Elk Landing facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Elk Landing
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Stone house in 2013
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 Location in Maryland
Location in the United States
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| Location | Landing Lane, Elkton, Maryland |
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| Area | 0.8 acres (0.32 ha) |
| Built | 1750 |
| NRHP reference No. | 84001596 |
| Added to NRHP | September 7, 1984 |
Elk Landing is a special historic place in Elkton, Cecil County, Maryland. It's known for its old stone house and its important past. The house at Elk Landing was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1984. This means it's a site worth protecting because of its history.
Contents
The Historic Stone House
The main building at Elk Landing is a two-story house made of fieldstone. It was built around 1780. The house has three sections across the front and two sections deep. It also has a gable roof, which is a common style.
Inside, you can find a unique corner fireplace in one room. The house also has a full basement. Many of the doors and decorative moldings inside might be original from when the house was first built.
A Hub for Early Trade
The land where Elk Landing stands was once a very early settlement. It was home to immigrants from Sweden and Finland. Elk Landing was especially important because it was the home and business base for a Swedish-American trader named John Hansson Steelman.
Steelman lived and worked here starting in 1693. He traded with Native American groups, like the Shawnee. He would exchange small household items for animal furs and pelts.
Steelman's Trading Post
Steelman's business was a busy trading post until about 1739. This was when the Shawnee people began to move west. Besides the trading post, the site also had a home and a tavern.
Archaeologists have found exciting clues about Steelman's original long house. These discoveries show where his first home was located, just north of the stone house you see today.
Why Elk Landing is Important
Elk Landing is significant for a few reasons. It shows us how trade happened between the early Scandinavian settlers and the Susquehannock people. It also tells us about the first Swedish settlements in Maryland.
Arrival of Priests
Elk Landing was also the landing spot for two important Lutheran priests, Andreas Rudman and Erik Bjork. They arrived on June 24, 1697. Their mission was to restart the work of the Church of Sweden in the area that was once the New Sweden colony.
Later Owners
Later, in 1735, a man named Zebulon Hollingsworth bought the land. The buildings you see at Elk Landing today are from the time of the Hollingsworth family. The older structures from John Hanson Steelman's time were taken down around 1905.
