Historian Tells Tales of Early Elkridge to Crowd of More Than 100

What enticed more than 100 people to travel to Woodstock during ?

Ned Tillman, local historian and author of The Chesapeake Watershed, gave people a glimpse into Howard County's past during a presentation at the Howard County Conservancy in Woodstock.

The growth of Maryland, like Howard County, began with the need for expansion, said Tillman.

The English wanted to expand into the New World, and Captain John Smith had visited the Chesapeake Bay area in 1608. During that time, he sailed from the bay up to Elkridge and the top of the Patapsco. Recognizing the wealth of resources, both water and land, he explored other tributaries and mapped the entire area for future reference.

“John Smith was inviting Europeans to come here,” said Tillman. “This was prime area to settle as you sail across the ocean looking for safe harbor,” he added, pointing to a map of the Chesapeake Bay, a great estuary that reaches its long arm and tentacle fingers up and into the heart of Maryland.

Indian tribes were also identified on the map, but as settlers moved in, tribes were displaced, said Tillman. Eventually, much of the land along the Chesapeake Bay was settled and used for tobacco plantations.

“We basically addicted all of Europe to tobacco and lived off that money for a long while! It was a main cash crop," Tillman explained, "and it would be rolled in wooden hogshead barrels down roads to the ports."

New settlers from Europe were pushing into Howard County, though the area went by different names back then. The land around the Patapsco River Valley was part of Baltimore County; the rest was part of Anne Arundel County, until it was incorporated into the newly formed Howard County in 1851.

Elkridge was the premier town in the area because it had a large port along the Patapsco River. "The Patapsco then was 14 feet deep and 400 feet wide," said Tillman.

The Elkridge area was a major exporter of iron and tobacco, and the town itself was incorporated in 1734.

Included in the buildings pictured on a 1700s map that Tillman showed of Elkridge were a temperance hall, and the tavern, which is now the .

Many forges in the area produced iron ore, from which nails, crowbars and horseshoes were made. The forges included the Elkridge Furnace, Hockley Forge and Dorsey Forge.

“In 1756, the Dorsey family shipped 1,000 pounds of iron to England," said Tillman. "The forges also made cannons for the Revolutionary War." And it also made some families extremely wealthy.

Speaking of well-to-do families, Tillman gave a rundown on the Dorsey family. In 1738, Caleb Dorsey built , which stands today in Elkridge. His son was Edward Dorsey, aka Iron Head Ned, the heir who kept the Dorsey Forge forging and the money rolling in.

But money couldn't buy harmony, said Tillman, who told of Iron Head Ned’s daughter Priscilla eloping with a man unpopular with the family: Alexander Contee Hanson. But Tillman pointed out that Hanson's lineage wasn't too shabby, as he was the grandson of the first president of the United States under the Continental Congress, John Hanson.

Though he touched on many aspects of the county’s growth, there wasn’t time for Tillman to give more than an overview. Attendees were left, on their way home through the rain, with thoughts of a bygone era to keep them company.

Tillman can be reached for info on books, talks and walks at www.TheChesapeakeWatershed.com.