It was the last house built by an Ellicott in the historic district. The formal entrance that faced the town, is now the back, and the current front was the rear of the house with two doors - large one into the entry hall, and smaller one on the right into the kitchen.
William was raised at his father's home beside his Uncle George Ellicott's stone home (which survived the flood that destroyed the Jonathon Ellicott stone home in 1972). His cousin Elizabeth Ellicott Lea, Maryland's first cookbook author (in 1845), was born the same year as William, 1793, and lived next door (George was her father). One of her recipes is at the end of this post.
It was bought in 1927 by Louis T. Clark (1872-1957) and Rebecca "Desiree" Branch Clark (1878-1963) who had eleven children. Mrs. Clark and her daughter Mary Dorsey Clark (1910–2006) were among the organizing members of the Col. Thomas Dorsey Chapter of NSDAR, founded in 1956. Mt. Ida was the site of a few early meetings.
The Tyson Square Management Corp. bought it in 1964 with plans to demolish and build new. While vacant some items were stolen - stairway and some fireplace mantels. In 1972, the Miller Land Co. changed the house into various commercial and non-profit uses. Kimberly Kepnes and husband Nathan Sowers bought the house in 2019, remodeled it into The Historic Inn at Mt. Ida. Photos HERE. Howard County bought the house in 2024.
More info at HABS Mount Ida HERE.
Original entrance is now the back, from map by E. Sachse & Co, 1854
Second floor windows have curved, plastered jambs that extend down to the floor. HABS
HABS 'Number 8 Page 6' Ellicott estate inventory
"The inventory of William Ellicott's estate provides some indication of how the house was furnished and used. In the cellar were stored casks of vinegar, half barrels of flour and salt, and jars with lard, syrup, and pickles. There were numerous cooking utensils, including a cook stove valued at $47.50 [1838, $1,711 in 2026] and three refrigerators (ice boxes) worth $32.50 combined. Smaller utensils included pots, frying pans, a waffle iron, tin ware, stone ware, kettles, buckets, a sieve, tubs, a griddle, skillet, Dutch oven, bread pans, a lemon squeezer, a rolling pin, a safe (presumably for pies), and a table, no doubt to prepare meals on. The crane and hooks were also mentioned, even though the crane was generally not movable property. The Ellicott's cook must have been using both traditional open-hearth techniques as well as cooking on the stove. There were numerous items stored in the cellar, including some coal, which was probably used for heating the house, not for cooking, a rotary pump that was no longer in use, some of the venetian blinds already mentioned, and empty casks and demijohns. There were also some tables and chairs that were likely for the servants to use while taking their meals." Items on the other floors also listed.
The first story (called here the ground floor, in common with continental parlance) rooms were not named, but one was clearly set aside for fine dining. Among the appropriate items were a silver-plated tea set worth $55, a coffee um worth $46, a china tea set worth $30, silver-plated waiters, castors, and cake basket; decanters; glasses for wine, champagne, cordials, lemonade, and jelly; tumblers; silver cutlery; a large quantity of cheaper cutlery; a set of Liverpool China for dining; Queens ware bowls, dishes, and plates; common china; oyster knives; wine coolers; a mahogany table, several pine tables, five chairs, and a carpet. There were basic foo d items such as olives, preserves, catsup, pickles, coffee, sugar, wine, and chocolate. While some of this stuff was in the main dining room, it seems likely that some of it was also stored in the back room. There were also the necessary table linens. There was only one clock listed and its location is not clear, being listed between dining items and a looking glass in the sitting room. The latter object and many of the following items must have been in the double parlor, including an astral lamp, a mantel lamp, and two other, smaller lamps, a lounge, 24 cane-bottom chairs, a center table, a pier table, two more looking glasses, and a piano forte. There was "carpet for 2 rooms" that was likely identical and used in tl1e double parlor, plus hearth rugs, and a parlor lounge. The mention of another carpet suggests that al l four downstairs rooms were carpeted, and if so, then the back room must not have been used for food preparation. Worth noting is that no curtains or venetian blinds were listed on the first story. This seems like it must have been an oversight since fabrics were expensive and were thus most commonly found in the public rooms where they would be seen; it also raises the question of what else might have been missed. There was a lamp in the passage, plus two tables and an oil cloth that was valued at $45. This was as high as most of the carpets, so it must have been substantial, perhaps covering the whole floor. Between the last two items was listed a thermometer, which was almost certainly also hung in the passage. George Cook of Hazlewood, near Columbia, noted in his diary in the 1840s that he had a thermometer in the passage of his house. The stairway was carpeted, in two runs of different values which suggests that perhaps there were two different qualities of carpet used; the fust stair carpet listed was valued at $24 and was likely covering the lower half of the stairs, where it would be seen by all visitors, while the second stair carpet was only worth $8." [inventory continues in HABS]
American Revolution exhibit at Mount Ida. June 16 - July 1, 2026. DAR and American Battlefield Trust. More about the display in my post HERE.
©2026 Patricia Bixler Reber
Forgotten history of Ellicott City & Howard County MD
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