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Throughout 2022 EC250 Inc., in partnership with participants countywide, will coordinate special celebratory activities and events across Howard County to honor the 250th anniversary of historic Ellicott City, Maryland.  Planning is under way to bring an assortment of fun, entertaining, and educational activities to both the town and venues across Howard County. 

We already celebrated with “Where’s George?” (as in George Ellicott, a member of Ellicott City’s founding family, who is reported to have returned to his old stomping grounds as the 250th anniversary of the town draws near.) Visitors to Ellicott City were encouraged to look for George out and about and around town. When they spotted George, they were encouraged to snap a photo, share it in a Facebook post using the hashtag #IFoundGeorgeinEC and tag @EC250. We think George will be back as the weather gets nicer once again!
 
Through historical exhibits and interpretive reenactments, educational curriculum and lectures, special contests, and cultural activities, the stories of the town older than the country itself will come alive. Visitors will experience anew the town built by the Ellicotts “in the hollow” along the Patapsco River.
 
With pride in the past and a belief in the future the festivities begin Spring 2022! 

*Events subject to change.

where's George?
EC250 anticipates more in town sightings of George, his relatives, and other historic figures relative to Ellicott City’s history as the anniversary year approaches. “Where’s George?” and future “History Comes Alive” appearances are sponsored by Patapsco Heritage Greenway and Ellicott City’s Main Street Oriental Rugs.

WINTER

EC250 Anniversary Year Kickoff

  • The EC250 anniversary year kicks off as George Ellicott and friends welcome all to join the EC250 Stakeholders Special Celebration at the Howard County Welcome Center that includes the opening of a new “Main Street” exhibit. (January 22, 2022)
  • Patapsco Heritage Greenway’s new documentary “Pioneering Along the Patapsco” debuts. Produced by Maryland Public Television, the video explores the ingenuity and innovations that contributed to the story of Ellicott City over the years.
  • The new Ellicott Family Legacy Exhibit opens at the Museum of Howard County History to offer visitors a look into the lives of the founding families through the lens of its artifact collection.
  • A student essay contest sponsored by Historic Ellicott City Inc. encourages students at all levels to reflect and interpret Ellicott City’s place in history in their own words.
  • As Saint Patrick’s Day approaches, EC250 brings the Irish Railroad Workers Museum to town to pay homage to the workers who literally laid the groundwork for the nation’s earliest transportation networks.

SPRING

History comes Alive!

  • “EC History Comes Alive” when historic interpreters and re-enactors visit Ellicott City on select weekends throughout the year.
  •  Howard County Historical Society hosts the Grand Opening of Ellicott’s Quaker School Children’s Museum adjacent to the Museum of Howard County History.
  • The first in a three-part series of commemorative EC250 cans from Manor Hill Brewing debuts featuring their signature IPA. EC250 weekends at Manor Hill Farm mark the occasion of each release with “EC History Comes Alive” reenactors and special activities onsite.
  • Descendants of the Miami Nation visit town to discuss their renown leader Mihšihkinaahkwa’s (Chief Little Turtle’s) relationship with the Ellicotts and the tribe’s connection to the town and local Quaker groups.
  • The first of four “For the Record” Digital Days provides the community an opportunity to add personal family photos and stories relative to Ellicott City to the official historical record of the town.
  • Howard County Historical Society’s new “Passport to 1772” hits the street to encourage young and old alike to explore and learn more about the town’s history.

SUMMER

EC in Full Bloom

  • The new interpretive feature “Mary Jerdone Coleman’s Garden at Patapsco Female Institute” opens with a ribbon cutting and celebration hosted by Howard County Recreation & Parks and the Howard County Garden Club. Based on flower pressings from former student Mary Jerdone Coleman’s journal, the new feature highlights the teachings of renowned botanist Almira Hart Lincoln Phelps, the institute’s principal. (June 4, 2022)
  • The Maryland Center for History and Culture spotlights the Ellicotts in its museum-wide exhibit on Maryland industry.
  • JULY 16, 2022 : Ellicott City’s Fells Lane Community Reunites to recall and memorialize personal experiences in the town’s black neighborhood. Demolished in the 1970s, the community was purported to be home to many descendants of enslaved people from nearby farms, including the seven thousand acre Doughoregan Manor plantation owned by Charles Carroll of Carrollton, signer of the Declaration of Independence. (July 16, 2022)

FALL

Wrapping Up

  • ART-i-facts opens at Howard County Center for the Arts. Gallery works exhibit the creative exploration and interpretation by artists of various Ellicott family artifacts from the Howard County Historical Society and the Maryland Center for History and Culture collections.
  • Wiley Purkey’s “EC Road Show” opens at Columbia Art Center with 50 works by the long-time Ellicott City artist. Infused with his own experiences and memories, Purkey’s colorful oil paintings bring the town to life and take viewers on a nostalgic trip through its streets.
  • The Babe Ruth Museum comes to town just in time for the 2022 World Series to celebrate the Babe’s wedding anniversary at the church where it happened!
  • The Commemorative EC250 Time Capsule will be placed at the town’s historic Thomas Isaac Log Cabin as a legacy for future generations to uncover.
  • “On National Road,” an original musical, written and produced locally, takes the audience on a trip through time that features songs about historic milestones during the last 250 years in Ellicott City and Howard County.
In addition, the landmark EC250 anniversary theme will be featured as part of annual events including:
  • Patapsco Heritage Greenway’s “Patapsco Days” presentation series
  • Ellicott City Partnership’s in town seasonal festivals
  • Howard County Arts Council’s PAINT IT! Plein Air Weekend
  • Howard County Historical Society’s Holiday House Tour in Historic Ellicott City
  • PLUS MUCH MORE still in the works!

Does your organization want to hold an EC250 event?

It’s been 50 years since the last significant anniversary of the town’s founding — in 1972 we celebrated Ellicott City’s Bicentennial. Does your school, business, community or nonprofit have an event to contribute to Ellicott City’s 250th anniversary? Please submit events below. 

    What is the proper name for a 250th anniversary?

    ___ Sestercentennial

    ___ Semiquincentennial

    ___ Bicenquinquagenary

    (It’s actually ALL of the above.)

    Sestercentennial – To express 2½ in Latin it would be expressed as “half-three”. The term relates to being halfway [from the second] to the third integer. In Latin this is “Sestertius” which is a contraction of semis (halfway) tertius (third)—hence Sestercentennial.

    Semiquincentennial – Probably a modern coined term: semi- (half) × quin (5) × centennial (100 years) = 250 years. Used by Brown University in 2015.

    Bicenquinquagenary – Used by Princeton University in 1996, Reading, Pennsylvania in 1998, and Washington and Lee University in 1999. It is a coined word for an anniversary of 250 years: bi- (2) × cen(t)- (100) + quinquagenary (50 years).