What began as a humble milling town became Ellicott City, part of the Baltimore metropolitan area and an important piece of Maryland history. In 1772, the Ellicott brothers purchased land and water rights in the valley along the banks of the Patapsco River for $3 an acre. They constructed mills, started the National Road, and brought the railroad to what was then called Ellicott's Mills. The newly constructed railroad in the 1830s put Ellicott City on the map, and even today, the oldest surviving train station in the United States is located in Ellicott. Enduring highs and lows as a center of industry, the 20th century saw Ellicott City transform once again into a suburban haven, consistently ranked as one of the best places to live in the US.

Ellicott City, the seat of Howard County, began its life as a mill town before the American Revolution. Quaker brothers Joseph, Andrew, and John Ellicott built their first mill in 1772. The Patapsco Valley and River provided the brothers with the fertile land and power necessary to make the finest wheat flour. Ellicotts Mills, as the town was first known, grew steadily, becoming home to mill workers and merchants. Maryland founding families such as the Carrolls, Dorseys, and Warfields kept their family fortunes in Ellicott City because of the brothers agricultural expertise. Thus a town rich in history, tradition, and architectural gems was born. Highlighted in Images of America: Ellicott City are many long-gone local landmarks, including the Patapsco Female Institute and Rock Hill and St. Charles Colleges. Featured as well are the monuments to bygone days that have endured time, progress, floods, and fires, and are still standing today.

Ellicott City, the seat of Howard County, began its life as a mill town before the American Revolution. Quaker brothers Joseph, Andrew, and John Ellicott built their first mill in 1772. The Patapsco Valley and River provided the brothers with the fertile land and power necessary to make the finest wheat flour. Ellicotts Mills, as the town was first known, grew steadily, becoming home to mill workers and merchants. Maryland founding families such as the Carrolls, Dorseys, and Warfields kept their family fortunes in Ellicott City because of the brothers' agricultural expertise. Thus a town rich in history, tradition, and architectural gems was born. Highlighted in Images of America: Ellicott City are many long-gone local landmarks, including the Patapsco Female Institute and Rock Hill and St. Charles Colleges. Featured as well are the monuments to bygone days that have endured time, progress, floods, and fires, and are still standing today. Ellicott City, the seat of Howard County, began its life as a mill town before the American Revolution. Quaker brothers Joseph, Andrew, and John Ellicott built their first mill in 1772. The Patapsco Valley and River provided the brothers with the fertile land and power necessary to make the finest wheat flour. Ellicotts Mills, as the town was first known, grew steadily, becoming home to mill workers and merchants. Maryland founding families such as the Carrolls, Dorseys, and Warfields kept their family fortunes in Ellicott City because of the brothers' agricultural expertise. Thus a town rich in history, tradition, and architectural gems was born. Highlighted in Images of America: Ellicott City are many long-gone local landmarks, including the Patapsco Female Institute and Rock Hill and St. Charles Colleges. Featured as well are the monuments to bygone days that have endured time, progress, floods, and fires, and are still standing today.

A description of many notable sites of historic significance in Ellicott City, Maryland, with stories from their owners of continued preservation and restoration, filled with current information and illustrations--a valuable and entertaining resource.

Abolitionists, Patriots and innovators have all carved indelible marks on the granite crags of Ellicott City. With wit and determination, they established a tightly knit community that has thrived upon the rocky banks of the Patapsco River for over two hundred years. Janet Kusterer and Victoria Goeller bring together a fascinating history of their beloved city with colorful firsthand accounts by local residents. These beguiling vignettes paint the portrait of a city and its people, from early African American inventor and author Benjamin Banneker to the "Crime Stopper Bunny." Catch a glimpse of a community that is fiercely proud of its history as Kusterer and Goeller invite their readers into the heart of historic Ellicott City.

In this comprehensive compilation of ghost stories and local legends, Shelley Wygant explores the history and horrors of a village that somehow lives on. Beginning with its founding in 1772, Ellicott City endured an endless procession of tragic deaths. As a result, this eighteenth-century mill town is packed with restless spirits and unexplained supernatural occurrences. A mysterious artist haunts Castle Angelo and threatens to throw residents into the river below. Many of the temporary occupants of the former Easton and Sons Funeral Home seem to have remained, and the ghost of Annie Van Derlot still inhabits the ruins of the Patapsco Female Institute.

This companion volume to The National Road is a traveler's guide to the nation's first federally funded highway. Combining a wealth of historical and geographical information, this book takes readers on a 700-mile journey through America's heartland, from the Chesapeake Bay to the Mississippi River. Illustrated with more than 300 maps and lithographs, this authoritative gudie leads us down a trail into our nation's past.

"This book is yet another expression of the careful social observations Walker Evans and James Agee offered in Let Us Now Praise Famous Men. Patapsco Valley, Maryland, thereby has joined the lucky company of Hale County, Alabama--both places that become, in the hands of an alert photographer and an attentive writer, something quite else: social texts that keep helping us find ourselves.... A valley's portrait becomes an aspect of a nation's ongoing story.... To Alison Kahn and Peggy Fox, then, for giving us Patapsco, we owe gratitude for a splendid, observing effort exceedingly well done, but also for the compelling summons they tender us; through meeting these Marylanders, we get a boost toward ourselves--our similar journey through time and space in America." -From the introduction, by Robert Coles The love of place shines through in this documentary effort about a historic valley that saw the birth of industry in Maryland, the nation's first railroad, and the nation's first cross-country highway. This compelling portrait of the region is viewed through the memories of its elders from all walks of life. Through their collective memory, we gain a true sense of the cultural legacy of Maryland's historic Patapsco RiverValley.