Howard County Maryland Black History

04/07/2026

“What does HoCo Roots Revisited mean?”, people sometimes ask. Many times, it means working behind the scenes to do painstaking and detailed work that takes years to have materialize. As the 250th anniversary of the country’s founding was approaching, our nonprofit reached out to the state archives about an entry of theirs that was being used and recycled by many regarding the last living signer of the Declaration of Independence. That last living signer owned a large plantation in our county called Doughoregan… he also owned Folly Quarter and other places. At issue was whether or not he was an “abolitionist” as we have read and heard many call him through the years. Doing a root cause analysis, it seemed to stem from a statement made after his death to a Pennsylvania news outlet. Contact was made to the state archives in Annapolis in July 2025 to begin the process of making things accurate for 2026. Today, it was learned that the info on the state archives site about Carroll has finally been updated with the truth.

“Instead, relatives, researchers, and other individuals interested in Carroll’s life have taken Richard Caton’s claim as fact.”

It was Brackett’s 1889 book, The Negro in Maryland, that first sounded the alarm in a footnote that there was no 1797 abolition legislation introduced by Charles Carroll of Carrollton in the Maryland Senate. A letter had been written from ‘“a gentleman of Baltimore” about the legislation according to Brackett. HCRR double-checked the legislative journals of the time to understand who did exactly what. The letter was tracked down and it was determined to have come from Carroll of Carrollton’s son-in-law Richard Caton. HCRR reached out to the state archives to get clarification and resolution on having the entry made accurate.

What we love about MSA is THEIR honesty! “The Maryland State Archives were among those influenced by Caton’s claim..” reveals that honesty and their integrity about history. It doesn’t lessen the man’s contributions for those who wish to celebrate him and them. If anything, it humanizes him so that we have a more robust historical narrative for us all to learn from. How far a society has come can only be judged by the accurate info about who we’ve been. Only then can we see where we celebrate and where we still need work.

Getting this info about him out to the various websites that were fed and are propagated with the wrong info (in the age of A.I.) is the next work. Today… we celebrate! 🥂

FYI: the original 1867 form that his heirs completed after slavery was abolished in the state when there was talk of getting financial compensation for their “losses” is the backdrop of our logo.

https://msa.maryland.gov/megafile/msa/speccol/sc3500/sc3520/000200/000209/html/209extbio.html

04/03/2026

The season officially begins for EC historic sites this weekend. The Log House and EC Colored School are open on Saturday and Sunday from 1-4pm until later in the year.

Come out this Saturday, April 4, for a ceremonial ribbon cutting at the firehouse museum. Join us at 11am to recognize the renovations and new exhibits. Also, a historic, 1929 fire truck will be there on the opening day from 11am-3pm at the firehouse museum.

This is a special event to launch the seasonal opening of our historic sites in downtown Ellicott City (Firehouse Museum, Patapsco Female Institute - PFI, the Cabin, and the Historic Colored School).

Starting next week, the firehouse museum, Cabin, and Historic Colored School will be open on Saturdays and Sundays from 1-4pm. PFI is expected to reopen in May. Remember: The B&O Ellicott City Station Museum is open year-round! More info: https://www.howardcountymd.gov/facilities

03/08/2026

03/07/2026

Tomorrow’s Sip and Learn event has some elements to it that are designed to be FUN. Mixed among the information being presented is this little gem. When the participants see the icon on the bottom right, we will lift our hand in the air to toast to what we’re seeing/learning. This year is the 100 year anniversary of Black History Month (we’ll toast to that also). Hope to see you tomorrow starting at 2pm at Boyd Cru’s tasting room at Savage Mill.

03/01/2026

Today in history from the National Park Service. The effects of this action from a jurisdiction that borders Maryland is important to consider.

“In 1780 the Pennsylvania Assembly passed the Act for the Gradual Abolition of Slavery into law. It was the first of several legislative enactments to abolish slavery in the United States between 1780 and 1804. The act did not free anyone immediately instead stated “every Negro and Mulatto child born within the state after the passing of the Act would be free upon reaching age twenty-eight.” The act required that enslavers register the names of those that they enslaved within a six-month timeframe and if not, the enslaved would be freed. Enslavers disregard for the registration deadline became the impetus for several enslaved people to sue for their freedom, such as in a groundbreaking Pennsylvania Supreme Court case, Respublica v. Negroe Betsey (1789). George Washington, while president between 1789 and 1797, attempted to bypass the six-month registration deadline by repeatedly rotating enslaved people between his Mt. Vernon and Philadelphia residences to keep them enslaved.”

In 1780 the Pennsylvania Assembly passed the Act for the Gradual Abolition of Slavery. The act stated, “every Negro and Mulatto child born within the state after the passing of the Act would be free upon reaching age twenty-eight.”

02/25/2026

Primary source documents adding to stories conveying Maryland history.

01/23/2026

Sanitized, non-confrontational history, preferred by many, isn’t how we learn about the past to be able to understand how we got here and how far we’ve really come in the past 250 years. Challenge accepted ✅

11/02/2025

November 2, 2025 at 7pm.

If you’re interested in local Howard County Black History and its depiction in the county, you’ll want to tune in for this. With conversations still happening in Maryland regarding the reparations study bill that was vetoed that may be up for discussion/vote with legislators considering an override of the veto, it might be a good idea for people to understand a personal Howard County story.

Join us for an informal virtual talk about a local woman named Caroline whose story is important to understand. It just so happens that she found herself to be up against George Ellicott while the Civil War was going on. Her family’s story will be memorable. Join this virtual meeting with your favorite cocktail or mocktail as we go through it. Hopefully, you’ll be able to put yourself in her shoes as slavery ended on November 1st, 1864. We’ll talk about it after you hear the story.

Event link is here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/conversation-with-cocktails-howard-county-black-history-emancipation-day-tickets-1944138272909?aff=oddtdtcreator

11/01/2025

It is a legal requirement in Maryland effective as of October 1, 2013 that the Governor make an official proclamation that November 1st is Emancipation Day. This is largely thanks to the work of lead legislation sponsor, Delegate Jolene Ivey. The comments on the post reveal what it does about Maryland and history.

11/01/2025

Postponed. FYI.

Annapolis, MD (October 17, 2025) –  Due to overwhelming community interest, the A Day of Acknowledgement: Confronting the Legacy of Slavery event will be rescheduled from Saturday, November 1, to Saturday, November 22, 2025, in order to accommodate more attendees.On Saturday, November 22, 2025, A...

10/13/2025

Our nonprofit has NO knowledge of what’s being planned for that jail. Nor the historic courthouse next to it. Thought the bonds were awarded for a “climate study” place to be housed there. This article says something different. The actual county history that is uplifted here is primarily only that which is told by and with the involvement of select nonprofits. These public spaces and structures are not being co-created with all available… only select desired. Same with county visitors center exhibit space. Reality in county history, and still.

Preservation Maryland plans to restore the old Ellicott City jail while also not shying away from the jail’s racist past.