In local tales, the building is haunted by the ghost of Mary. She is credited with making sounds around the building, which include flushing toilets and stomping around. Supposedly, Mary was a young woman who hung herself on the third floor of the building that now houses the bar. Some stories claim she was the a servant or daughter of a couple who had a business in that building. Other stories claim poor Mary had been jilted by a scoundrel of a fiance. Others maintain that whoever Mary was, she did not committ suicide. The story of Mary has not been historically verified.
As I have resided for a large portion of my life not far from Ellicott City, I previously heard about this bar and grill being haunted. On Saturday, April 1, 2000, I went on a "mini ghost hunt" as part of a class on Ghost Hunting 101 put on by the Maryland Society of Ghost Hunters, founded by Rodney Whittaker. We visited the Judges Bench and were allowed to look in the 3rd floor room in which Mary is supposed to have hung herself. At the time, the room was not frequently open to the public, both the class at the library and the little trip to Ellicott City were fun activities.
2014 Myth Woodling
Yes, that "mini ghost hunt" was more than a decade ago, but I recently purchased Rich Newman's book and it sparked this fond memory and so I have added it to my collection of local Maryland lore online.
Sources:
Maryland's Hauntings, Howard Co., Judge's Bench
Maryland Society of Ghost Hunters
Rich Newman, The Ghost Hunter's Field Guide: Over 1000 Haunted Places You Can Experience , 2011