You'll be forgiven if you don't know that there's a connection between Howard County and the Civil War.

There was a skirmish in Cooksville in 1863, and federal troops might have come down the National Pike in July 1864 to the railroad station in Ellicott City. Perhaps some buildings were used as hospitals. Basically, however, the county wasn't a hot spot of Civil War action.

As we approach the sesquicentennial commemoration of that time, though, you might see an increased emphasis on the people and places in the county that played a part in the war but have so far missed your attention.

Maryland, along with Virginia and North Carolina, has developed a Discovery Trail with about 700 sites pertaining to Civil War events. Maryland has about 200 of those sites, and Howard County has more than a half-dozen of them. They range from an old stone bridge to an inn, and all are within a day's outing of where you are right now.

Find the red, white and blue Maryland Civil War Trail sign (with the bugle and stars) and you can explore history and its impact on today.

You can step into the past in more ways than one at Historic Savage Mill (410-792-2820 or 800-788-6455; www.savagemill.com), which most locals now know as a place to find antiques, artists and eateries. From 1822 through 1947 the Little Patuxent River powered a textile mill there that specialized in the production of canvas used for the sails of clipper ships. The mill also produced tents and other supplies during the war. Tours are available weekdays, by reservation, for groups of six or more.

Mobile home

Head toward Ellicott City's Main Street and you'll see the Thomas Isaac Log Cabin, built about 1780 and relocated to the corner of Main Street and Ellicott Mills Drive in 1987. Named after one of its 19th-century owners, the structure served as a home, an African Methodist Episcopal church and a storage shed before it was temporarily mothballed at Centennial Park in 1980.

Since 1988, the cabin and adjacent orientation center have hosted historical programs, including an annual tea and fashion show. As the county and the state were divided between the North and South, costumed historians and artisans relate what the war meant to local residents.

Generally, the Thomas Isaac Log Cabin and the orientation center are open on Saturday and Sunday from 1 to 4 p.m. Upcoming events include Lace Day with members of the Chesapeake Lace Guild on Sept. 13 and a Fall Festival on Sept. 27.

Higher education

Overlooking Ellicott City are the ruins of the Patapsco Female Institute, a fine boarding and finishing school for daughters of prominent southern families that was founded in 1837. The girls, aged 12-18, were taught science, languages, music, mathematics and natural history. Although the school survived the war, times changed and it had closed by 1891.

Since then, it has been a private residence and a hospital for World War I servicemen, and eventually was allowed to deteriorate. The partially restored ruins hint at the glory of its Greek Revival architecture, and the ghost of a former student is said to "visit" her former classrooms and dormitory.

Activities on the grounds of the stabilized ruins and the Mount Ida Visitor Center include guided tours, lectures, archeological finds, Shakespeare in the Ruins, an egg hunt and Victorian teas.

You can call the Patapsco Female Institute Historic Park at 410-465-8500.

Still chugging along

If you have any sense of engineering in you, you'll be amazed by the 704-foot (or 614-foot, depending on your source) Thomas Viaduct Bridge, which spans the Patapsco River and Patapsco Valley between the towns of Relay and Elkridge. The world's oldest multiple arched stone railroad bridge, and the first to be built on a curve, was constructed between July 4, 1833 and 1835. Some people doubted it would be able to carry the train traffic of the day. Yet, here it is 173 years later, and it's still carrying freight as well as commuter rail.

The viaduct, a National Historic Landmark, was a vital link for troop and supply transport during the war, as it was the only rail line from the North into Washington, D.C. The bridge was heavily guarded by Union troops to prevent damage or sabotage by Confederate sympathizers.

You can see the eight-arch bridge from ground level by taking Levering Avenue, west of Route 1, at Elkridge, but there's no legal place to park. You can get a better view at the entrance of Patapsco Valley State Park. If there's someone at the contact station, just say you want to park to go look at the bridge and there won't be an entrance fee. From the other side of the bridge, look up to your left and you can see the 15-foot obelisk that lists the name of the builder, construction start and completion dates, and the names of other people involved with the project.

You'll be hard-pressed to find organized train-related activities, but the park is open from 9 a.m. to dusk for picnicking, hiking, hunting, canoeing, play in the playground, tubing, biking, walking a 300-foot swinging bridge, camping or stopping by the Avalon Visitor Center to explore the 300 years of history displayed there.

Past and repast

Now, if you've planned your day's activities correctly (including making reservations) you'll drive to the other side of Route 1 to the Elkridge Furnace Inn (410-379-9336, www.elkridgefurnaceinn.com) for a sumptuous meal. The inn is even older than the bridge, opening as a tavern in 1744. An iron smelting furnace was added about mid-century. James and Andrew Ellicott bought the property in 1810, modernized the furnace and built a home. By mid-century, there was a tunnel from the manor home to the river, used as part of the Underground Railroad.

The property was in sad shape when Dan Wecker and his brother, Steve, found it in 1988 and they persuaded the state to allow them to lease it. By 1991, they'd restored it, and Dan had started on-site catering. He successfully opened the restaurant during a 1994 blizzard, and today Dan; his wife, Donna; daughter, Genelle; and sons, Matthias and Cameron all work at the inn. The inn is open for lunch Tuesday through Friday, dinner Tuesday through Sunday and Sunday brunch.

Check the calendar for a variety of activities, including such things as a kids' advanced cooking camp, afternoon tea, wine tastings and an Elvis beer tasting. The most enjoyable activity might be listening to Wecker talk about the history surrounding the place. Or join him on a winter Sunday when he serves a Civil War-era history supper that might include corn-meal oysters, she stew (milk- or cream-based with oysters, potatoes, peppers, onions, wild leeks, wild herbs from the grounds), braised Virginia ham, corn-meal biscuits and hot-milk sponge cake with fresh fruit.

Who knew history could be so delicious?

For more information on the entire Civil War Discovery Trail, go to www.civilwardiscoverytrail.org.

user comments (0)