Guilford Geography

WHERE IS THE GUILFORD AREA?

The most obvious geographic beginning of the Guilford area began with when the mills along Little Patuxent River in a slice of Wincopin Neck were named Guilford in the late 1700s, and it expanded from there.  In fact, Riichard Ridgely, one of the owners of Guilford Mills, seems to have made a large tract of land called Guilford by 1789 made up of several other patented lands the extended towards today’s Atholton which is well beyond where we typically envision the rough boundaries of the Guilford area.   

In the most general terms Guilford is in the southeastern part of Howard County, north of Savage, south of Oakland Mills, west of Jessup and east of Atholton.   Guilford was never incorporated so there were never any formal boundaries.  In 1868 when Howard County added a sixth election district, it centered on Guilford (see 1878 Hopkins Atlas).

The rough boundaries of the current-day  Guilford area include Vollmerhausen Road, extending to Mary Lane and to the old B&O railroad, then following the railroad to what would have been Lark Brown Rd (now roughly Snowden), down Berger Road and following that path past Guilford Road and Murray Hill until it connects with Vollmerhausen Road. (see map)

This is just a rough estimate of what some could consider the Guilford area. Including the Savage area would probably follow the Middle Patuxent River and then I-95 to Gorman Road and down to Route 1. I just want to give folks a geographic idea of where this Guilford area could be considered.

Guilford Geography

Early Settlements and  Land Patents

When Howard County was in Baltimore County

Dorsey's Run was Originally Ridgely's Run

Little Patuxent River