Directly behind the Thomas Isaac Log Cabin, at the corner of Main Street and Ellicott Mills Drive, is a small stone building, which once served as Ellicott City’s first courthouse. On August 21, 1998, Historic Ellicott City, Inc. celebrated the grand opening of a special exhibit we created in the building, now called the Heritage Orientation Center. This small building holds a wealth of information about the fires, floods and Ellicott family that all shaped the town we know today.

In 2015, HEC implemented a grant program aimed at encouraging historic buildings and homes in Howard County to apply for small historic preservation grants as part of HEC’s mission to preserve and restore historic properties.  While HEC’s focus is primarily in the Historic District of Ellicott City, we share our passion for preservation throughout the County.  The inaugural recipient of this grant program was Mt. Gregory United Methodist Church in Glenwood/Cooksville.  The Church received a $10,000 grant for expansion and preservation of their 1898 church. Mt. Gregory is one of the oldest African American congregations in Howard County.

In response to the flood in Ellicott City during the July 2016, HEC initiated a new grant program called the Historic Ellicott City Revitalization Grant Program.  HEC partnered with Preservation Maryland to administer the program.  Click on Read More for more information about the inaugural recipients of this grant program.

In 2017, HEC made a gift of $50,000 for the principal exhibit room in Carrollton Hall, an historic building on the Friars’ property which was built by Charles Carroll and completed in 1832. In January 2014, Carrollton Hall, Inc. was formed for the purposes of restoring Carrollton Hall as a cultural heritage center, a building with great historical significance. Their mission is to strive through educational and other enrichment programs to bring visitors a greater appreciation of history, faith, citizenship, culture, and architecture.

Since coming to Ellicott City, HEC has been a generous sponsor of Blossoms of Hope, which contributes to saving lives through breast cancer research and Plants cherry trees and shrubbery to beautify public property in parks and local communities in Howard County.