Ellicott City, in Howard County, is a town of historical significance for Maryland. From it’s days running grain mills, to major floods and successful regrowth, Ellicott City is still a flourishing community today.

By 1772 the Ellicott brothers purchased land near the Patapsco River. Their goal was to build and run grain mills. In order to become successful, they convinced local farmers to switch from tobacco farming to grain. The Ellicott’s Mills became one of the largest milling and manufacturing towns in the East, where the Industrial Revolution got its start.

The town grew quickly during the Industrial Revolution and Main Street became a part of the National Road by the early 1800’s. The B&O Railroad was created and ran through the city. Today it is the oldest surviving depot in America and one of the oldest in the world.

Throughout the early 1900’s, Ellicott City continued to grow and started offering modern day conveniences such as restaurants, grocery stores, etc. which continued to attract more people to visit and move to the city.

Unfortunately, Ellicott City also suffered many fires which destroyed several of the mills and buildings on Main Street. Some even happening as late at 1998.

The city has also endured devastating floods since the 1800’s. Two of the most infamous floods were considered “1000 year events” and happened in 2016 and 2018. After all of it’s years running as a milling town, the last of the mills closed in 2021. The mills shifted to meet the needs of present day Ellicott City. Today Old Ellicott City has worked to recover after the devastating recent floods and is home to more than 80 one-of-a-kind small businesses.