.
1883: John McDonald (through executor William Hammond) deeds the property to Robert Swain (Maryland Land Records liber FTS 59, folio 159)
1900-1910: Post Office (Asa Hepner, Postmaster), convenience store, music store
1911: A drug store is shown at this location on the 1911 Sanborn Fire Map (see above). This is probably the Swain Drug Store of Robert Swain, which operated through the 1920s before becoming Dr. H.A. Barnes office, and later the Henry Forsyth Food market.
1915:
1916: Parts of this property are sold by Charles Fink (Trustee of Kate B. McDonald) to Asa Hepner (including portions of property at 7609 and 7611 Main Street) (Maryland Land Records Liber EOC 129, folio 260)
c. late 1920s-1930: Day's Market (Sykesville Herald, 1 May, 1930)
1930: Kate Brown operates a restaurant in the Hepner store building "in the space formerly occupied by Day's Market" (Sykesville Herald, 1 May, 1930)
1931: A tea room is opened by Mrs. Joseph Hughes as part of the Asa Hepner store (Sykesville Herald, 24 December 1931, p.3)
1937 (before fire)--carpenter shop on the first floor (William Mason Jones), Edward Barnes family lives on second floor("Sykesville Past and Present A Walking Tour," Greenberg, 2012)
(1937 Fire destroys original building)
1939: Asa Hepner sells the left side of the property to Edward E. Barnes (Liber LDM 171, folio 577). This side of the building is not redeveloped until 2003 (see below).
New post-1937 building (right side of 7606 Main Street)
1940-1963: Edward Barnes opens a pool hall (formerly located at 7602 Main Street)("Sykesville Past and Present A Walking Tour," Greenberg, 2012). From 1944-1963 Edward Barnes owns this section of the building (Maryland Land Records Liber EAS 186, folio 47). At the death of Edward Barnes, his wife, Mary E. Barnes inherits the property.
1963: Pat Winston's Framing shop ("Sykesville Past and Present A Walking Tour," Greenberg, 2012)
1981: B&L Pizza and Chicken (Carroll County Times, May 27, 1981, p. A2); Apartment resident: Douglas Wilson (Carroll County Times, Sept. 29, 1981, p. A3).
1979: Leroy Barnes (representative of Mary Barnes [deceased 1978]) sells the property to Robert D and Linda Lee Johnson (Maryland Land Records Liber 748, folio 149-151)
1980s: Rick's Place (Gate House archive photos)
late 1980s: Think Oak ("Sykesville Past and Present A Walking Tour," Greenberg, 2012)
1987: Maria's Restaurant ("Sykesville Past and Present," Barrow, 1987)
1990: Property is sold by Robert D. Johnson to Charles B. Mullins. (SDAT)
c. 1995-1996: Three Treasures Health Services (Carroll County Times, March 11, 1995, p. A2; Carroll County Times, Jan. 12, 1996, p. A2)
1999: Property is sold by Charles B. Mullins to Donald R. Reuwer Jr. (SDAT)
2004: Contrary Mary's (2004 Centennial on the Tracks Tour Map)
2008: Property is sold by Donald R. Reuwer Jr. to MMB Real Estate Holdings LLC (SDAT)
????-c. 2019: LibertyShop (Carroll County Times, Feb 3, 2020, p. A1)
2019: Design of Mind, an interior decorating business owned by Sarah and David Dudek arrived in November, replacing "LibertyShop." (Carroll County Times, Feb 3, 2020, p. A1)
2025-2026: Charlie Joe's Clothing closes their physical store at this location and operates as a popup shop in the area from the end of January 2026
2026: April 2026 announcement is made by the Downtown Sykesville connection of Black Barn Alpacas "coming soon" to this location.
NOTE: in 2002, a new structure immediately adjacent to 7606 Main Street was added to the left, which shares the same street address. At this address:
2003-present (2026): Samsara Salon and Spa (Carroll County Times, Nov. 23, 2006, p. A4)