Ellicott City Farmers' Market

We visited the Farmers' Market in Ellicott City, Maryland, partly because we love farmers' markets, partly because a craft activity was supposed to happen next door, and partly because we'd get an activity credit on the Howard County Public Library System's Summer Reading Program. The market is located on the high end of Main Street so we didn't see any flood damage from last year's disaster. The market wasn't very big but we found it quite respectable.

Walking in to the Ellicott City Farmers' Market

One of the first booths was serving fresh squeezed lemonade. My two older children were fascinated and wanted their own. We compromised and bought two that they had to share with mommy, daddy, and little brother. My daughter wore a fine bonnet with matching shades and looked very much like a celebrity visitor.

A glamorous lemonade drinker

At the back of the market was a band covering various popular tunes. They were quite friendly and gave my daughter a kazoo so she could play along. They had a whole bucketful of kazoos so we assumed it was ours to keep.

Band

We bought some cookies from one of the stands and enjoyed a snack while we listened. Once we were ready to move on, the toddler put a tip in the band's box and we headed off to the craft.

Tipping

Another view on the market

Next door to the market is the Thomas Isaac Log Cabin, which was supposed to have a "Crafts with a Past" event starting as we walked over.

Thomas Isaac Log Cabin

The cabin was reconstructed in the late 1900s from the 1780 structure named after one of the owners (who apparently doesn't have any other historical significance).

View from the other side (sort of)

The door was locked and no one was inside and the lights were not on. We thought we'd explore some more then come back to see if anything had changed. Behind the cabin is a stone building that looked good for investigating.

Behind the log cabin

The building turned out to be the original courthouse for Howard County. The county rented it in 1840 and used it for two years while the regular courthouse was under construction. Originally it was on a road but the urban renewal in the 1960s resulted in an isolated structure.

An other side of the courthouse

The courthouse does have some displays, including a cornerstone from another building.

You don't think they'd display their own cornerstone, do you?

Info about the first courthouse

Info about the underground railroad

A pre-1960 map

By this time, the lemonade had worked its way through my daughter's system and she needed the toilet. After a quick check on the log cabin (still no one there) we went down the street to public bathrooms. We saw plenty of cool, old-time buildings which we took pictures of on the way back.

The current courthouse

A residence on the same hill as the courthouse

That's some extension on the brick building

I love an upstairs porch

The local brewery

The cabin still didn't have a craft going on, so we headed off on other adventures.