Oella, Maryland facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Oella Historic District
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Long Brick Row in the center of Oella, Maryland
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 Location in Maryland
Location in the United States
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| Location | Oella Ave., Glen Rd., Hollow Rd., Oella, Maryland |
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| Area | 130 acres (53 ha) |
| Built | 1812 |
| NRHP reference No. | 76000979 |
| Added to NRHP | November 7, 1976 |
Oella is a historic village in Maryland. It is located in western Baltimore County. You can find it between Catonsville and Ellicott City. Oella was once a busy mill town. It was built in the 1800s for people who worked in the mills.
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The Story of Oella: A Mill Town
Oella was started in 1808. The Union Manufacturing Company built it. They wanted a community for their mill workers. This was one of the first large cotton factories in the United States. It used machines powered by water. These machines, called looms, wove cotton into fabric. They were used as early as 1819.
Why Oella Was Built
The company built Oella because of the Embargo Act of 1807. This law stopped American merchants from trading with other countries. So, businesses in Baltimore had to make their own goods. They could no longer buy finished products from England. The Union Manufacturing Company raised money to build several mills. The biggest mills worked with cotton and wool. By 1811, about 150 people worked there. Many of them were children.
Challenges and Changes for the Mill
The War of 1812 ended the trade embargo. After the war, cotton prices dropped. A big fire hit the largest mill in 1815. It took ten years for the company to recover. But the mill bounced back. It added more water-powered looms. The company grew to include three mill buildings.
The Union Manufacturing Company closed in 1887. This happened after textile prices fell again. William J. Dickey bought the mill that year. He owned a mill in Dickeysville. His company was called W.J. Dickey and Sons. He named the mill "Oella." This name honored the first woman believed to have spun cotton in America.
Oella Historic District: A Look Back in Time
The Oella Historic District is a special area. It includes the village with its 19th-century workers' homes. There is also one church from the late 1800s. The only building from the 1900s is the W.J. Dickey Company Mill. It was built in 1919 after a fire in 1918. This plant was later used by the city.
A drawing from 1812 shows most of the stone buildings. The brick houses were built in the mid-1800s. The wooden frame buildings came later, at the end of the century. The Oella Methodist Church is a simple wooden building. It has a tower on one corner. Today, this church building is used as offices. The Patapsco River provided power for electricity. It did so until 1972. That year, Hurricane Agnes caused floods. The floods damaged the power plant. The Dickey Company also stopped making products in 1972.
Oella was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1976. This means it is a special place worth protecting. Other historic sites in Oella are also on the list. These include the Ellicott's Mills Historic District and Mount Gilboa Chapel. Oella is also along the path of the Trolley Line Number 9 Trail.
Benjamin Banneker: A Notable Person
One very important person from this area was Benjamin Banneker. He was a scientist and a surveyor. He also wrote almanacs and was a farmer.
Benjamin Banneker Historical Park and Museum
There is a park that honors Benjamin Banneker. It is located in a wooded valley. This was once the site of Banneker's farm and home. It is on the eastern edge of the Oella community. The Baltimore County Department of Recreation and Parks takes care of the park. It opened on June 9, 1998.
The park covers about 138 acres. It has archaeological sites. These are places where scientists study old objects. The park also has many nature trails. It is the largest original African American historical site in the United States. The main part of the park is a museum. It shows all the amazing things Banneker did.
