| Besides possessing famous historical
buildings and participating in monumental historical
events, Ellicott City has been victim to more than it’s
share of natural disasters, including fires, floods,
and even hurricanes. The earliest well known of these
is a fire which occurred in the late 1700’s. The
fire destroyed the mill and many of the surrounding
buildings. Several floods have also occurred from the
overflowing of the Tiber branch of the Patapsco River,
located along Main Street. The earliest of these floods
was also the strongest. In 1868, the waters rose an
astounding 24.5 feet. Only one building along the banks
of the River survived.
During the next flood, in 1923, the waters rose 9 feet.
1952 was the smallest flood, yet the waters rose 7 feet.
The next flood was caused by Hurricane Agnes, which
occurred in 1972, when the waters rose to 14.5 feet,
which is up to the second or third floors of most buildings.
In 1975, the final flood occurred, and once again the
waters rose 9 feet.
 In
1998 there was a six-alarm fire that spread through
several buildings. The fire started around 3:12 p.m.,
and wasn’t contained until 6:30. Firefighters
from four counties arrived at the scene of the fire.
Fortunately no one was hurt, although several businesses
were forced to relocate or rebuild.
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