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.

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?

Savage Mill begins operation as a weaving business on the banks of the Little Patuxent River in 1822.

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

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.

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