Ellicott's Mills
Baltimore County, Baltimore County, Maryland
Marker Inscription
Established 1772 by the three Ellicott brothers from Bucks County, Pennsylvania. They opened the road from here to Baltimore. The B. and O. R. R. was completed to this point May 20, 1830.
The Story
In 1772 three Quaker brothers from Bucks County, Pennsylvania — the Ellicotts — settled this steep granite valley on the Patapsco River and built flour mills that helped transform the surrounding farmland from tobacco to wheat. To move their flour to market they cut a road down to Baltimore, knitting the young port to its hinterland. Nearly six decades later, on May 20, 1830, the pioneering Baltimore & Ohio Railroad reached this very spot, making the milling town one of the first railroad destinations in the nation.
Why it matters
Ellicott's Mills sits at the hinge between two American revolutions in movement — the farm-to-market wagon road and the country's first common-carrier railroad — making it a touchstone for how transportation reshaped early American commerce and settlement.
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Related people
- · Ellicott brothers
Related events
- · Founding of Ellicott's Mills (1772)
- · Baltimore & Ohio Railroad reaches Ellicott's Mills (May 20, 1830)
Themes & tags
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