A Walking Tour of Ellicott City, Maryland (Look Up, America!)
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With its quaint storefronts and restaurants, the town's Main Street made for an ideal backdrop for a day of leisurely strolling through the town, which is only a minute drive from Baltimore. The commerce and character of Main Street has obvious appeal, but Ellicott City offers plenty beyond it: Founded in , the town deserves consideration for your next weekend getaway or day trip.
Ellicott City Station, the oldest surviving railroad station in America. There are no actual train rides, but you can check out sights like the Main Depot building, which is more than years old. Thomas Isaac Log Cabin: Open from April to December, this log home was originally built around If the virtual world of mobile devices and social media has you down, this trip — essentially stepping into a time machine — could be downright refreshing.
Constructed in with a design inspired by the late Italian Renaissance, this shrine to the Portuguese Catholic priest is a beauty to see, especially the limestone fountain in the courtyard. The shrine chapel and grounds are open from 9 a. Howard County Historical Society Museum: From Native American tools to Prohibition-era bottles of booze, the history of Howard County can be seen in the many rich collections featured here.
Patapsco Female Institute Historic Park: The season for regular weekend tours has ended, but private and group tours are available year-round weather permitting. This fourth generation family-run business is part country store and part interior-design company.
Weekend adventure: A visitor's guide to Ellicott City
The duplex building, which houses the companies and was built in the late 18th century, has been attracting tourists for years, too. Country Store hours are p. Before you head down the street to coffee shop Bean Hollow, browse the large collection of used and rare books here to find something to sit with. Ellicott City has a ton of galleries, and HorseSpirit is its newest. Holliday wants the creativity of the art she features to do the same. A bistro with a laid back vibe, Pure Wine Cafe fits the bill, whether you need a full meal, a few bites of appetizers and charcuterie or simply a glass of red.
On our recent trip, this coffee shop was predictably busy around lunchtime. If you have more of an appetite, the usual breakfast and lunch suspects — bagels, pastries, soups, sandwiches and salads — are all on sale. Located right off Main Street since , this fusion bar and grill led by chef and owner Matthew Milani offers international twists on familiar bar food.
Use this guide to plan your DC day trip to historic Ellicott City and Maryland's capitol city, Annapolis. Check out our DC Tourism Guide, with budget advice, travel guides, and has a lot to offer, as the Ellicott City railroad station is the oldest surviving in America. You can also take our Self Guided Historic Annapolis Tour. Founded in , Old Ellicott City is a picturesque town nestled in the Patapsco Whether you're looking for something to do with the family, a great date Lookout for ghosts as you tour the most haunted town in the U.S.! Ellicott City Partnership Main Street Maryland Looking for a great walking spot?.
Tapas-style portions encourage sharing, so grab some friends. Ellicott Mills Brewing Co.: With its own microbrews and a menu aimed at complementing them, this bar fits the bill for a relaxed setting with a cold one in hand. Try their new pumpkin beer, Sleepy Hallow Ale, before the season ends. One hit at this candy store are the chocolate crabs, which include Old Bay seasoning mixed into the melted chocolate molds.
Before it gets too cold, try to spot some wildlife — great blue herons feeding or a beaver hard at work building shelter — along the lake, woodland and wetland. Patapsco Valley State Park: Want to run, hike or bike? Friendship Hot Air Balloon Co.: Located about 15 minutes away from Ellicott City, this balloon-ride company will take you out as long as the weather permits.
They recommend calling first to schedule. The dogs deserve to get outside and run around, too. Route 40 , then Maryland Route crossed the river. The site was later known as "Ellicott's Upper Mills". Benjamin Hood then sold the mill to Joseph Ellicott in for 1, pounds. In they expanded their holdings with Nathaniel sold his partnership in , and Joseph sold all but his Hood's Mill ownership the next year.
Postal stop opened on October 7, The Ellicott brothers constructed sawmills, smithies, stables, an oil mill, a grain distillery, and grain mills. The Ellicotts produced the product until a fire on 11 January By , the founders' families could no longer support operations as "Ellicott and Company" or "Johnathan Ellicott and Sons".
By , the Ellicott family sold off their interests in the two flour mills, the granite quarry, the saw mill and plaster mill. In , Ellicott's Mills became the first terminus of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad outside Baltimore , the first commercially operated cargo and passenger railroad in the country. Department of the Interior , administered by the National Park Service. This was the first time a steam locomotive was used to transport persons over rails in the United States.
The famous race between Tom Thumb and a horse-drawn rail carriage took place between Relay Junction on the return trip from Ellicott's Mills towards Baltimore in August Even though the horse won the race due to a sudden broken drive belt on the Tom Thumb , it heralded the time when steam engines steadily improved, and the soon-to-be steam-operated railroad became a vital link in the town's economy and later expanding to the city of Baltimore's economic supremacy along with the state in the nation. The site of the Howard County Courthouse , which was built from — in the former western Howard District of Anne Arundel County, Maryland , was so designated for the new temporary district in , and continued and was expanded later when Howard County became an official independent jurisdiction in , as one of the 23 counties plus Baltimore as an independent city in the state of Maryland.
The town in was in a spate of depression as low costs shut the Maryland Machine Manufacturing Company. Over 80 vacant dwellings lined the Howard County side of the river. The experimental gun had been developed by local Southern-sympathizer railroad builder and industrialist Ross Winans. The one-day delay by Wallace's small force at Monocacy Junction enabled Lt. Grant to rush troops in time to defend the U.
Homes and churches in Ellicott's Mills were temporarily used as hospitals for the Union wounded. In , cholera broke out. In , a city incorporation charter was secured for Ellicott's Mills forming a local government with a mayor and council, and the name was changed to "Ellicott City". The first mayor was E. Talbot, who lived in a stone house and operated a lumber yard at the base of the river. His business was washed away in the flood of , and again in Talbot relocated uphill to a brick and granite store designed by Charles Timanus that houses the Ellicott City Brewing Company today.
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The stone jail intended for 12 inmates operated until the Howard County Detention Center opened in In , political gangs controlled the polling locations, shooting and wounding African American Ellicott City voters. The deputy sheriff declined to arrest the leaders for fear of his life and further outbreaks of violence. Mencken 's best-selling memoir Happy Days, — , he described his childhood in the chapter "Rural Delights" while living with his parents in their rented home in Ellicott City.
With its own microbrews and a menu aimed at complementing them, this bar fits the bill for a relaxed setting with a cold one in hand. Thomas Isaac Log Cabin: Retrieved 25 August The Ellicott brothers constructed sawmills, smithies, stables, an oil mill, a grain distillery, and grain mills. Two sides discussing property options for elementary school". Retrieved 1 August Santa, strolling carolers and hot cider will all make welcomed appearances, too.
Ellicott City favored the temperance movement , enacting a law against "spiritous, fermented or intoxicating liquors" in , taking effect May 1, This was shortly changed to limit sales of liquor to licensed shops that did not sell other goods, providing the primary source of the town's tax income. Trolley service was proposed from Baltimore to Ellicott City in , approved on April 20, , and implemented in In February , shop owner Daniel F. Shea was murdered by Jacob Henson.
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Henson was tried and sentenced to death. Fearing that Governor Brown might release Henson due to insanity, a group of residents broke into the jail and lynched Henson on Merricks Lane with a sign saying "Brown cannot rule our cort". Governor Brown condemned the citizens and ordered all prisoners sentenced to death be sent to the Maryland Penitentiary from then on.
After a difficult start in , granite mining was started. In the facility was purchased by Issac Taylor and run as the Pinel Clinic. Taylor operated an optometrist business and Taylor's Furniture on Main Street. In the facility expanded to 48 beds, and in it expanded to beds.
The company made doughnut mix and doughnut manufacturing machines as the Doughnut Corporation of America.
Weekend adventure: A visitor's guide to Ellicott City - Baltimore Sun
The only chartered city in the county, Ellicott City lost its charter in with a proposal from Senator Joseph Donovan, as the tax base from saloon fees lost in Prohibition caused citizen protest when taxes were shifted to residents. On April 27, , a fire gutted the eight-story doughnut factory, but it rebuilt, providing doughnut mixes to WWII troops.
In , the Metropolitan District was formed to bring water and sewer to Ellicott City, sponsored by newspaperman P. Miller , Marray G. In , County Commissioner Norman E. Moxley created the city's first major subdivision, Normandy Heights. The first major shopping center, Normandy Shopping Center, was constructed.
In , The Goddess , a film loosely based on Marilyn Monroe 's life, was shot on location in the city. Prior to , the only polling location for Howard County voters was in Ellicott City. The same year, the state health department ordered the city to stop dumping its raw sewage into the Patuxent River and develop a modern septic system. In , the county chose a site outside of the city for a new landfill, leading to the closure of the local New Cut Road landfill which served the county from until May for trash and hazardous materials. Historic Main Street has been the site of several devastating fires, most notably in November , three in and again on November 9, The fairy tale -themed amusement park, the Enchanted Forest , was located in the western part of the area.
The park closed to the general public since the early s. A shopping center called the Enchanted Forest Shopping Center was built on its parking lot.
Many of the attractions have been moved to Clark's Elioak Farm in a rural area in the southwest corner of the Ellicott City CDP, where they are being restored. In determining his ranking, Greenberg cited the appeal of Main Street, among several other factors. In , the Forest Diner closed, ending a year business as a traditional polished metal roadside diner, making way for 38 apartments. In , the Hiene House and Ellicott City Jail were placed on the Preserve Howard top-ten most endangered list due to walkway and parking lot construction plans.
Ellicott City has been home to a large Korean population along its Route 40 corridor, where numerous Korean-owned businesses and restaurants operate. The town is prone to flooding from the Patapsco River and its tributary the Tiber River.
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These floods have had a major impact on the history of the town, often destroying important businesses and killing many. Ellicott City has had major devastating floods in , , , [59] , , , , , , , Hurricane Agnes , Hurricane Eloise , , , , and The flood washed away 14 houses, killing 39 to 43 accounts vary in and around Ellicott City. A flood topped bridges, in an 8-foot 2.
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On June 21, , the Patapsco River valley flooded On September 27, , the town was flooded 9. Floods also occurred September 22, , from Hurricane Hugo , and on September 7, , flooding The resulting flash flood caused severe damage in historic Ellicott City, especially along Main Street. On the afternoon of May 27, , historic Main Street flooded again, after the region received over eight inches of rain in the span of two hours, [64] just days before the new flood emergency alert system was to become operational.
Ellicott City is in northeastern Howard County, bordered to the east and north by the Patapsco River , which forms the Baltimore County line. Ellicott City is claimed to be built on seven hills. The Tiber River is a small tributary of the Patapsco that forms the narrow valley followed by Main Street. Several deep stream valleys converge at this location, which increases the risk of flooding, but at the same time creates the town's heights.
The heart of the Historic District is Main Street, where the oldest structures of the town stand. Outcrops can be seen lining Main Street. Summers are hot and humid, with frequent thunderstorms. Spring and fall bring pleasant temperatures. Winter is often considered chilly by U.
Sporadic snowfall can occur in winter, but is usually relatively light. As of the census of , [4] there were 65, people, 23, households, and 18, families residing in the CDP. The population density was 2, There were 24, housing units at an average density of The racial makeup of the CDP was Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.
There were 23, households, out of which The average household size was 2. In the CDP, the population was distributed by age with The median age was For every females, there were For every females age 18 and over, there were As of the census of , there are 56, people, 20, households, and 15, families residing in the town. The population density is There are 20, housing units at an average density of The racial makeup of the town is There are 20, households out of which The average household size is 2.