Museum of Howard County History Exhibits

Whether it’s daily life in an 19th century mill town, the history of the 4-H Club or a closer look at the lives of the county’s founding fathers, our permanent collection along with periodic themed exhibitions of artifacts and information provide visitors with a deeper understanding and a hands on experience of Howard County history.

Lesson Plans

Temporary Exhibits

VOTES FOR WOMEN: A PORTRAIT OF PERSISTENCE

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Ongoing Exhibits

ELLICOTT CITY: A VISUAL HISTORY

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A RIVER RUNS THROUGH IT: THE FLOODS OF ELLICOTT CITY

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MUSEUM EXHIBITS

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FEATURED OBJECTS

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GIFT SHOP

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Did You Know?

The Glenelg Country School opens using the country estate home built by General and Mrs. Tyson in the 1850s in 1954.

Featured Objects

In the 19th century, Ellicott City was a resort where the wealthy escaped the heat and stink of Baltimore in the summer. Both this collapsible key and a more regularly shaped companion were found around 1940 at the Howard House. This Main Street, Ellicott City hotel also provided space to the local Masonic Society. Today the building houses apartments. The key is shown against a piece of the original Howard House china.

Howard House Collapsible Key & Plate

Thomas Johnson (1732-1819) was a delegate to the 1774 and 1775 Continental Congress. His family's factory near Frederick, Md. manufactured ammunition for the rebels. He was the first governor of Maryland after the Revolutionary War from 1777 to 1779. George Washington appointed him as associate justice on the Supreme Court in 1791, where he became the author of the Court's first written opinion in 1792. Due to ill health, he declined an appointment to become Secretary of State, although he had been nominated by Thomas Jefferson. He retired to Rose Hill Manor near Frederick, Md. where he died in 1819.

Thomas Johnson’s Dentures

A.B. Felgemacher Organ

Votes for Women: A Portrait of Persistence

(Smithsonian Traveling Exhibit)
August 21 – Dec. 31st, 2020
Mueseum of Howard County History
Friday – Sunday, 1:00 PM – 5:00 PM

The story of women’s suffrage is a story of voting rights, of inclusion in and exclusion from the franchise, and of our civic development as a nation. Join the Smithsonian in celebrating the 100th anniversary of the Nineteenth Amendment with Votes for Women: A Portrait of Persistence. This free, dynamic poster exhibition will explore the complexity of the women’s suffrage movement and the relevance of this history to Americans’ lives today.

The crusade for women’s suffrage is one of the longest reform movements in American history. Between 1832 and 1920, women citizens organized for the right to vote, agitating first in their states or territories and also, simultaneously, through petitioning for a federal amendment. Based on the National Portrait Gallery exhibition of the same name, Votes for Women will broaden visitors’ understanding of the suffrage movement in the United States. The poster exhibition will address women’s political activism, explore the racism that challenged universal suffrage, and document the ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment which prohibits the government from denying U.S. citizens the right to vote on the basis of gender. It will also touch upon the suffrage movement’s relevance to current conversations on voting and voting rights across America.

Ellicott City: A Visual History

This new permanent exhibit at the Museum of Howard County History features images and artifacts from the Howard County Historical Society collection illustrating Ellicott City Main Street’s history from the 1880’s to present day.

A River Runs Through It: The Floods Of Ellicott City

The Museum of Howard County History in Historic Ellicott City (8328 Court Ave, Ellicott City) open the exhibit, A River Runs Through It: The Floods of Ellicott City, on Saturday Nov. 12th. The exhibit, which was in development prior to the Flood on July 30th, illustrates the numerous flood events that have plagued the small historic town since its founding, focusing more specifically on the Floods of 1868, 1952, 1975 and 2016. This exhibit features images and artifacts from the Howard County Historical Society’s collection as well as items donated by businesses affected by the 2016 flood.
The Museum of Howard County History is free to the public and open Friday to Sunday, 1:00-5:00.

Mike Radinsky has been curator at the Museum of Howard County History since 2016. His interests lie in local history, especially Howard County’s involvement in the Civil War. He participates in living history programs in the area and for the museum. Mike also leads historic walking tours and ghost tours in the historic district. He lives in Ellicott City with his family.

Becca Dobbs graduated from Towson University with her B.A. in Anthropology and a minor in Museum Studies in the fall of 2018. She came to the Historical Society in the summer of 2016 as a volunteer immediately following a Walking Tour. Becca was hired as one of the Museum’s assistants in 2017. Her duties include assisting with special events, educational outreach programs and of course working at the museum on weekends. Becca enjoys doing genealogy and drinking lots of coffee. If you see her around, please send her a friendly hello!

Charlie Jennings was born in the Boston area. He earned his B.A. & M.B.A. degrees at Dartmouth College. After working at a national public-accounting firm and earning his CPA accreditation in Massachusetts, he moved on to accountancy in the corporate sector. In the mid-70s he moved to Howard County with his wife, Tina, and two boys, to work as VP-Finance at Choice Hotels. Charlie now volunteers as our Retail Manager at both the Archives and Museum. Historical interests include America’s wars (Rev, Civil, and WWII) and European accounts including the Age of Sail and the controversies of the Empire.

Henry “Hank” Fitzer has undergraduate degrees in Spanish and Accounting with minors in German and History. Hank’s careers include Maritime Commerce at the Port of Baltimore (14 years) and with the Maryland State Government (30 years). He has recently retired and now volunteers at both the Archives and the Museum. His interests include Languages, History and Archaeology. His historical areas of greatest interest are Ancient, Native American, U.S. Colonial through Civil War, and Latin American.

Kaitlyn McKay has been a volunteer at the Howard County Historical Society since 2015. In addition to working at the Museum of Howard County History, Kaitlyn is also the Historical Society’s social media coordinator. She received her AA degree at Howard Community College & her Bachelor’s degree in English at Towson University. Kaitlyn currently works in the administration offices at the Baltimore County Public Library.

Mary Sanphilipo started with us in 2012 as a volunteer and now acts as our Museum and Collections Manager. She has her B.A. in Archaeology with a minor in History from U.M.B.C. and her Masters in Library Sciences from U.M.C.P. After college, she began her career at the Baltimore City Life Museums where she stayed for 10 years. She then took a 15 year hiatus from work to homeschool her two children, Shannon and Aiden. She also oversees our Museum rentals such as our ongoing yoga and ballroom dance classes.