Ellicott City

Despite nature’s best efforts, Ellicott City, which was founded in 1772 as Ellicott Mills, stands today with all the old-country charm of its early days. Preservation is key to the community of Ellicott City, and restoring historic landmarks is something the residents believe in. Indeed, the town itself seems to want to be preserved, having survived three major fires and two major floods. Despite those potential disasters, Ellicott City thrives. New businesses have taken the place of burned-down ones on Main Street, and a railroad bridge at the end of the street is marked with lines that document the floods. Residents of the town, which is the seat of Howard County, have an unusually strong sense of community for this day and age. Also, the town often plays host to a weekend crowd of antique shoppers who come to peruse the many boutiques of the old town.

With all that to look forward to, I took John to explore Ellicott City.

Power lines interfere with the charm of this historic city, but, so worth visiting anyway.

A side alley street off the main street.

We caught a glimpse of ourselves in a mirrored sign on the sidewalk.

We had a lovely tea and coffee at a charming and friendly place.

We found the best shop for Georgie, John’s sister, complete with two floors of Christmas village sets and a few Halloween villages too!

Ellicott City was the perfect short day outing.