Ellicott City

Ellicott City enjoys a rich and varied history, from its origin as the tiny trade center of "Ellicott's Mills" to the present seat of rapidly urbanizing Howard County.

Three Quaker brothers, John, Andrew and Joseph Ellicott, of Bucks County, Pennsylvania, chose this picturesque wilderness to establish a flour mill in 1772, four years before the Declaration of Independence was signed.

The brothers helped revolutionize farming in Maryland by persuading farmers to plant wheat instead of tobacco and by introducing fertilizer to revitalize the depleted soil.

In 1830, Ellicott's Mills became the first terminus of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad outside Baltimore. The old station, which stands today as a museum, has been designated a National Historic Landmark by the U.S. Department of the Interior.

According to legend, the famous race between Peter Cooper's iron engine, the Tom Thumb, and a horse-drawn carriage took place at Relay on the return trip from Ellicott's Mills in August 1830. The horse won this race, but steam engines steadily improved and the railroad became a vital link in the town's economy.

Closely associated with George Ellicott was Benjamin Banneker, a free Black born in 1731 near the area later called Ellicott's Mills. Banneker assisted Major Andrew Ellicott in the survey of the boundaries for Washington, D.C.. Banneker, a self-educated man of science, published Almanacs from 1792-1797.

By 1861, Ellicott's Mills was a prosperous farming and manufacturing area, and the site of the courthouse, which was built from 1840-1843 when the Howard District of Anne Arundel County was so designated in 1839. Howard County became an official independent jurisdiction in 1851. In 1867, a city charter was secured for Ellicott's Mills and the name was changed to "Ellicott City."

Ellicott City's Charter was surrendered in 1935 and its Main Street has experienced a gradual change in character from a mixed commercial and residential area to an almost entirely commercial area today. The boundaries of the town were reestablished in 1973 and designated a "Historic District" to preserve and encourage restoration of its old structures.

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