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B+History
History · Ilchester

Ilchester dates to 1761, and 2 of its places are on the National Register

More historic than 72% of U.S. towns · #47 of 261 in Maryland. What drives it

Most of Ilchester was built recently: 0.9% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1995. 2 places in town are on the National Register, among them a historic district with 47 buildings. Below: 3 old photos and papers and maps from 1892 on.

1761founded
2on the National Register
0.9%homes built before 1940
3old photos & papers
2famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Ilchester’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Ilchester began, and where its name came from

When was Ilchester founded?

1761

Ilchester dates its founding to 1761 (Wikidata).

2020 census: 26,824265 years

How did Ilchester get its name?

Ilchester was named after the village of Ilchester in the English county of Somerset.

How historic is Ilchester?

B+

More historic than 72% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: Wikidata. Name: Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.The full story ↓
History grade

What drives Ilchester’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Ilchester is more historic than 72% of U.S. towns, #47 of 261 in Maryland. Its age holds the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.

B+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Ilchester’s overall grade.
Founding era1761, from Wikidata: founded before 1776, an older era than 96% of U.S. townsA+Homes built before 19400.9% of homes (±0.8) · typical MD town 3.3% · U.S. 8.4%DNational Register2 listings, 55 historic buildings, 19.4 per 10,000 residents · typical MD town 0.9 · U.S. 2.4A−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 72%
NewerOlder
Maryland towns of 2,500+ (261)Ahead of 82%

Few Maryland towns list much on the Register (a typical Maryland town has 0.9 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Ilchester’s 19.4 sits above most of its state (74% of Maryland towns have fewer) while its 55 historic buildings outnumber those of 86% of U.S. towns.

NoteThe founding year comes from Wikidata alone; no second source gives 1761.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C+ to A+. The pre-1940 share (±0.8 points) is firm at this size.

Founding year: Wikidata (other dates in Quick answers). Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →

What stands out about Ilchester’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

Lost villages19 hamlets and corners are still on the map.A history waiting to be writtenOnly 3 old photos are in the public archives. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 18926 editions of the USGS map, 1892 to 1981. Watch Ilchester change.A historic districtThe Lawyers Hill Historic District takes in 47 historic buildings.
★ What stands out · Places that used to be

Old corners and burying grounds

Old hamlets and crossroads still carry their names on the map.

Hamlets and corners on the map
Bonnie AcresBonnie BraeBrightfieldDeep Run ParkFont HillGlenmarHunt Country EstatesJonestownLocust ManorMarshalee EstatesMayfield ManorMontgomery RunOrange GrovePfeiffer CornersPleasant ViewThompsons PurchaseTimberviewVillage of Deep RunWoodland Village
3cemeteries and burying grounds inside Ilchester
Holy Trinity Russian OrthodoxSaint Mary'sSaint Stephens

Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

Help out

Start Ilchester’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Ilchester’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
1 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old viewPegmatite Dikes Ilchester Station Plate…: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
On the map

Ilchester on the map, 1892 to 1981

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Ilchester. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Ilchester on the 1892 USGS mapIlchester on the 1907 USGS mapIlchester on the 1942 USGS mapIlchester on the 1950 USGS mapIlchester on the 1974 USGS mapIlchester on the 1981 USGS map1892Laurel sheet · 1:62,500

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Ilchester.

The story

How Ilchester came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Ilchester.

Read it all →

In 1761, John Cornthwaite founded a wood grist mill called the Dismal Mill, located approximately 2 miles (3 km) southeast of Ellicott City on the western shore of the Patapsco River. The Ellicott family (John, Andrew, and Joseph Ellicott) settled in the area in the late 18th century, buying a two-mile section of the Patapsco in 1772 that included Ilchester and Ellicott Mills. The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad (B&O) was built up the Patapsco River valley through Ilchester in 1830 (see Old Main Line Subdivision), and George Ellicott Jr. (grandson of Andrew) built a tavern and cooper shop along the railroad. The Thistle Manufacturing Company built a factory in 1837. Ilchester did not become a major stop for the B&O due to its steep grades, and the tavern was unsuccessful. In 1842, mail service was started with the station name "Illchester Mills".

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Ilchester, 1761 to 1936

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 18th century
  2. 1761
    FoundingIlchester is established
  3. 19th century
  4. 1873Born hereThomas Riggs Jr. is born here
  5. 1892On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  6. 1893Born hereAvra M. Warren is born here
  7. 1895In the archivePegmatite Dikes Ilchester Station Plate XXXIII Keyes 1895
  8. 20th century
  9. 1936In the archiveHistoric American Buildings Survey E. H. Pickering, Photographer August 1936 - Old Mill, …
By decade

Ilchester, decade by decade

2 decades in the archive, from the 1890s to the 1930s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1890s2 items
Pegmatite Dikes Ilchester Station Plate XXXIII Keyes 18951895Pegmatite Dikes Ilchester Station Plate XXXIII Keyes …Pegmatite Dikes Ilchester Station PlateXXXIV Keyes 18951895Pegmatite Dikes Ilchester Station PlateXXXIV Keyes 18…
1900s–1920snothing yet
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Add from your album
1930s1 item
Historic American Buildings Survey E. H. Pickering, Photographer August 1936 - Old Mill, River Road1936Historic American Buildings Survey E. H. Pickering, P…
1940s–1990snothing yet
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Add from your album
Today15 recent
2019-07-15 11 55 30 View south along Interstate 95 from the overpass for Montgomery Road on the edge of Elkridge and20192019-07-15 11 55 30 View south along Interstate 95 fr…2019-07-15 11 40 20 View north along Interstate 95 from the overpass for the ramp from westbound Maryland State Route 1…20192019-07-15 11 40 20 View north along Interstate 95 fr…2019-07-15 11 39 48 View south along Interstate 95 from the overpass for the ramp from westbound Maryland State Route 1…20192019-07-15 11 39 48 View south along Interstate 95 fr…2019-07-15 11 32 22 View north along the southbound lanes of Interstate 95 from the overpass for Maryland State Route 1…20192019-07-15 11 32 22 View north along the southbound l…2019-07-15 11 31 55 View north along the northbound lanes of Interstate 95 from the overpass for Maryland State Route 1…20192019-07-15 11 31 55 View north along the northbound l…2019-07-15 11 28 03 View south along Interstate 95 from the overpass for Maryland State Route 100 (Paul T. Pitcher Memo…20192019-07-15 11 28 03 View south along Interstate 95 fr…2019-06-05 12 44 10 View north along Interstate 95 at Exit 46 (NORTH Interstate 895-Baltimore Harbor Tunnel Thruway) al…20192019-06-05 12 44 10 View north along Interstate 95 at…2019-06-05 12 40 24 View north along Interstate 95 at Exit 43B (Maryland State Route 100 WEST, Ellicott City) along the…20192019-06-05 12 40 24 View north along Interstate 95 at…2019-06-05 12 37 44 View north along Interstate 95 at Exit 43A (Maryland State Route 100 EAST, Glen Burnie) along the e…20192019-06-05 12 37 44 View north along Interstate 95 at…2019-06-05 11 35 01 View south along Interstate 95 at Exit 41 (Maryland State Route 175, Jessup, Columbia) along the ed…20192019-06-05 11 35 01 View south along Interstate 95 at…2019-06-05 11 32 06 View south along Interstate 95 at Exit 43A (Maryland State Route 100 EAST, Glen Burnie) along the e…20192019-06-05 11 32 06 View south along Interstate 95 at…2019-06-05 11 30 46 View south along Interstate 95 at Exit 43B (Maryland State Route 100 WEST, Ellicott City) along the…20192019-06-05 11 30 46 View south along Interstate 95 at…2016-09-15 15 49 24 View east along Maryland State Route 103 (Montgomery Road) at Maryland State Route 104 (Waterloo Ro…20162016-09-15 15 49 24 View east along Maryland State Ro…Landing Road and Ilchester Road2011Landing Road and Ilchester RoadBeechwood Road and Bonnie Branch Road2011Beechwood Road and Bonnie Branch Road
Then & now

Stand where they stood

No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.

Pegmatite Dikes Ilchester Station Plate XXXIII Keyes 1895
Retake this viewPegmatite Dikes Ilchester Station Plate XXXIII Keyes 1895, 1895

Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Ilchester’s page.

Retake this view · +15
On the National Register

2 listings protect 55 historic buildings

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.

places listed
2
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
55
each building in a district counts
first listed
1993
Lawyers Hill Historic District
Lawyers Hill Historic DistrictCurtis-Shipley Farmstead
BuildingsDistricts

Architectural styles listings

Georgian1
Gothic Revival1
Queen Anne1
Italianate1
Shingle-Style1
Colonial Revival1
Lawyers Hill Historic DistrictGeorgian
Curtis-Shipley FarmsteadLate Victorian: Gothic

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

Famous people

2 famous people were born in Ilchester

Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.

See all →
Thomas Riggs Jr.American engineer and 3rd Governor of Alaska Te… · b. 1873
Avra M. WarrenAmerican ambassador · b. 1893
Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

Ellicott City14 historic placesA−Catonsville15 historic placesAColumbia5 historic placesCElkridge4 historic placesB+Arbutus2 historic placesB−

Questions about Ilchester’s history

What year was Ilchester founded?

In 1761, according to Wikidata.

How does Ilchester rank for history?

Ilchester is more historic than 72% of U.S. towns, #47 of 261 in Maryland. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.

What is on the National Register in Ilchester?

Two places: the Lawyers Hill Historic District (listed 1993) and the Curtis-Shipley Farmstead (2006).

How old are the homes in Ilchester?

0.9% of Ilchester’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate), against a typical 3.3% for a Maryland town; the median home was built in 1995.

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
Sources

Where this page comes from

Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

From Wikimedia Commons (18), the National Register of Historic Places (2), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.