Easton Town Hall is located at 14 South Harrison Street, Easton MD 21601.
Phone: 410‑822‑2525. The Town of Easton was incorporated in 1790.
Neighborhoods
The Town of Easton [†], the county seat of Talbot County, Maryland, is centrally located near the headwaters of the Tred Avon River, providing access to the Chesapeake Bay. In 2000, it was the third largest municipality on the Eastern Shore with a population of 11,708, behind Salisbury and Elkton. Known as the "Colonial Capital of the Eastern Shore," Easton celebrated its tricentennial in 2010.
The town's official founding dates to November 4, 1710, with an Act of the Maryland Assembly titled "An Act for the Building of a Court House for Talbot County, at Armstrong's Old Field near Pitt's Bridge." Pitt's Bridge crossed a stream at the headwaters of the Tred Avon River, now culverted under North Washington Street near the Talbottown Shopping Center. Previously, the court met at York on Skipton Creek, but the location was inconvenient, prompting the change.
Two acres were purchased from Philemon Armstrong for 5,000 pounds of tobacco. A 20x30-foot brick courthouse was built for 115,000 pounds of tobacco on the site of the current Talbot County Courthouse. Courts operated there from 1712 to 1794. Early buildings included a tavern for court attendees, followed by stores and dwellings, naming the village Talbot Court House.
Prior structures included a Society of Friends meetinghouse built between 1682 and 1684, with nearby homes. After the 1777 State Constitution, the legislature authorized the General Court to alternate between shores, sitting at Talbot Court House. In 1789, an Act funded a new courthouse for 3,000 pounds sterling, completed in 1794. It still serves county courts after remodelings, including in 2001, and occasionally the U.S. District Court.
On March 12, 1785, an Act erected the town, appointing a commission led by Jeremiah Banning to purchase land, lay out lots up to half an acre, survey streets, and name them. The town was initially called "Talbot." In 1788, it changed to "Easton," possibly from "East Town" or "East Capital" as the Eastern Shore's government seat.
In 1790, five commissioners were elected to administer the town, handling order, roadways, drainage, footwalks, and regulations for peace and welfare. Their limited powers led to occasional inactivity, allowing encroachments like on Dover Street and Magazine Alley, now a pedestrian walkway.
Before 1906, Easton had unpaved streets with plank crossings. Electricity started in 1887 but shut off at midnight, with gas lamps on poles afterward. In 1906, a new charter established a Mayor and Council government. Martin M. Higgins, the first mayor, served three terms (six years).
Under Higgins, Easton modernized: a municipal sewerage system in 1911 (pioneering in Maryland), paved streets in 1912, municipal water system purchase in 1914, electric plant operation in 1914, and gas plant in 1922. Easton remains one of few U.S. municipalities owning all utilities: electric, gas, water, sewer, cable TV, and internet.
Planning began early for its size. The Easton Planning and Zoning Commission's first meeting was October 18, 1946, to learn from state and county officials. Established by Charter Ordinance on December 17, 1946, original members were Louis S. Welty (Chairman), Calvin Skinner (Vice-Chairman), Robert Johnston, William C. Meintzer, and W.H. Corkoran, Jr.
† Adapted from:, Town of Easton, Comprehensive Plan, 2010, planning.maryland.gov, accessed January 2026.