Ellicott City Travel Guide

Ellicott City is a cute little town. It was founded as a Quaker community by three brothers who had moved here from Buck's County, Pennsylvania. John, Joseph, and Andrew Ellicott established Ellicott's Mills in 1772 paying three dollars per acre. The Ellicotts were looking for a place to build a grist mill. The brothers selected the area because of the swiftly flowing Patapsco river. The Jonathan Ellicott house & store was built 1772 and traded as Ellicott & Company. They built a wooden bridge spanning the Patapsco. They established several mills for milling flour and manufacturing iron products. The town wealth stems from the production of tobacco.

In 1830, The B & O Railroad built the "Old Main Line" to the town from Baltimore.

Ellicott City is built on seven hills in the tradition of ancient Rome. They are named Capitoline, Rock , Strawberry, Patapsco, Mulligan, Dutch, and Quaker Hill.