Gorgeous Garden Established At Patapsco Female Institute To Honor Former School's History

HOWARD COUNTY, MD — A new garden honoring the history behind the Patapsco Female Institute has been unveiled. The PFI used to be a school more than 170 years ago.

The plants and flowers for the garden were chosen after a scrapbook of pressed flowers known as an herbarium from former student Mary Jerdone Coleman was uncovered at the Virginia Museum of History & Culture by a Howard County researcher. Coleman attended PFI from 1848-1850. The scrapbook likely was part of a class assignment to help students gain hands-on experience with plants growing on the school grounds.

“This new garden is a creative and interactive way to teach the history of the Patapsco Female Institute to our community,” Howard County Executive Calvin Ball said. “Thanks to the hard work of our recreation and parks team, the PFI is in full bloom for our residents and visitors to enjoy.”

Although not an exact replica, the garden includes modern varieties of plants that were growing at the school when Coleman created her herbarium. The garden is located near the front of PFI and will include a sign to tell the story behind its creation.

Every year, hundreds of local children visit PFI as part of a field trip of historic spots in Ellicott City. Botany used to be a major part of the curriculum at PFI and is a neat addition to the property.

The new garden is a partnership between Howard County Recreation & Parks, the Garden Club of Howard County and EC250, a group formed to commemorate the 250th anniversary of historic Ellicott City. The garden club helped plan and plant the garden, which will now be maintained by county staff.

“This no-place-else town in our 250th year truly has something for every one of us to celebrate,” said Councilmember Liz Walsh, D1. “Old Ellicott City is for people who plant, who like to get their hands dirty, for optimists. Nestled back by the ruins under the boughs of an elder black walnut, this old garden grows again.”

Perched at Ellicott City’s highest point, the Patapsco Female Institute offered a revolutionary curriculum to young women from 1837-1891. The school earned a national reputation for its inclusion of botany, chemistry and mathematics in a time where it was believed that women could not learn such subjects.

Since the school’s closure circa 1891, the site functioned as a summer resort hotel, a private residence, the Hilltop Theatre (Maryland's first summer stock theater) and a nursing home first known as the Brennan Convalescent Home and later Highland Manor. A long period of vacancy with an absentee owner led to the building's gradual deterioration.

The Friends of the Patapsco Female Institute formed in 1965 as a grassroots organization to save the site from further decay. Because of their efforts and partnership with Howard County, the ruins of this example of Greek-revival architecture were stabilized and restored in 1995. Since Howard County Recreation & Parks has taken over ownership, renovation and preservation efforts continue. The county’s 2023 budget includes plans to construct a concrete roof deck above the chapel area, restroom facility, exhibit room and staff office. The renovation will also create a shelter-in-place area for events.