Aloha to Savage Mill

We found a townhouse in Howard County, Maryland.  Above is a historic house in my neighborhood.  From the county's website (link),

Howard County is located between Baltimore and Washington in the “heart” of Maryland and was named after John Eager Howard, a Revolutionary War hero and the fifth Governor of Maryland. There is a sense of pride in Howard County in our rich and diverse history. Originally a farming community with the thriving mill town of Ellicott City and the busy shipping port in Elkridge Landing, today’s Howard County is a successful blend of old and new, urban and rural.

The urban can be seen from the I-95 overpass.

We live near Savage Mill.  From its website (link),

In 1820, Amos Williams and his three brothers borrowed $20,000.00 from their friend John Savage to start a textile weaving business on the banks of the Little Patuxent River. The water from the river flowed over a huge 30 foot water wheel which powered the machines that wove the cloth. They named the business Savage Mill after their generous friend. It functioned as a working textile Mill from 1822 to 1947.

Between 1947 and 1950, the entire Mill was turned into a Christmas Display Village. Christmas tree ornaments were manufactured and a miniature B&O Railroad train transported visitors to and from the Route 1 parking area. There was also a one ring circus in the huge New Weave Room.

The Winer family bought the mill in 1950. It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974.

The historic complex of buildings with over 175,000 square feet is now home to major collector quality antique centers, home furnishing stores, craft galleries, artist studios, specialty shops, destination restaurants and banquet facilities.

I enjoyed the metal sculpture greeting the parking lot.

I recall from our previous assignment to Fort Meade that Savage Mill hosted a Polish Pottery Mart (link) ...

... and it is still selling unique pottery from Boleslawiec, Poland (military spouses in Europe drive by the bus loads to purchase this high quality dinnerware).

I was curious about the Terrapin Adventures ....

... it offers rope climbing and zip lining.   The terrapin is a turtle that serves as the UM mascot.

Look what I found back inside the mill ...

... and the antique store was equally entertaining.  For $8000, you can own this skeleton rocking chair!

I followed the smell of fresh bread to Bonaparte Bakery (link). I'll keep these extra large croissants in mind for my next coffee date.  

I was curious about the clock store ... 

 

... which reminded me of the time in my belowed Hawaii.

Do you have a historic area near you?

Mahalo,

Kim in Baltimore
Aloha Spirit in Charm City