The foundation of the Grill at Harryman House is it’s namesake HOUSE. The restaurant is commonly referred to as the “H House,” “Harryman House,” or “The Double H.” It is the Nationally Registered Historic house after which we are named and its history has as much charm as the physical building itself.

The town of Reisterstown dates from the late 1750’s when John Reister settled here on land acquired while Charles Calvert, the fifth Lord of Baltimore, was proprietary of the colony of Maryland. In the late eighteenth century, Samuel Harryman purchased three lots of land which were part of John Reister’s estate. On this land, Samuel Harryman and his wife Elizabeth built “Harryman House” as a true four room log cabin from which he ran a grocery store, saddlery and drug store.

Samuel Harryman died in 1852; Elizabeth Harryman died in 1865. The Harryman children shared the main house, adding the western wing (the main hallway and restrooms) prior to 1879 when the property was sold at public auction. Samuel W. Starr purchased the property for $2,000.00.

In 1886, the Starr children sold the home to Henry Waggoner, Jr. who maintained a successful harness shop until 1914. Other past owners include Milton Paine (1916), Henry W. Osborn (1917-1921), Edward McCoy (1921-1936) and most recently William and Renata Ramsburg (1960-1985).

In 1985, the property and building were purchased by 340 Main Street, Inc. for the purpose of opening a specialty market featuring a butcher, bakery, delicatessen, prepared gourmet foods, and a variety of gourmet items including beer, wine, and spirits. During the renovation, the builders discovered the original log cabin built by the Harrymans and restored it to its original charm. Additionally, the wrap-around porch was enclosed and a large commercial kitchen wing was added

In 1987, the “market” was converted into a restaurant. Harryman House, (named for its original builder), has housed this full service restaurant owned by 340 Main Street, Inc., offering lunch, dinner and Sunday brunch since 1987. In April of 1993, Harryman House caught fire overnight due to a smoldering cigarette ash. Thanks to the valiant efforts of the Reisterstown and Glyndon Volunteer Fire Departments, the fire was extinguished in only 30 minutes preventing any major structural damage. After two months of complete cosmetic reconstruction, the restaurant was reopened on June 17, 1993.

In 1996, Harryman House began a major building addition. The addition houses the Grill Room and a large dining room, the Valley Room. The construction project rearranged some of the restaurant and enlarged the kitchen facilities. This project brought the restaurant up to 150 seats and into a position to handle everyday a la carte business, large and small private parties, and the large volume of tavern business Harryman House enjoys. In 2005, a small addition was added to house a carryout wine store. The store was soon converted to dining space and is named the Wine Room. Finally, in 2008, the restaurant changed its name to The Grill at Harryman House as part of a “makeover” to create a more casual restaurant both in the restaurant’s offerings as well as its atmosphere. We hope you enjoy your time spent with us at Harryman House.