Historic Ellicott City is celebrating its 250th birthday with opportunities to learn its history

Janet Nickerson had a display of clothing she made that would have been worn in the 18th century on Main Street in Ellicott City. (WTOP/Valerie Bonk)
Historic Ellicott City is celebrating its 250th anniversary this year. (WTOP/Valerie Bonk)
Arthur Malestein, a historian with a focus on Maryland history was outside of the Thomas Isaac Log Cabin on Main Street Ellicott City educating visitors on the history of the area. (WTOP/Valerie Bonk)
The B&O Railroad Museum at the end of Main Street in Ellicott City. (WTOP/Valerie Bonk)
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Historic Ellicott City is celebrating 250 years since it was founded with a full schedule of opportunities to learn its story.

Outside of the historic Thomas Isaac Log Cabin on Main Street Ellicott City on Sunday, Janet Nickerson had a display of clothing she made that would have been worn in the 18th century.

“You want to be aware of your history and also understand where people are coming from, where the city came from, how it was founded. There are a lot of interesting things about Ellicott City,” Nickerson said.

On Thursday, there’s an artist’s talk by Lisa Scarbath at the Howard County Center for the Arts. She created mosaic artwork consisting of six panels featuring Ellicott City landmarks.

The Historic Ellicott City Inc. Decorator Show House is open until June 5 and features a look at former Maryland Gov. Edwin Warfield’s estate.



The Museum of Howard County History has an exhibit looking at the lives of Ellicott City’s founding family.

“It’s 250 years of history, American history in a town older than America itself,” said Ed Lilley, EC250 board member.

Arthur Malestein, a historian focusing on Maryland history, was on Main Street Ellicott City on Sunday, educating visitors on the area’s history.

“I have a lot of people that are like ‘wow, I didn’t know that,'” Malestein said about those passing by and stopping at his table. “In 1772, the Ellicott brothers from up in Bucks County, Pennsylvania came down and established a milling industry down here,” he said.

Lilley encouraged people to take advantage of learning about the historic town by taking part in the scheduled events.

“There are lots of things to see and do,” Lilley said.

EC250 is hosting events throughout the year to mark the anniversary. See a full listing of the events for the anniversary on its website.

Valerie Bonk

Valerie Bonk started working at WTOP in 2016 and has lived in Howard County, Maryland, her entire life. She's thrilled to be a reporter for WTOP telling stories on air. She works as both a television and radio reporter in the Maryland and D.C. areas. 

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