Haunted Ellicott City

by Shelley Davies Wygant

In this comprehensive compilation of ghost stories and local legends, Shelley Wygant explores the history and horrors of a village that somehow lives on.
Beginning with its founding in 1772, Ellicott City endured an endless procession of tragic deaths. As a result, this eighteenth-century mill town is packed with restless spirits and unexplained supernatural occurrences. A mysterious artist haunts Castle Angelo and threatens to throw residents into the river below. Many of the temporary occupants of the former Easton and Sons Funeral Home seem to have remained, and the ghost of Annie Van Derlot still inhabits the ruins of the Patapsco Female Institute.

192 pages, Paperback

Published September 3, 2018

Reviews

[James Bowman · Rating 3 out of 5]

A thorough overview of haunted places and ghost stories throughout Ellicott City. However, it's worth noting that much more time is spent on the history of a site, and comparatively little on the hauntings at said site; so a lot of this feels more history book than ghost book. Some of the best ghost stories don't appear until near the very end... (B)

[Dee · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this. I live just outside of Ellicott City. I really enjoyed learning the history of the different buildings. They are all familiar to me. The hauntings were interesting.

[Karen · Rating 2 out of 5]

My brother-in-law gave us this book for Christmas, and my interest in it was based solely on the fact that my husband's ancestors were founders of the city. I was kind of disappointed to learn that none of the Ellicotts were named as haunting ghosts. No messages from the grave for us! Though, I suppose we should be glad they're resting in peace. I was also disappointed in the descriptions of the ghosts and hauntings. In many cases, the only notes involved employees or patrons of a business who have experienced strange sensations (cold or breezes) or heard thumping in the night. I would have preferred more biographical information about the people who may or may not be haunting the place. For me, this book was more about the history of the buildings in Ellicott City than the hauntings. So if you're interested in knowing more about who owned which buildings and how much they paid for them, who lived where and when, and how many different businesses once occupied the buildings on Main Street, this is the book for you. P.S. I did learn that Ellicott City had an awful lot of bars and taverns over the years. Interesting.

[J · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ever since moving to Howard County in 2002, I have always been curious about the guided ghost tours offered in Ellicott City, but have yet to attend one. This book seemed like a decent bridge gap until
I do.

Several bits of what’s included here I was already aware of, but because of how it’s formatted—historical facts followed by what has been reported as the haunting for each location—helped to fill in the information more for me.

The reasons I was drawn to this book were the local correlation, and that I enjoy history, as well as the paranormal.

I do think though, that there are instances where Wygant’s research could have been more in-depth, and that her wording is sometimes cheesy, and her phrases cliched and redundant.

Nevertheless, I am glad that I got to read this as it deepened and expanded my understanding and appreciation of Ellicott City.

[Monica Hyde · Rating 4 out of 5]

I never realized how many haunted spots there were in Ellicott City.