Ellicott City in Howard County, Maryland — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
Howard County Courthouse, 1843
National Park Service Underground Railroad
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Photographed by Allen C. Browne, December 18, 2017
1. Howard County Courthouse, 1843: Marker
The 1843 Howard County Courthouse, Located on Court Avenue in the Historic District of Ellicott City, Maryland, was the location for judicial proceedings related to legal cases involving those charged with encouraging enslaved persons to run away. From 1843 to the end of slavery in Maryland on November 1, 1864. The Courthouse was designed and built of native granite between 1840 and 1843, and is located high atop Capitoline Hill above Main Street in Ellicott City. Arguably, the most famous case involved the transfer of known Underground Railroad agent William L. Chaplin of New York from Montgomery County to Howard County in 1850 but there were many cases involving local free Blacks like that of Warner Cook, charged with enticing those enslaved to run away.
Erected by National Park Service.
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Abolition & Underground RR • African Americans • Notable Buildings. In addition, it is included in the Network to Freedom series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1843.
Location. 39° 16.091′ N, 76° 47.925′ W. Marker is in Ellicott
this page online
Regionally, this marker is in Central Maryland. It is also in the American Mid-Atlantic and on the Eastern Seaboard. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region, North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once one of the original Thirteen Colonies and also the Antebellum South.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Word Wars I, II and Korea Memorial (here, next to this marker); Votes For Women (a few steps from this marker); Wootton Law Offices (within shouting distance of this marker); Roland R. Bounds (within shouting distance of this marker); Starr Funeral Home (within shouting distance of this marker); The Firehouse Museum (within shouting distance of this marker); Disneys Tavern (within shouting distance of this marker);
Photographed by Allen C. Browne, December 18, 2017
2. Howard County Courthouse, 1843: Marker
Also see . . . Howard County Courthouse. Maryland Historical Trust Architectural Survey File PDF. (Submitted on December 19, 2017, by Allen C. Browne of Silver Spring, Maryland.)
Photographed by Allen C. Browne, December 18, 2017
3. Howard County Courthouse
Photographed by Allen C. Browne, December 18, 2017
4. Howard County Courthouse Cupola
Photographed by Allen C. Browne, December 18, 2017
5. Weathervane
Library of Congress
6. Court House,
built 1843
built 1843
From a c. 1854 lithograph by E. Sachse & Co.
Photographed by Allen C. Browne, December 18, 2017
7. Courthouse Cannon
“Facing Court House Lane is the Howard County Courthouse on Capitoline Hill. Like most buildings in Ellicott City it is a Classic-Revival structure of local granite. The battered old British cannon on the lawn, captured at the Battle of Bladensburg in the War of 1812 by Bachelor John Dorsey, was one of the few souvenirs the Americans got out of that encounter.” -- Maryland, a Guide to the Old Line State, 1940.
Credits. This page was last revised on February 18, 2024. It was originally submitted on December 19, 2017, by Allen C. Browne of Silver Spring, Maryland. This page has been viewed 1,385 times since then and 90 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on December 19, 2017, by Allen C. Browne of Silver Spring, Maryland. 6. submitted on December 21, 2017, by Allen C. Browne of Silver Spring, Maryland. 7. submitted on December 19, 2017, by Allen C. Browne of Silver Spring, Maryland. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.
