What's in a Name?
Elkridge Landing

Elk Ridge Landing

Elk Ridge Landing is named for an area along the Patapsco River at Elk Ridge which was a key sea-port and trade center for Anne Arundel County, Maryland in the 1700s.  Elk Ridge Landing was located along the Patapsco River near Deep Run and the Falls of the Patapsco and was a sea port where local farmers, millers, and others could bring their goods (mostly tobacco at the time) to be shipped overseas and also to receive goods.1 

Surprisingly, very little has been documented in modern books about the origins of Elk Ridge. Most reports mention the “Ridge of Elks” as the origin of the name Elkridge, and while a plausible origin, no original source of information is provided.  I will fill in a little of the early information but a more comprehensive look into this topic is warranted. 

Settlement of Elk Ridge Landing
A land certificates issued to Joseph Foster in 1670 for “Foster’s Fancy” and to William Ebden for “Hockley” are the first ones issued for the land that is now seen as Elk Ridge Landing, but there was no mention of Elk Ridge.2, 3   Foster’s Fancy was mentioned in the certificate for Hockley and was just downstream of Hockley directly covering what would be considered Elk Ridge Landing.

On June 14, 1680, a request was made before the Council of Maryland to place 12 well-armed men to “secure the frontier plantations of Patapsco”. 4  Clearly the land was in the process of being settled and protection was warranted as in 1687, George Well wrote that “about sixty of the Nanticoke now has quarters about the Falls of Potapscoe” which was very near Elk Ridge Landing.5   

The name Elk Ridge appears by May 5th 1689 in a land certificate granted to Mordecai Moore for Moore’s Morning Choice with 1,368 acres “lying at Elk Ridge…by the main Branch of Potaspco River”.6  From 1698-1727, Elk Ridge Landing was part of Baltimore County, along with the rest of Howard County.7  (also see When Howard County was in Baltimore County). During this period it appears additional settlement was occurring and the role of Elk Ridge Landing as a key tobacco port was firmly established.1,8  In 1722, a petition from the residents of the “Upper part of Ann Arundel County” requested that a town be layed out at Elk Ridge Landing on the Patapsco. 9

Establishing Queen Caroline Parish
An Act was passed on October 24, 1728, to form the new Queen Caroline Parish in Anne Arundel County from parts of All-Hallows and St. Anne’s parishes, essentially covering much of the land of current day Howard County.10 The main church serving this parish, along with its vestry, was Christ Episcopal Church, also known as the Christ Church of Guilford.  Among other things, the Church vestry was in charge of collecting tobacco and other taxes from the residents of the Parish.  The vestry as of November 1728 were Thomas Wainwright, John Dorsey son of Edward, John Hamond son of Charles, Orlando Griffith, Richard Davis and Robert Shipley.11

To manage outreach and collections, especially the counting of tobacco plants, the Church established precincts starting with an upper, middle and lower precinct in the Forks of the Patuxent and precincts for Winkapin [sic] Neck, Upton, Dellerway Bottom, Elkridge, Deeprun, and Huntington.  These distinctions eventually gave way to the Hundreds designation for Patuxent, Huntington, Elkridge, and Bare Ground Hundreds for the Parish. (church records)

Jansen-Town
In March 1733, the Maryland General Assembly enacted a law called “An Act for Erecting a Town at and about the Landing, called, The Elk-Ridge Landing, near the Head of Potapsco [sic] River, in Anne Arundel County.” 12 Thirty acres of land was to be included laid out in 40 lots and it was to be called “Jansen-Town”. History tells us that Jansen-Town was never established due to the authority to create it lapsing, but Elk Ridge Landing was the port where tobacco and other goods were brought to be shipped to England, and vice versa. 

By the 1750s the navigation of the Patapsco River to Elk Ridge Landing was in danger prompting an "Act to prevent injuring the navigation to Baltimore-town, and to the inspecting house at Elk-Ridge Landing, on Patapsco River" that was passed on November 17, 1753.    Part of the problem addressed was "that by opening and digging into the banks of the Pataspco River for iron stone, large quantities of earth and land are thrown and washed into the said river...by which practice (if continued), the channel of the said river, and navigable branches...will, in a short time, be so filled up" that navigation will not be possible.  13

The history of Elk Ridge Landing is fairly well-addressed after this time but there was a reference in the Niles Register about the burning of Elk Ridge Landing in 1825 and that of the 10 houses it had 9 of them were destroyed. It was a fairly small town but would grow as evidenced by the Martenet Map of 1860  14 and the Hopkins Atlas of 1878  15 (see the maps to the right).

Naming of the Elkridge Landing Middle School
On September 8, 1994, the Howard County School Board met, and among other items, discussed the naming of the “New Northeastern Middle School” which eventually was named Elkridge Landing Middle School. During this meeting during which the local history was discussed, the names Landing Hills Middle School and Elkridge Middle School were mentioned. Even Montgomery Middle School was considered. 

At the October 13, 1994 School Board meeting, there was a hearing on the naming of the school.16   Three residents spoke out and had interesting viewpoints.

Nancy Myers

• Stated that the name of Elkridge should be included in the name of the school

• Recommended Elkridge Landing

• Stated that inclusion of Elkridge in name represents historic significance

• Noted that Elkridge is the oldest town in the area

• Stated that many schools share the name

• Stated that mailing address will be different than the elementary school

• Stated that children need to know their heritage

• Recognized a number of parents and students in support of naming the school

Elkridge Landing.

Helen Voris. former president of the Elkridge Heritage Society

• Stated that Elkridge is the oldest community in the area

• Pointed out that it is hard to keep the community together due to growth

• Voiced concern that there was a lack of publicity about the name for the new school

• Recommended that the new school be named Elkridge Landing

• Suggested that the name Thomas Viaduct would be exempted for use as it would include an individual's name.

 Jo Flores, owner of McDonald's in Elkridge

• Stated that she has developed a special feeling for the Elkridge community after moving there two years ago

• Recognized that the community has a special attachment and pride in their name

• Requested that Elkridge be included in the name of the new middle school.

After some discussion the Board unanimously approved the new name of Elkridge Landing Middle School.  The school opened for the 1995/1996 school year.

Sources

1 Janney, Elizabeth. 2003. Elkridge. Arcadia Publishing Company. Charleston, South Carolina. 130 p.

2  1670 August. Joseph Foster.   Certificate for Fosters Fancy. Liber 12, Folio 311.  Accessible from Maryland State Archives. Series SE23-16. Patent Record Transcript of HH and JJ. http://guide.msa.maryland.gov/pages/item.aspx?ID=SE23-16. Accessed 9-5-2021.

3 1670 August 8. William Ebden. Hockley  Certificate for Fosters Fancy. Liber 12, Folio 308.  Accessible from Maryland State Archives. Series SE23-16. Patent Record Transcript of HH and JJ. http://guide.msa.maryland.gov/pages/item.aspx?ID=SE23-16. Accessed 9-5-2021.

4 1680 June 14th.  Letter from Thomas Tailler to  Council in Archives of Maryland. Proceedings of the Council of Maryland 1678-1679.  page 308.  William Browne, Editor. Maryland Historical Society, Baltimore Maryland. Published 1869. Accessed from Hathi Trust.  https://hdl.handle.net/2027/umn.31951d02897626w

5 1687 February 18. "Letter from Colonel George Wells of Baltimore County to Colonel Henry Darnall re murther of an Englishman by some Indians” in Archives of Maryland. Proceedings of the Council of Maryland 1687/8-89. p. 5. Maryland Historical Society. 1890. Accessed from Hathi Trust.   https://hdl.handle.net/2027/umn.31951d02897619t

6 1689 May 5. Mordecai Moore. Certificate for Moore’s Morning Choice, 1368 acres, Liber C3 folio 179. Accessible from Maryland State Archives. Series SE23 Patent Record.  http://msa.maryland.gov/megafile/msa/stagsere/se1/se23/000000/000039/pdf/mdsa_se23_39.pdf  Accessed 7-9-21.

7  Mathews, Edward B. 1907. “The Counties of Maryland: Their Origins, Boundaries, and Election Districts”. Maryland Geological Survey.

8 Tyson, M. Ellicott. 1865. A brief account of the settlement of Ellicott's Mills: with fragments of history therewith connected. Read before the Maryland Historical Society Nov 3, 1870. Printed January 1981by J. Murphy, Baltimore. https://hdl.handle.net/2027/uva.x004993991 

9  1722 petition...to be provided

10 1728. "Chapter XV. An Act for Erecting a New Parish our of that Part of St. Paul's Parish that Lies in Anne-Arundel County, and Out of All-Hallow's and St. Anne's Parishes in the said County. Passed 24th of October 1728.  in  1799. The Laws of Maryland. Volume 1. Annapolis. Accessed from Hathi Trust.  https://hdl.handle.net/2027/njp.32101036883278 

11  Queen Caroline Parish Vestry Meeting Minutes of November 27, 1728 and May 15, 1729.  in Vestry Minutes 1728-1776, 1809-1939. Christ Church, Queen Caroline Parish, Howard and Anne Arundel Counties.  Downloaded from Maryland State Archives. https://msa.maryland.gov/megafile/msa/speccolm/m0000/m0200/m273/pdf/m273.pdf Accessed 9-6-2021.

12 1733. "Chapter III. An Act for erecting a town at and about the landing, called The Elk-Ridge Landing, near the head of the Patapsco River, in Anne-Arundel County. " Liber BLC Folio 70.  in  1799. The Laws of Maryland. Volume 1. Annapolis. Accessed from Hathi Trust.  https://hdl.handle.net/2027/njp.32101036883278 . Also see https://msa.maryland.gov/megafile/msa/speccol/sc2900/sc2908/000001/000075/html/am75--419.html 

13  1753. "Chapter XXVII.  An Act to Prevent Injuring the Navigation to Baltimore-town, and to the Inspecting House at Elk-Ridge Landing, on Patapsco River.  Passed 17th of November 1753. Liber HS Folio 117. in  1799. The Laws of Maryland. Volume 1. Annapolis. Accessed from Hathi Trust.  https://hdl.handle.net/2027/njp.32101036883278 

14 1860. Martenet's Map- of Howard County, Maryland. Drawn Entirely from Actual Surveys.  Simon J. Martenet, Baltimore, MD. https://www.loc.gov/item/2002624032/ 

15 1878.   Atlas of Fifteen Miles Around Baltimore Including Howard Co, Maryland. G.M. Hopkins, Philadelphia. http://jhir.library.jhu.edu/handle/1774.2/32620 

16 Howard County School Board. Meetings of the Board of Education of Howard County – Meeting. Sept. 8th and October 13th, 1994.  https://go.boarddocs.com/mabe/hcpssmd/Board.nsf/Public. Accessed 7-9-2021.