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Historical HoCo


What do you know about this building?



I don’t know much, other than that it served as the backdrop to an outdoor event I attended this weekend. I know it is called the Curtis-Shipley Farmstead, and is surrounded by the Shipley’s Grant development/community. A quick Wikipedia search shows it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2006.

While I was at this outdoor event I had a conversation with a friend who is concerned about another historic place in Howard County: Lawyers Hill. She directed me to this recent piece from WBAL . The Lawyers Hill community is also on the National Register Of Historic Places.(1993)

What happens to our historic places as development unfolds in Howard County? This is not even remotely my area of expertise and yet it touches on so many things we are discussing every day in Howard County: land use, developers, community input, choosing what gets preserved. 

I love history. My parents took me to many historic homes during my childhood and I became fascinated by leaning how people used to live. I do think it is important to preserve places of genuine historic value for the future. 

I don’t have any idea what happens when those ideals come up against modern day commercial interests. I know I have plenty of friends and acquaintances who would have a lot to say on that. 

At the moment I am just beginning to learn. 



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