Oldest train station in America - B & O station in Ellicott City

The Ellicott City B & O train station, on lower Main St., was opened in 1831.  The right (southern) portion of the station was a "Car House" for repairs, making it also the only "combination" rail road station still in existence.  It is a museum, owned by Howard County since 1997, with free admission.  Go visit!   The track and railroad bridge are still in use by CSX. To the side of the station is a turntable, a replica of the first horse drawn passenger car "The Pioneer", an 1885 brick freight station building and a 1927 caboose.

HoCo 250 - local activities, online talks, open houses

Howard County (and the USA) is celebrating 250 years since 1776 in 2026. HoCo 250. Open houses, talks and other activities. Below are some links to calendars of events. In 2022 Ellicott City celebrated EC250 - 250 years of its founding in 1772, blog post HERE

15 buildings! - Museums, businesses, homes and even the Odd Fellows - are participating in an Open House Day on Sat. Oct 17.

Children's play areas around Howard County MD

Several include historic sites (Children’s Museum in c1812 Quaker school, oldest train station, Enchanted Forest at Clark's), many local farms, indoor activity centers, libraries, and more.

Near Wilde Lake, a tot slide has been incorporated within the ruins of historic Bleak House.

The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad 1836 - in French

The new B & O Railroad made the international news as seen in this excerpt from a French book. 

Main Street buildings coming down - Great Panes

The first Main Street building to be torn down is the old Great Panes, which did stained glass. Stone front building, c1841, additions and stucco c1870, c1920. Demolished by Feb 24

Saw this today, so doing a very quick post. Although I am very concerned for the train station when all four buildings are torn down and thus not able to curve the next flood waters on Main St. away from the B&O Station - the oldest train station in America; at least not as many buildings are being torn down as planned by the previous County Executive.

Thanksgiving Day county fair... IN... the Patapsco Hotel

The Howard County fair began on Thanksgiving Day, 1907, and probably took place in the old Patapsco Hotel, by the train tracks and across the bridge from the railroad station.  The hotel was originally a passenger station for the new Baltimore & Ohio Railroad. A past post HERE.  Ponies, poultry, pumpkins, 'Pekin ducks,' turkeys and more filled all the four floors.

Main Street buildings coming down - Easton Funeral Home/Bean Hollow (Coffee) to Valmos Bros/Phoenix Emporium

The demolition will be documented here, so pictures will be added throughout the process. These are the last three buildings protecting the 1830 RR Station (the oldest in America) by blocking the flood waters down Main Street. Click on photos to enlarge.

Updated: Feb 7, 15, 24; March 3, 8, 15, 29, 30, 2024; Mar 24, 2025

Patapsco Hotel as railroad station

Interestingly, this hotel had a side balcony at track level and used as the passenger station for the new train.  Then the train crossed Main Street/turnpike on the Oliver Viaduct to get to the freight station.  The train service began on May 24, 1830, arriving at 9AM, 1 and 6PM for 75 cents. Its many owners have used the building as hotel, apartments and even an ice plant.

Dr. Who's Tardis is a "Little Free Library" to open this Sunday on Dr. Who Day - Nov 23

The long-running British TV show Dr. Who has a Tardis... now Old Ellicott City has one to house books in a large "Little Free Library" (take a book, leave a book). One can be transported through time and space in the Tardis (Time And Relative Dimension In Space), and the interior is larger than the exterior. "Books: They're Bigger on the inside..." clever sign in this Tardis.

NOTE: Removed the last week of March.

The big blue box mysteriously appeared in Tiber Park (by the B&O RR Station) in early October. And now we know it's a Tardis... and will open this Sunday.

So check out this fun Tardis ... and leave some books if you have extras to build the selection. While you are there take the kids to the nearby free large model train displays for the holidays (details below).

James Lea grafitti at the B&O railroad station 1838

James Lea (1816-1857) was the son of Elizabeth (Ellicott) Lea (daughter of George Ellicott), and Thomas Lea, of the Lea Brandywine mills.  James was born in Delaware but raised south west of Ellicott's mills at the family farm "Walnut Hill" near Sandy Spring, Md.  He and his brothers took produce and livestock into Ellicott's mills, then visited his grandmother Elizabeth (Brooke) Ellicott who lived by the mill, across the river from the station.

James fought during the Mexican War (1846-48), went overland to California for the 1849 gold rush then ran a hotel until he became ill and returned home. A further reason - when his grandmother Elizabeth (Brooke) Ellicott died in 1853 she left him a portion of her Brooke lands near Sandy Spring, MD if he returned to live in Maryland. He died, unmarried, in 1857.

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.

Main Street buildings - Old Ellicott City - North side

Historic & flood prevention sites along Main Street (Frederick St.), in Ellicott City. 1860 Schase map (left) and 1834 McLoughlin lottery sketch depict the buildings on Main Street.

Main Street OEC Old Ellicott City - South side

A 'walk' by historic & flood prevention sites along Main Street, Old Ellicott City OEC. For more information click on the HABS - Historic American Buildings writeup.

Bloede Dam - Power plant inside a dam

The first hydroelectric plant within a dam was built just south of Ilchester and Ellicott City on the Patapsco River in 1907. The underwater plant had windows behind the falls for light, but during rain when the "water is muddy" less light entered the room.

The dam was removed in 2018.

Quarries near Ellicott City

The Catholic Cathedral and many homes and business in early Ellicott's mills were built with Ellicott City granite from nearby quarries along the Patapsco River.  The following excerpts describe the slight difference of the rock found on either side of the river and the quarries in 1811, 1834, 1898 and 1910.

George Ellicott Jr. home becomes part of St. Mary's College

The Ilchester Hotel/Home/Tavern that Ellicott built in the early 1830s was sold in 1866 to the Redeptorists for $15,000.  The walls had weakened by the coal trains and had to have pipes to stabilize the old stone structure.  The main 'upper house' was built in 1868, and a large wooden addition was built beside and behind the 4 story granite building.  The first chapel with long windows was attached to the granite hotel and used into at least 1895.

1831 B & O survey of route for the first rail road line

The first passenger and freight railroad ran from Baltimore to Ellicott's mills (Ellicott City).  The tracks headed south out of Baltimore to run along the Patapsco River mills (Avalon mill at Elkridge, Md) to Ellicott's mills.  From the 1831 Ellicott mills rail road station (the oldest rr station in America, now a museum HERE) the route ran west along the river then to Frederick.

Big Dig

The tunnel exit will break out of the new wall they built with the orange mesh fencing at top by the railroad tracks. There were two men rapelling on the rock face under the metal mesh to clear up so no rock falls on the tracks.

The dig - one mile long, 18 foot diameter conduit for $140 million to $386 million

B & O railroad sheet music 1828 and Carrollton Viaduct

On July 4, 1828, Charles Carroll of Carrollton laid the 'cornerstone' for the start of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad between the planned Carrollton Viaduct and Mount Clare. The original stone is in the B&O Museum in Baltimore. Two songs were written for the occasion - Carrollton March and the Rail Road March.

Walking from Ellicott Mills to Elkridge, then by train in 1843

On Friday, Oct. 13, 1843 a reporter (“Old Honesty”) walked the six miles from Ellicott’s Mills to Elkridge Landing and wrote a long article about the scenery, mills and trains along the Patapsco River.  He passed Illchester, Thistle Factory (image left), Avalon Furnace, Elkridge Landing and Relay station.

The river was called 'Patapsco Falls' until it reached Elkridge, where it was called 'Patapsco River' to the Chesapeake Bay.