Conquering the "Nine Mile Hill"

The Ellicott brothers constructed what became the first leg of the Baltimore and Frederick-Town Turnpike to get their flour to market in Baltimore. By 1787, they cut a new road east through the forests to shorten the trip to the city. This route became part of the National Road system in 1806.

Travelers on the turnpike faced a steep grade nine miles west of Baltimore. They had to conquer the hill using numerous switchbacks as they ascended from the Patapsco River Valley.

As the road passed the Oella tollhouse and descended into the valley, it reached the 1770s flour mill built by John and George Ellicott. Their first mill was where the large concrete structure now stands across the road. The nearby stone house was once thehome of George Ellicott.

(Sidebar)
Benjamin Banneker (1731-1806)
African-American mathematician and astronomer Benjamin Banneker was a renowned man of science. Famous for helping the Ellicott brothers survey the site of the national capital in 1791 and corresponding with Thomas Jefferson, Banneker is pictured on the cover of his 1795 almanac. He lived in Oella and is remembered at the nearby Benjamin Banneker Historical Museum and Park.

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Show me all markers in:  Ellicott City, MD  |  Baltimore County  |  21043  |  Maryland  |  United States of America

Ellicott's Mills
The George Ellicott House
Road Versus Rails
To Preserve the Union, a War Memorial
B&O Railroad Station
Turntable & Track
Ellicott City Station, 1831
Old Stone Tavern House
The Phoenix Emporium
The Lauman House

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