Ilchester, Maryland

Ilchester is a unincorporated community in Howard County, Maryland. It was named after Ilchester in England. Populated mainly because of Mt. Saint Mary's College, or so called "Hell House". Originally home to a hotel built by Mr. Ellicott next to the B&O Railroad, after few people ever stopped there (Ellicott City was more popular), Mr. Ellicott sold the land and it became a seminary and retreat for priests of the Redemptorists order in the late 1860s. The school was finally shut down due to low enrollment in the 1970s. Abandoned since then, it was home to teenage daredevils rambling through the property. The land was owned by a Savage man, and had a caretaker by the name of Rufus who owned Rottweilers and was armed with a shotgun and was charged several times with assault and battery. On the night of October 31, 1997 the building suspiciously burned down (besides the outer walls). After being too much of a hazard and risk of collapse, the building was totally demolished in Februaury 2006. Nothing remains of the old Mt. Saint Mary's College or "Hell House".