History Highlights

One of Patapsco Valley's most renowned landmarks, the Thomas Viaduct, is designated both a National Historic Landmark and a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark. The Thomas Viaduct is a granite railroad bridge that spans the Patapsco River between Relay and Elkridge. For nearly 200 years, rail traffic has made the journey from Baltimore to Washington [...]

Just outside of the boundaries of Patapsco State Park in Ilchester lies the remnants of the valley’s third cotton mill. Now reduced to an open concrete floor, this site was once a bustling industrial town in a region at the forefront of industrial development. Built in 1824, Thistle Mill represented a shift in the kinds […]

On the east bank of the Patapsco River, across from the Swinging Bridge, lie the remains of the Orange Grove Mill. Visitors to Patapsco Valley State Park’s Avalon entrance can walk right up to the ruins and see this piece of history. Though little remains, the granite foundation is still a thought-provoking reminder of our […]

Benjamin Banneker is often considered the first African American man of science. Though descendant to enslaved Africans, Benjamin was born free. Banneker’s father, Robert, purchased the 100 acre Banneker farm in 1737, when Benjamin was six years old. Pre-dating the Ellicott Brothers by 30 years, the farmstead was an example of the types of settlements […]

Ellicott City's B&O Station is one of the most popular historic sites in the Patapsco Valley. Built in 1831, the Ellicott City Station, the oldest surviving rail depot in America, still stands along active rail tracks that connect Baltimore to the West. Today, we’ll focus on the site’s role as the central transportation hub of [...]