Yesterday’s adventure took us to the Ellicott City area. I had heard of Benjamin Banneker and I knew a little about him, but I never realized he lived here in Maryland. Benjamin Banneker was born in Baltimore County in 1731. He was a free African American who became known for his skills as an astronomer and mathematician. Banneker was part of a group that surveyed the original borders of the District of Columbia. He was also a farmer and landowner.
The Benjamin Banneker Museum and Historic Site has a large parking lot with plenty of parking. When we arrived around ten am, there were very few cars here. The museum is small, with markings on the floor to direct foot traffic. Masks are required inside. Admittance is free, although they ask you to sign the guest book. The lady working the information desk was friendly and very helpful! She gave us a map of the property, told us a little about the museum, and then walked us down the path to see Banneker’s home. His home actually was destroyed in a fire and burned to the ground on the day of his funeral. This cabin is a reproduction.
The cabin is very tiny! Rainbow and Stormy were very surprised about how small the space was and were shocked there wasn’t electricity or AC and that the heat came from the fireplace.
After our tour of the cabin, we returned to the museum to see the exhibits. We passed on the movie as Pebble would never sit still. It was an informative and interesting museum! I enjoyed seeing the items that were unearthed on the site by archeologists in the ‘80s. I noticed a kids area over near the restrooms that Stormy was dying to explore, but it was closed off due to COVID.
Using the map the docent had given me, we left the museum to explore the grounds. Stormy found a beautiful little butterfly garden on our way to the trails.
Stormy and Rainbow also discovered a story trail. The book tells the story of Banneker’s determination and the challenges he faced in order to build a wall clock. The girls ran ahead looking for the next numbered post to hear more of the story.
The story trail winds through the woods and then through Banneker’s orchard. It passes beehives and a stone farmhouse named for Banneker’s grandmother.
When we finished the story trail, we headed into the woods and made our way down to Trolley Line #9 Trail. Everything was well marked and we had no issues finding the trolley trail.
The trolley trail is not part of the Banneker Historical Site, but rather an historic trail that runs from Catonsville to Oella to Ellicott City. We turned left on the trail and followed it down to Main Street in Ellicott City. With the heat yesterday, this was the perfect walk. It was paved and shaded, and the Cooper Branch stream runs alongside it. We saw a doe on the other side of the stream at one point and the girls loved climbing on the giant rocks along the trail.
Once we reached the end of the trail in Ellicott City, we turned around and headed back to our car. We came across this guy chilling in the mud on the side of the trail.
There are three access points along the trolley trail to return to the historic site. We headed up the red trail to the white and then the yellow. It was an uphill climb, but fortunately not a long trail.
We spotted a preying mantis shortly before we came out in the meadow near the cabin.
It wasn’t a long adventure, but we had a lot of fun and learned something new too! You don’t have to park at the Historic Site to access the trolley trail. There is a parking lot near Main Street with plenty of space to park. The trail is also wide enough for social distancing. That said, I recommend checking out the museum. It is worth visiting at least once to learn about Banneker who was a fascinating historical figure! Happy trails!
