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Home   >    Departments   >   Recreation and Parks   >   Facilities   >   Baltimore & Ohio Ellicott City Station Museum

 

Please check our main Recreation & Parks webpage for all updates. 
Please call our inclement weather lines about the status of camps, programs, events, facilities, and parks: www.howardcountymd.gov/inclementweatherlines.

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Baltimore & Ohio Ellicott City Station Museum

Admission to the museum is FREE! 

 

We have missed you and are excited to be reopen! During the closure we have been actively preparing to open and have adjusted our operations and amenities. We have trained staff, added signage, temporarily closed high touch areas, and cleaned and moved equipment and furniture to promote physical distancing. 

The museum is open regular hours: Wednesday-Thursday 10am-3pm, Friday-Sunday 10am-5pm. Monday-Tuesday: Closed

Closures and Changes:

  • Museum traffic will be one way. All public guests must enter by the iron gate outside. Please look for the B&O staff member sitting by the gate under a tent. Exit will be through the gift shop. 
  • All hands-on exhibits and toys have been temporarily removed from the museum.  Visitors can still see the trains run in the Freight House. 
  • Hand sanitizer is available throughout the museum. 
  • Bathrooms and refillable water bottle stations are available. Water fountains have been turned off.
  • The Gift Shop is currently only accepting card purchases. Please also limit touching of items to planned purchases. 

Guest Expectations:

Visitors that do not meet the facilities expectations may be asked to leave.

  • Please stay home if you have a fever (100.4 or above) or are experiencing symptoms of illness.
  • Upon entering the building, you must complete a health screening.
  • Adhere to all physical distancing guidelines and posted signage.
  • All guests are required to wear a facial covering while inside the Museum.
  • Practice good personal hygiene (wash hands, cover sneeze/coughs).
  • If safe physical distancing cannot be achieved, guests may be asked to wait out front until building congestion has cleared.

Address
3711 Maryland Avenue, Ellicott City, MD 21043

Phone
410-313-1945

Hours (closed on Mondays and Tuesdays)

 

Wed-Thurs: 10am-3pm
Fri-Su: 10am-5pm 

The center will close to observe the following holidays: 

New Year's Day, Easter Sunday, Memorial Day, Independance Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving (Thursday & Friday) and Christmas Day.

In addition, the center will close at 5pm on Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve.

For parking and access information for Ellicott City's Main Street, click here. 

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Be sure to also follow the B&O Ellicott City Station Museum Facebook page for even more information on upcoming exhibits, events and general museum information!

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            3711 Maryland Avenue, Ellicott City, MD 21043

History

Designated a National Historic Landmark in 1968, the B&O Ellicott City Station is the oldest surviving railroad station in the country. Built in 1831, Ellicott City (then Ellicott’s Mills) was the first stop on the B&O Main Line, 13 miles outside of Baltimore. The station was originally designed to handle freight, but eventually transitioned to also serve passengers by 1857. Although passenger service was discontinued in 1949, freight service continued until 1972. The station was preserved and restored by local preservation groups to continue to share the important role the B&O Railroad played in local industrial history.

NEW! Virtual Programs

Due to COVID-19, B&O Museum staff is working on developing virtual, online versions of some of our favorite programs using WebEx.  List will be updated as programs and dates become available! 

 

B&O Behind the Scenes Tour

Virtually go behind the museum ropes on a special tour of the oldest railroad station in America! Using the WebEx platform and B&O staff, explore the museum's rich history and discover the preservation efforts undertaken in the 1970s to preserve the station for enjoyment of future generations. See artifacts and rarely seen photographs from the museum's collection. Info: Emily Mosher, 410.313.0419 or emosher@howardcountymd.gov.

May 29      6-7:30pm

Visiting the Museum

PLEASE NOTE: The  Museum is currently following a one-way route through the station.  The entrance is by the tent located outside, by the iron gate, and the exit will be through the gift shop.  Thank you! 

 

The museum is on two levels, with a set of stairs to the second floor. 

The first floor includes the freight agent’s living quarters, gift shop, and restrooms.  The second floor showcases the Provost Marshall’s Office, Telegraph/Ticket Office, Men’s Waiting Room, and Car House.  We also have two other buildings on the property, accessed from the second floor: our Freight House, which houses our HO-scale model of the first thirteen miles of track from Baltimore to Ellicott's Mills (now Ellicott City), and our 1927 Caboose, which once operated on the B&O Line. 

Although there is no elevator, the museum has a ramp outside of the building to access the platform and second level.  If you need to use the ramp, please let the cashier in the Gift Shop know and we will open the gate for you.  

Restrooms are located on the first floor in the gift shop. 

 

Special Events

Kids Night in at the Museum

Need a kid-free date night? Bring your children to the B&O Ellicott City Station Museum while you do some shopping and dining on Main Street. Kids have a blast from the past doing historic crafts and exploring the hidden history of the Station. Info: Emily Mosher, 410-313-0419 or emosher@howardcountymd.gov.

5-10 yrs B&O EC Station Museum

RP9976.901  Nov 13  5:30-9pm  F  $20

Programs

The B&O Ellicott City Station Museum is now offering hour-long guided group tours! There is a charge of $5.00 per person. Please email emosher@howardcountymd.gov to schedule. 

 

Fall 2020 Programs

Rails and Tales: Preschool Story Time

Hop aboard the story train! Read stories about life long (or not so long) ago; play games; and make a craft to take home! The story changes each month, so be sure to join us more than once! $12 pass allows you to choose 3 storytimes to attend; walk-in $5.  Info and registration: Emily Mosher, 410-313-0419 or emosher@howardcountymd.gov.

2-5 yrs B&O EC Station Museum    $12 for 3 class pass

RP9982.901         

Sep 12                    Sa  10:30-11am  $5

Sep 26                    Sa  10:30-11am  $5

Oct 10                    Sa  10:30-11am  $5

Oct 24                    Sa  10:30-11am  $5

Nov 14                   Sa  10:30-11am  $5

Nov 28                   Sa  10:30-11am  $5

Rails and Tales: The Polar Express

Join us for a reading of The Polar Express and make a craft to take home!
Info and registration: Emily Mosher, emosher@howardcountymd.gov, or 410-313-0419.

2-5 yrs B&O EC Station Museum Must preregister

Dec 6      Su  10:30-11am $5

Dec 12    Sa  10:30-11am $5

Dec 20    Su  10:30-11am $5

Behind the Scenes Tour

Please note: This program may be done virtually

Go behind the museum ropes on a special, after-hours tour of the
oldest railroad station in America! Explore the museum’s rich history
and discover the 1970s preservation efforts on the station to ensure
enjoyment for future generations. Info: Emily Mosher, 410-313-0419
or emosher@howardcountymd.gov.

16 yrs + B&O EC Station Museum

RP9983.901 Sep 25 6-7:30pm F $12

RP9983.902 Oct 17 6-7:30pm Sa $12

RP9983.903 Nov 20 6-7:30pm F $12

Ghostly Guides at the B&O Ellicott City Station Museum

Gain exclusive after-hours access to the oldest railroad station in America.  Take a guided tour of the historically rich (and possibly haunted!) building, then use ghost hunting equipment to ask unseen residents questi