Ellicott City in Howard County, Maryland — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
Howard County Jail, 1851
National Park Service Underground Railroad
| | Network to Freedom | |
Photographed by Allen C. Browne, December 18, 2017
1. Howard County Jail Marker
The Howard County Jail, located at 1 Emory Street, in the Historic District of Ellicott City, Maryland, was the location where freedom seekers and those charged with encouraging enslaved persons to run away or rise up against their masters or similar charges during the age of enslavement were held from January 1852 through the end of slavery in Maryland on November 1, 1864. The Maryland General Assembly passed an act authorizing the Board of Commissioners of Howard District to levy taxes to create the jail. The jail was accepted for use on December 16, 1851. Among the prisoners held were runaways like Augusta Spriggs and Richard Martin, held as a fugitive without a pass.
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Abolition & Underground RR • African Americans • Law Enforcement. In addition, it is included in the Network to Freedom series list. A significant historical date for this entry is December 16, 1851.
Location. 39° 16.154′ N, 76° 47.86′ W. Marker is in Ellicott City, Maryland, in Howard County. It can be reached from Court Place, on the left when traveling south. Touch for map. Marker is
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: Mount Ida (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Roland R. Bounds (about 400 feet away); Votes For Women (about 500 feet away); The Patapsco Female Institute (about 500 feet away); Howard County Courthouse, 1843 (about 500 feet away); Sunflower Church (about 500 feet away); Word Wars I, II and Korea Memorial (about 500 feet away); a different marker also named Patapsco Female Institute (about 500 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Ellicott City.
Also see . . . Howard County Jail. Maryland Historical Trust Architectural
Photographed by Allen C. Browne, December 18, 2017
2. Howard County Jail and Marker
Photographed by Allen C. Browne, December 18, 2017
3. Howard County Jail
Photographed by Allen C. Browne, December 18, 2017
4. Howard County Jail
Photographed by Allen C. Browne, December 18, 2017
5. Howard County Jail
Photographed by Allen C. Browne, December 18, 2017
6. Cupola
Photographed by Allen C. Browne, December 20, 2017
7. Howard County Jail - Original 1878 Building
Photographed by Allen C. Browne, December 20, 2017
8. 1878 Jail Plaque
Jerome C. Berry, William Rowles, Samuel Brown, County Commissioners.
John Laing C.E., Architect.
James Rowles, Robert Wilson, Builders, 1878.
John Laing C.E., Architect.
James Rowles, Robert Wilson, Builders, 1878.
Photographed by Allen C. Browne, December 20, 2017
9. Jail Door
Credits. This page was last revised on November 19, 2025. It was originally submitted on December 19, 2017, by Allen C. Browne of Silver Spring, Maryland. This page has been viewed 1,945 times since then and 155 times this year. It was the Marker of the Week December 14, 2025. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. submitted on December 19, 2017, by Allen C. Browne of Silver Spring, Maryland. 7, 8, 9. submitted on December 21, 2017, by Allen C. Browne of Silver Spring, Maryland. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.
