Merry Christmas

The mill wheel art on the side of the old movie theater on Old Columbia Pike and Main St. (Frederick Road) has a green wreath with white lights over the water wheel.

Trains for the holidays

There are many model train sets scattered on tables/stands throughout the B&O Railroad Station in old Ellicott City (Main and Maryland streets) in addition to the permanent HO-scale model of the original thirteen mile track from Baltimore to Ellicott Mills that fills the side building (1885 freight house).

The Holiday Train Garden at the Ellicott City Volunteer Fire Department, 4150 Montgomery Road, is from Dec 2 to Jan 1. See it, then cross Montgomery Road and take Old Columbia Pike down to Main Street to the train station. And after, go shop at some of the Main Street stores.

Christmas traditions in America and England

During the lockdown I have been busy finding talks, demos and cook-alongs for my calendar of food history virtual talks, which left little time for this blog. So here are the talks which were taped (many were not). The first is from the nearby Laurel Historical Society.

Christmas poem written at Ellicott's Mills in 1856 by M. C. P.

Someone from Ellicott's Mills - M. C. P.  (Pue?) wrote a poem about Christmas for the magazine The Little Pilgrim (Phila: April, 1856)

Christmas egg-nogging in 1866 Ellicott City

A British barrister, Henry Lantham (c1828-1871) kept a journal during his three month trip around the US in 1866. He spent Christmas Eve in Ellicott Mills, where egg-nogging was common when visiting, and guns were fired every 10 minutes "giving one the idea that the war had not ended yet at Ellicott's Mills." Egg nog was made cold and served cold, made from egg yolks, brandy, cream, milk mixed then topped with whipped egg whites.  Sugar-plums were given.