I am now 66, and back in the 1980s played tuba in the Daniels Band, a small community brass band that the old-timers kept alive. We had practice at the church there, and I recall several church suppers there. We often played with another local band, the Rockland band, at church picnics and retirement homes around the area, it was a lot of fun. Agnes came through when I was in middle school, I do remember the devastation; it washed out the entire bridge and railroad in nearby Sykesville ( where we lived). As for mill towns, Ellicott City has a lot of history in that regard. Check out nearby Oella. Thanks for documenting local history!
I remember getting evacuated during Agnes. We lived near Lake Roland (Robert E. Lee Park). The Catalyst Research Company along Lakeside Drive had blown up in the night during the storm, when rainfall from Agnes mixed with leaking Hydrogen tanks inside the factory. It was quite a storm !
My grandfather lives right next to oella in far upper Catonsville right before you come into oella. I spent so much time around there in my teenage days when I lived at his house. I used to walk the trolley trail with my girlfriend at the time to a country store (jays) in oella and there was a swimming area off of the trail where people had stopped up the creek to a beautiful clear pool. Some of my favorite memories skateboarding around there with my friends and hanging out in old ellicott city. Absolutely beautiful area
As someone who grew up in the Baltimore area, I was unaware of Daniels. I have visited quite a few ghost towns over the years, mostly out west. Thanks for sharing this story.
@@MalinoisMadness888 likewise. I'm so glad to be out of Baltimore. I was there today, actually. I go back every 2 weeks to visit family. I finally got out! Living & working in Ocean City, Maryland, now. The difference is night and day. 💯
@@MalinoisMadness888 "addicted to breathing"... You're probably grateful for every breath, too. About 13 years ago I was working in Baltimore City, when I got jumped on my way home. Outnumbered by 7 ngrs. 4 held me down, while the other 3 pummeled my face. I wasn't bleeding, but they crushed the cartilage in my nose, and now I need surgery to breathe. Don't take it for granted. Saty safe, neighbor.
Thank you for this video, I've never had the chance to visit the other side of the river from Gary Church. My great, great grandfather is buried in the church's graveyard, along with 2 of his granddaughters. My grandfather was born there in 1898, when it was Alberton. I have a cousin who was born there, and was the leader of the band in the early 1970's.
When you mentioned Hurricane Agnes, you got my attention. I was 5 years old when that hit Maryland. We lived in Oxon Hill, Maryland at the time. Mom and I were in an office building, probably for a doctor's appointment. We were not leaving because of Hurricane Agnes. I was curious because I had never seen anything like this before! I wanted to go see it up close! Mom obviously did not allow me to do that! I forget how long we remained there. But eventually we left! I have visited much of my state of Maryland. But I am pretty sure I have never been here to Daniels, Maryland! I might need to come here one day! Thank you for this history lesson!
The car, or what there is of it, is a '59 Rambler. Not enough left to tell what trim level, but being a 6, probably a Custom since base and Deluxe models didn't have any side trim. Fun video, especially the history.
@davidcoudriet8439 I'm about 99% sure it's a '59 Chevy. The fins on the '60 were flat on top, then angled down, and didn't meet in the middle like the '59. The Olds and Pontiac were all completely different, and the Buick had a much wider space between the fins. You were on the money with the A pillar, its very distinctive, and they didn't go to the bubble top until '61.
Definitely a late 50's Rambler, at that time my old man had switched from Fords to Rambler wagons. Probably because they were cheaper than Fords and we needed more room for 5 kids.
As a child in the early 80's, my dad use to take me fishing above and below the dam in the video. Thank you for sparking the fond memories of spending time with him back then on the banks of the Patapsco River.
I/m 68yo and as a teen I used to ride my bike from Woodmoor to Daniels and remember when there were still a community there in 1971 before Agnes. Right at 16:14 in your video were still a few wooden occupied houses in the early 1970s. Been back a few times after but it sure looks different now. Down the hill to the right of that first church was a small cemetery and several stones were still standing in the late 70s when I was last there. Pretty sure the first concrete abutment you came to was the pedestrian bridge, the stone railroad one was the straightened "new" route, and the final abandoned stone abutments were the original rail route.
@@Dee-y3e We did that sort of thing all the time. We rode bike all the way to Thurmont to camp one weekend when in high school. 50 mile Saturday rides were typical.......probably why my knees are shot now LOL
@@anthonymiller8979 I wouldn’t have made that long ride! I thought the bike would have helped your knees not destroy them. I know cokes and Pepsis ruin the cartilage in your knees.
Oh man I'm so excited to see this. I hiked out to Alberton Church for the first time around 20 years ago. I'm glad to see that it still looks the same. There is so much treasure buried away in those hills. Thanks for sharing!
Come on down to the southern eastern shore. Lots of faded small towns down here. Stockton, Public Landing, Newark, Girdletree, Eden, Allen...target rich environment for a guy like you. I used to canoe, kayak and fish the river there in the video. Good smallmouth stretch 30 years ago.
I am new to the channel amd in reading the comments you have gathered a wealth of informative and interesting community members. This was a great video and have put this on my list of places to visit.
We've hiked around that area a few times. It's fascinating to see. Thanks for all the history about Daniels. My husband and I were wondering about its past and what those churches were. Thank you, Ian, and God Bless from Eldersburg.
This was fascinating. I was living in Crofton, MD when Agnes came through. My husband and I have ridden our bikes all over Maryland but I have never heard of Daniels. Thank you for a very interesting video.
So I lived about 10 minutes away from the town. My mother took me there in 69 70 71 to shop at the grocery store and they also had a bowling alley that I went to. Also where you came in at on Alberton rd there was a small beer brewery. The road went all the way through across the bridge and into Howard county. I went to Gary memorial church a few times growing up. So actually Hurricane Agnes did not destroy the town it was further up the river almost to Pennsylvania the flood gates were opened because they thought it would break the dam in Pennsylvania and when they opened the gates all the water came down and the river became flooded and that is how the town was destroyed. It was not a direct hit from the storm it was the aftermath of it and if they didn’t open the flood gates Daniel’s would still be standing today. Also where you came in at the bottom of Quaker hill was a little bar called the Tic Toc bar and it was also destroyed as well. I am very familiar with that area and played all throughout all the woods there in Daniel’s. Most of your information is spot on. I on every now and then back to visit the area. On the Howard county side there used to be an old Park Ranger house that was just recently torn down within the last five years. It is a great place to visit for a lot of great history. Thank you for this video.
Maybe you're thinking of Liberty Dam a few miles upriver near Marriottsville? The Patapsco River never makes it to PA - the headwaters of the South Branch Patapsco is just south of Mt. Airy (just under a mile from the headwaters of the Patuxent River, ironically) while the headwaters of the North Branch Patapsco is near Westminster. That said, I've never seen floodgates on Liberty Dam; if the water level gets too high, it just goes over the top, so I'm not sure which dam you're referring to as that's the only dam upriver from Daniels.
Soon after Agnes came through, I remember there is a bridge on I95 right next to the Rocky George Dam. They had all the flood gates wide open. I was trying to take a picture of the dam but the bridge was bouncing up and down so much that I couldn't keep the camera still. I figured it wasn't a safe place to be so I left, even though the traffic was still traveling across the bridge.
I worked in that old warehouse in the 80's when Arkay Supply expanded from downtown Baltimore. My coworkers and I would fish in the river and explore the woods from time to time. I'm still only a few miles away and pass by Daniels Road often I just can't walk it anymore. The dam has been slated to be torn down for ( If memory serves me right) over a decade now and I'm not sure why it's still there. I know that Howard County allocated the money (There could have been federal funding involved as well) years ago but nothing has changed. Lost a truckload or two of sheetrock on the steep hill leading out to Old Frederick/Hollofield Road. Great video. 👍
The bridge was for horse carriages. That's why it was made of iron. It's part of the road, so cars likely passed over it frequently, as they unfortunately became the norm.
Thanks for this awesome trip down memory lane. I grew up in the south Woodlawn / north Catonsville area in a neighborhood of hundreds of brick row homes. During the 70's as a teenager, this area along with Old Johnnycake, Dogwood, and Wrights Mill roads were our getaway stomping grounds. One Halloween night a few of us decided to go look for the Ellicott's grave site rumored to be around this place somewhere. We never found it but sure did gets the creeps from all the creaking and cracking we heard deep in the woods. The old Henryton Center is close to Daniels and supposedly is now haunted.
I'm from the same area. Went to Johnnycake elementary and Jr. High. Remember when I was old enough to drive. We called in country cruising. Riding around Daniel's, Quaker hill,Johnny cake rd, the one lane Bridge, paper mill, train tunnel Lost a friend that went tubing after a storm. Other than that may God rest her soul It was a great place to grow up and a great time.
@@richardhenry1969 I think you're a little younger then me but, yeah, we used to call it the country too. I'm sorry about the friend you lost tubing after a storm around there, was her initials J.W.?
Thanks for this Md history about a town that once was. We live in Bethesda and enjoy visiting historical places and learning about them. We will definitely have to plan a day trip to Daniels.👍
Great video I ride my horses and hike thru the area and love the place Great to hear some of the history and see the pics. Also I just wanted to mention that you did not show or mention the cemetary or the headstones at the first church. Thank you
Great video! I hike up there all the time and I began filming as well. It looks like the best time to film for vlog is before all the tree get their leaves back. When I was there and attempted vlog style filming was in June 2023 and it was hard to see some of the town foundations and path to that first church was very over grown. I can't wait to go back. Thanks for sharing. What camera do you use?
I grew up in Howard County, used to ride my bike through all those areas in the early 70's. Agnes did a huge amount of damage, then just as things were getting back to "kindasorta" normal David came though and did another flood number on the area. That was the end of several businesses in Ellicott City, including Patapsco Cycle. No idea if Gary is still with us, but if so hope you've had a good life!
The one good thing I remember about Agnes. We used to water ski in the Severn River and the jelly fish were everywhere. Agnes cleared them all out for several years after that. I think Agnes changed the water from brackish to more fresh water, at least for a few years but slowly they started to come back.
Great history! Weren’t there some houses down past the Pentecostal church as well? I dimly remember driving back into this town in the early 60s. I also worked on one of the crews clearing the river of downed trees between Daniels and Sykesville after Hurricane Agnes. Do you have a book written or in progress? Thanks very much!
This was a cool vid - thanks for making and posting it. I've lived in central MD most of my life and have known about Daniels for a long time. I've been both upriver (Sykesville, Marriottsville and Liberty Dam) and downriver (Hollofield area of the Park, Ellicott City and Ilchester), just never to Daniels.
Thanks for all the info. I have hiked around there before without knowing most of the back story. If you want to see a nearby mill town that is still sort of around, check out Dickeyville in Baltimore City not far from where rt 70 ends.
Awesome video Ian- love the amount of research you put into each location. You really have a great presentation style. Hope we can colab together one day 🔥
Is this the part where the swinging bridge is? I have a video of my daughter playing in the stream where the stream by those railroad tracks. Love to hear the history, was always my favorite parts of any Stephen King novel, so I'm going to have to go back through your videos so I can learn some things
Great video! My child and I took a memorable walk one warm April day through the side of town where your video ends. There's a very cool little cave that looks like something out of Lord of the Rings. Hopefully there will be a warm day this winter when we can walk through the rest of Daniels.
It's probably been close to 20 years, but at one time there was a small tanker truck in the park. It had floated down into the Glen Artney Picnic Shelter area (IIRC) from miles upstream when Agnes hit. Potapsco State Park is fantastic. At least it was when I used to trail run in there when I lived in Elkridge.
I remember that truck, its in the water just behind the kids climbing wall if you come into the state park at the Elkridge entrance & walk straight over to the water from the parking lot. Last time I was there in the mid 2000's, you could see the truck's wheels sticking up in the water. I had a 78' Camaro at the time & rode my car all the way up the path, past the swinging bridge to the dam where the road became so narrow, I almost tipped us over to the right & into the river. One of the dumbest things I ever did. lmao
I was a kid living on back river maryland when Hurricane Agnes struck. My dad lost his private marina that my extended family used and the river depth was made unable to navigate
Thank you for this tour. I live in the Baltimore Metro area and your video saves me the time of schlepping over there to see the ruins. I have seen enough.
Nice video. It appears that more of the history of Daniels may become just a memory. I recently. Read in the Baltimore Sun that the state of MD is planning to remove the dam to restore the original flow of the river.
That’s a great ride through there. It was weird to ride your horse up the old streets. There were still wrecked cars there. Rode across the a dam Great memories. Sad story about the town.
Went rope swinging past the swinging bridge, locked my keys in my car, luckily had my bike, rode down to Arbutus to get my spare. Such a beautiful ride.
My grandmother worked at C.R. Daniels for years back in the sixties and early seventies. Sometimes we would take her to work and i remember driving on that road and going across that bridge tto ger to the mill. It was definitely after the housing had been torn down. I think she retired right before the flood because I don't remember her ever working at the new location off of rt 40 in Ellicott City
Be careful nowadays, the clowns who run the welding shop / towing company are amazing (and menacing, likely armed) sticklers for privacy and private property.
Huh. I went to the Enchanted Forest as a kid, practically next door, and got married in the Old Ellicott City town hall and have never heard of Daniels. Thx.
As far as I know the housing was not up to rental standards. No indoor toilets for example. So the Daniels company had to either retrofit everything which would have been prohibitively expensive or it would have lost the license to rent out those houses. I don't recall where I read this. But because of Agnes it was better how it ended anyway.
You should have went deeper behind St. Kotska church. There you would have seen the old cemetery & tombstones deep in the woods. And at the bottom & just to the right side of those broken steps used to be a male dalmation's grave. (around late1999) Imagination carrying your deceased family pet that far into the woods for a historical burial & decorating his grave real nice with a plaque & lots of photos & a just a few months later, some a-holes come along & destroy it. Very sad :)
Can you show how you got up there I used to go all the time as a kid but now everything is over grown up there and I no longer could find the steps to get up to the trails/buildings
So many places that have been abandoned or towns taken over in Maryland..The post office in Oxon Hill right behind it is grave site (literally out back of the post office), the dam was built over a town, College Park was a black community that was taken by the University, Patapsco Park was once a small town..so much history in this state..and where you are I have hiked before
Having been from Pa And seeing along rt 611 canals where horse drawn barges would go up and down in a bygone era. I’m into historic stories of towns. I like to imagine them in Their heyday
Daniels was nearby/amongst the first outpost, perhaps the first, of Jesuits in Maryland. The old "Hell House" in Ilchester, Md is also nearby and related. Great write-up on EastGhost for decades.
I live on Edmondson in Catonsville, so this doesn't seem like it's too far from me. I pass the one entrance to patapsco on Washington Blvd, which I believe is one part of the park you are at
If you walk up to the memorial church and make your way behind it (don't walk through the graveyard) there's another church ruins on the side of the hill. And near the top there's a mountain spring with a shed built over it. There's also a path along the ridge that gives you a nice view of the dam.
*I am born & raised in Maryland, 29 years now, going on 30 years in December on the 12th... And I had NO IDEA this place existed... I have been to the Patapsco State Park HUNDREDS of times, if NOT, THOUSANDS of times but I had no idea this trail & history existed... I am for sure going to check this out next time I am in the area... I live in Anne Arundel County now, so the Patapsco State Park is not far away at all, maybe a 20 min drive with bad traffic. There's a lot of FREE WAYS to get into the park, LEGALLY, if you do NOT want to enter the park through the main entrance where you have to pay a fee, even though I recommend doing that because, at least as far as we know, the funds go into keeping the park clean & open so we can visit but, sadly, we all know how corrupt our government in Maryland is...* *Thank you for this video... It randomly popped up in my recommended and I am GLAD it did because now I am going to check out ALL your videos... Not sure if you are from Maryland or just visiting, I hope to see some more Maryland areas in your videos... Thank you for the great content! Be safe & Stay Dangerous out there ;) if you are NOT aware, Maryland has a large number of the "Missing 411" cases... Especially around the Patapsco State Park, the media & law enforcement just does a good job of hiding it.*
That first car in your video is what’s left of a 1958 or 1959 Rambler. Both years used the same body shell. The second appears to be the chassis of an early 1960s Chevrolet.
When i was a teenager in the 90s me and my best friend would small mouth bass fish this part of the river and catch literally fish after fish using crawldad tails and we would catch our own bait right at the battom of that dam,some of the biggest helgromites that you ever seen.The water was so clean back then we would swim after a long day of fishing the beautiful potapsico river , it was pretty deep at the bottom of that dam that you showed. Miss the good old days,now im 50 something and really enjoy watching your videos.
the church at the top of the hill is Gary united methodist, luther starnes used to be the pastor. i was married there in 1993. my mother in law was able to sit on the stoop that was her house growing up there. the guy that used to own the mulch factory owned the property, he may have sold to Eddys welding. I was a ups driver there, which is why we chose the church to get married in.
I heard that story from my parents. They found them 2nd or 3rd floor of the Washington flour mill in Ellicott City. My parents worked at Daniels and I was 4 years old when we moved out in 1966.
Danville Virginia was a company town it was owned by the Bassett Furniture Company Ikea furniture company bought this later Town remains spell between steep hills with the foreman or the owner most of the housing look the same High School we were there for a basketball game this is on the border of North Carolina
Your one of my favorite explorers.. if not my top explorer.
A huge congrats at 50 videos, and here's to 5k - 10k subs!!!
🍻🍺
I am now 66, and back in the 1980s played tuba in the Daniels Band, a small community brass band that the old-timers kept alive. We had practice at the church there, and I recall several church suppers there. We often played with another local band, the Rockland band, at church picnics and retirement homes around the area, it was a lot of fun. Agnes came through when I was in middle school, I do remember the devastation; it washed out the entire bridge and railroad in nearby Sykesville ( where we lived). As for mill towns, Ellicott City has a lot of history in that regard. Check out nearby Oella. Thanks for documenting local history!
I remember getting evacuated during Agnes. We lived near Lake Roland (Robert E. Lee Park). The Catalyst Research Company along Lakeside Drive had blown up in the night during the storm, when rainfall from Agnes mixed with leaking Hydrogen tanks inside the factory. It was quite a storm !
My grandfather lives right next to oella in far upper Catonsville right before you come into oella. I spent so much time around there in my teenage days when I lived at his house. I used to walk the trolley trail with my girlfriend at the time to a country store (jays) in oella and there was a swimming area off of the trail where people had stopped up the creek to a beautiful clear pool. Some of my favorite memories skateboarding around there with my friends and hanging out in old ellicott city. Absolutely beautiful area
As someone who grew up in the Baltimore area, I was unaware of Daniels. I have visited quite a few ghost towns over the years, mostly out west. Thanks for sharing this story.
Same here. Born and raised in Baltimore. Never even heard of Daniels!
@@MalinoisMadness888 likewise. I'm so glad to be out of Baltimore. I was there today, actually. I go back every 2 weeks to visit family. I finally got out! Living & working in Ocean City, Maryland, now. The difference is night and day. 💯
@@MalinoisMadness888 "addicted to breathing"... You're probably grateful for every breath, too. About 13 years ago I was working in Baltimore City, when I got jumped on my way home. Outnumbered by 7 ngrs. 4 held me down, while the other 3 pummeled my face. I wasn't bleeding, but they crushed the cartilage in my nose, and now I need surgery to breathe. Don't take it for granted. Saty safe, neighbor.
Same
@@MalinoisMadness888never
Thank you for this video, I've never had the chance to visit the other side of the river from Gary Church. My great, great grandfather is buried in the church's graveyard, along with 2 of his granddaughters. My grandfather was born there in 1898, when it was Alberton. I have a cousin who was born there, and was the leader of the band in the early 1970's.
Born and raised in Maryland, but never heard of Daniels. Incidentally, Ely is pronounced EE-lee, rhyming with “really.” Very interesting video. 😎
When you mentioned Hurricane Agnes, you got my attention. I was 5 years old when that hit Maryland. We lived in Oxon Hill, Maryland at the time. Mom and I were in an office building, probably for a doctor's appointment. We were not leaving because of Hurricane Agnes. I was curious because I had never seen anything like this before!
I wanted to go see it up close! Mom obviously did not allow me to do that! I forget how long we remained there. But eventually we left!
I have visited much of my state of Maryland. But I am pretty sure I have never been here to Daniels, Maryland! I might need to come here one day! Thank you for this history lesson!
The car, or what there is of it, is a '59 Rambler. Not enough left to tell what trim level, but being a 6, probably a Custom since base and Deluxe models didn't have any side trim.
Fun video, especially the history.
I concur, it's a 59 Custom with the 140 six cyl. My first car was a 60 Custom Wagon with the 6 cyl. I still miss that car!
The other car looks like a '59-'60 GM car or possibly '59 Ford going by the shape of the windshield/ "A" post.
Can you have a closer look?
@davidcoudriet8439 I'm about 99% sure it's a '59 Chevy. The fins on the '60 were flat on top, then angled down, and didn't meet in the middle like the '59. The Olds and Pontiac were all completely different, and the Buick had a much wider space between the fins.
You were on the money with the A pillar, its very distinctive, and they didn't go to the bubble top until '61.
Definitely a late 50's Rambler, at that time my old man had switched from Fords to Rambler wagons. Probably because they were cheaper than Fords and we needed more room for 5 kids.
Yes! The rambler has gotten a lot worse over the years but when I first went there about 10 years ago there was much more of it left
As a child in the early 80's, my dad use to take me fishing above and below the dam in the video. Thank you for sparking the fond memories of spending time with him back then on the banks of the Patapsco River.
I over night camped in Daniels on the Potapsco with 2 hs friends in 1958. We bought pizza, my first and caught snakes, frogs, and turtles.
I/m 68yo and as a teen I used to ride my bike from Woodmoor to Daniels and remember when there were still a community there in 1971 before Agnes. Right at 16:14 in your video were still a few wooden occupied houses in the early 1970s. Been back a few times after but it sure looks different now. Down the hill to the right of that first church was a small cemetery and several stones were still standing in the late 70s when I was last there. Pretty sure the first concrete abutment you came to was the pedestrian bridge, the stone railroad one was the straightened "new" route, and the final abandoned stone abutments were the original rail route.
That was a long bike ride from Woodmoor!
@@Dee-y3e We did that sort of thing all the time. We rode bike all the way to Thurmont to camp one weekend when in high school. 50 mile Saturday rides were typical.......probably why my knees are shot now LOL
@@anthonymiller8979 I wouldn’t have made that long ride! I thought the bike would have helped your knees not destroy them. I know cokes and Pepsis ruin the cartilage in your knees.
was there today--so nice to get the scoop. keep it going--thank u.
Good ol days jumping off the dam and all the old rope swings...good times. Great video!!!
Oh man I'm so excited to see this. I hiked out to Alberton Church for the first time around 20 years ago. I'm glad to see that it still looks the same. There is so much treasure buried away in those hills. Thanks for sharing!
When I was 16-17, 1975,1976 we use to ride our bikes from the Edmonson Heights out to Daniels to go tubbing above the damn.
I hike the trails, kayak the river, and knew there was some history at Daniel’s… you brought it back to life! Great work, and thanks a ton.
Come on down to the southern eastern shore. Lots of faded small towns down here. Stockton, Public Landing, Newark, Girdletree, Eden, Allen...target rich environment for a guy like you. I used to canoe, kayak and fish the river there in the video. Good smallmouth stretch 30 years ago.
Im from the Maryland Eastern Shore creation
I am new to the channel amd in reading the comments you have gathered a wealth of informative and interesting community members. This was a great video and have put this on my list of places to visit.
We've hiked around that area a few times. It's fascinating to see. Thanks for all the history about Daniels. My husband and I were wondering about its past and what those churches were.
Thank you, Ian, and God Bless from Eldersburg.
Thanks for sharing this. I now have a new place to show my kids. They love exploring g as much as I do.
That welding shop ,J.D.Eddy,best metal Fabercator around!!!!!!!!!
Thank you for bringing us with you.
Thank you for sharing. I enjoyed watching your video and learning about a place I've never visited. Looking forward to the next adventure.
Amazing history. Following for more. I live in Baltimore now.
Your tours are interesting & well produced. thank you for this history.
I’m a EC native and I’ve been at Daniel’s many times and now being able to know its history is awesome
Excellent video. Really enjoyed this one in such a forgotten place in Maryland
This was fascinating. I was living in Crofton, MD when Agnes came through. My husband and I have ridden our bikes all over Maryland but I have never heard of Daniels. Thank you for a very interesting video.
im from crofton, first the meadows then a bigger house on the crofton triangle (golf course)
So I lived about 10 minutes away from the town. My mother took me there in 69 70 71 to shop at the grocery store and they also had a bowling alley that I went to. Also where you came in at on Alberton rd there was a small beer brewery. The road went all the way through across the bridge and into Howard county. I went to Gary memorial church a few times growing up. So actually Hurricane Agnes did not destroy the town it was further up the river almost to Pennsylvania the flood gates were opened because they thought it would break the dam in Pennsylvania and when they opened the gates all the water came down and the river became flooded and that is how the town was destroyed. It was not a direct hit from the storm it was the aftermath of it and if they didn’t open the flood gates Daniel’s would still be standing today. Also where you came in at the bottom of Quaker hill was a little bar called the Tic Toc bar and it was also destroyed as well. I am very familiar with that area and played all throughout all the woods there in Daniel’s. Most of your information is spot on. I on every now and then back to visit the area. On the Howard county side there used to be an old Park Ranger house that was just recently torn down within the last five years. It is a great place to visit for a lot of great history. Thank you for this video.
Maybe you're thinking of Liberty Dam a few miles upriver near Marriottsville? The Patapsco River never makes it to PA - the headwaters of the South Branch Patapsco is just south of Mt. Airy (just under a mile from the headwaters of the Patuxent River, ironically) while the headwaters of the North Branch Patapsco is near Westminster.
That said, I've never seen floodgates on Liberty Dam; if the water level gets too high, it just goes over the top, so I'm not sure which dam you're referring to as that's the only dam upriver from Daniels.
Soon after Agnes came through, I remember there is a bridge on I95 right next to the Rocky George Dam. They had all the flood gates wide open. I was trying to take a picture of the dam but the bridge was bouncing up and down so much that I couldn't keep the camera still. I figured it wasn't a safe place to be so I left, even though the traffic was still traveling across the bridge.
I would love to ask you some questions, maybe you could point out to me where the Tic Toc bar was? I have been looking for any remnants.
I can send you a picture of the lady on the back of the church from when I was there in 2020. So people can see the majority of the masterpiece
I worked in that old warehouse in the 80's when Arkay Supply expanded from downtown Baltimore. My coworkers and I would fish in the river and explore the woods from time to time. I'm still only a few miles away and pass by Daniels Road often I just can't walk it anymore. The dam has been slated to be torn down for ( If memory serves me right) over a decade now and I'm not sure why it's still there. I know that Howard County allocated the money (There could have been federal funding involved as well) years ago but nothing has changed. Lost a truckload or two of sheetrock on the steep hill leading out to Old Frederick/Hollofield Road. Great video. 👍
Never heard of Daniels Maryland and I lived in Maryland from 1970-2016
The bridge was for horse carriages. That's why it was made of iron. It's part of the road, so cars likely passed over it frequently, as they unfortunately became the norm.
I loved this video. The research you did was amazing. I now want to go. Thank you.
So cool there were the daffodils by the church entrance! God writes his signature in flowers.
Very interesting. Enjoyed it very much.
Thanks for this awesome trip down memory lane. I grew up in the south Woodlawn / north Catonsville area in a neighborhood of hundreds of brick row homes. During the 70's as a teenager, this area along with Old Johnnycake, Dogwood, and Wrights Mill roads were our getaway stomping grounds. One Halloween night a few of us decided to go look for the Ellicott's grave site rumored to be around this place somewhere. We never found it but sure did gets the creeps from all the creaking and cracking we heard deep in the woods. The old Henryton Center is close to Daniels and supposedly is now haunted.
I'm from the same area. Went to Johnnycake elementary and Jr. High.
Remember when I was old enough to drive. We called in country cruising. Riding around Daniel's, Quaker hill,Johnny cake rd, the one lane Bridge, paper mill, train tunnel
Lost a friend that went tubing after a storm. Other than that may God rest her soul
It was a great place to grow up and a great time.
@@richardhenry1969 I think you're a little younger then me but, yeah, we used to call it the country too. I'm sorry about the friend you lost tubing after a storm around there, was her initials J.W.?
Thanks for this Md history about a town that once was. We live in Bethesda and enjoy visiting historical places and learning about them. We will definitely have to plan a day trip to Daniels.👍
Great video I ride my horses and hike thru the area and love the place Great to hear some of the history and see the pics. Also I just wanted to mention that you did not show or mention the cemetary or the headstones at the first church. Thank you
Great video! I hike up there all the time and I began filming as well. It looks like the best time to film for vlog is before all the tree get their leaves back. When I was there and attempted vlog style filming was in June 2023 and it was hard to see some of the town foundations and path to that first church was very over grown. I can't wait to go back. Thanks for sharing. What camera do you use?
That’s fascinating. I’ve been there a few times. Didn’t know it was nearly that big
Wish I had watched this video before looking for Daniels. Couldn’t find it in this would’ve been helpful. Also, super informative thank you
I grew up in Howard County, used to ride my bike through all those areas in the early 70's. Agnes did a huge amount of damage, then just as things were getting back to "kindasorta" normal David came though and did another flood number on the area. That was the end of several businesses in Ellicott City, including Patapsco Cycle. No idea if Gary is still with us, but if so hope you've had a good life!
The one good thing I remember about Agnes. We used to water ski in the Severn River and the jelly fish were everywhere. Agnes cleared them all out for several years after that. I think Agnes changed the water from brackish to more fresh water, at least for a few years but slowly they started to come back.
Great history! Weren’t there some houses down past the Pentecostal church as well? I dimly remember driving back into this town in the early 60s. I also worked on one of the crews clearing the river of downed trees between Daniels and Sykesville after Hurricane Agnes. Do you have a book written or in progress?
Thanks very much!
This was a cool vid - thanks for making and posting it. I've lived in central MD most of my life and have known about Daniels for a long time. I've been both upriver (Sykesville, Marriottsville and Liberty Dam) and downriver (Hollofield area of the Park, Ellicott City and Ilchester), just never to Daniels.
Thanks for all the info. I have hiked around there before without knowing most of the back story.
If you want to see a nearby mill town that is still sort of around, check out Dickeyville in Baltimore City not far from where rt 70 ends.
That has a bit of an Ellicott City vibe.
I've heard of this place but never knew much about it. I hiked Patapsco a lot and cannot wait to explore this
Awesome video Ian- love the amount of research you put into each location. You really have a great presentation style. Hope we can colab together one day 🔥
Is this the part where the swinging bridge is? I have a video of my daughter playing in the stream where the stream by those railroad tracks. Love to hear the history, was always my favorite parts of any Stephen King novel, so I'm going to have to go back through your videos so I can learn some things
Great video! My child and I took a memorable walk one warm April day through the side of town where your video ends. There's a very cool little cave that looks like something out of Lord of the Rings. Hopefully there will be a warm day this winter when we can walk through the rest of Daniels.
Nice water and train.I enjoyed this.
Very , interesting . Thanks
It's probably been close to 20 years, but at one time there was a small tanker truck in the park. It had floated down into the Glen Artney Picnic Shelter area (IIRC) from miles upstream when Agnes hit. Potapsco State Park is fantastic. At least it was when I used to trail run in there when I lived in Elkridge.
I remember that truck, its in the water just behind the kids climbing wall if you come into the state park at the Elkridge entrance & walk straight over to the water from the parking lot. Last time I was there in the mid 2000's, you could see the truck's wheels sticking up in the water. I had a 78' Camaro at the time & rode my car all the way up the path, past the swinging bridge to the dam where the road became so narrow, I almost tipped us over to the right & into the river. One of the dumbest things I ever did. lmao
I was a kid living on back river maryland when Hurricane Agnes struck. My dad lost his private marina that my extended family used and the river depth was made unable to navigate
Thank you for this tour. I live in the Baltimore Metro area and your video saves me the time of schlepping over there to see the ruins. I have seen enough.
Great video from an original Howardcountian. 💞💞
This video makes me want to go there. Great video!
Nice video. It appears that more of the history of Daniels may become just a memory. I recently. Read in the Baltimore Sun that the state of MD is planning to remove the dam to restore the original flow of the river.
There are a few on that stretch they're taking out. It will allow fish to prosper rather than be blocked by the barriers.
@@thedevilinthecircuit1414 Pretty Daniels Dam is the only one left, not counting Liberty Dam.
I enjoyed your narrative on Daniels, MD
That’s a great ride through there. It was weird to ride your horse up the old streets. There were still wrecked cars there. Rode across the a dam Great memories. Sad story about the town.
It is amazing that they tore all of that town down
Great job!
I really love your video that you shared
Where do you park? At the train tracks or by the church off Daniel’s rd?
Went rope swinging past the swinging bridge, locked my keys in my car, luckily had my bike, rode down to Arbutus to get my spare. Such a beautiful ride.
Daniels, LOL I used to walk my dogs there. There's nothing left now but a few sunken buildings and half-buried cars.
Looks like a 1958 Chevy Impala @ 11:35
Nice video! Grew up in VA 1/2 drive from MD border. In FL now and miss home and exploring. Keep up the great work!
Keep up the awesome videos!
Thanks!
Thanks so much!
My grandmother worked at C.R. Daniels for years back in the sixties and early seventies. Sometimes we would take her to work and i remember driving on that road and going across that bridge tto ger to the mill. It was definitely after the housing had been torn down.
I think she retired right before the flood because I don't remember her ever working at the new location off of rt 40 in Ellicott City
Be careful nowadays, the clowns who run the welding shop / towing company are amazing (and menacing, likely armed) sticklers for privacy and private property.
Huh. I went to the Enchanted Forest as a kid, practically next door, and got married in the Old Ellicott City town hall and have never heard of Daniels. Thx.
Very cool video
I was born in Maryland, and I grew up in Southern PG County MD, I never knew about this part of MD. This is interesting.
As far as I know the housing was not up to rental standards. No indoor toilets for example. So the Daniels company had to either retrofit everything which would have been prohibitively expensive or it would have lost the license to rent out those houses. I don't recall where I read this. But because of Agnes it was better how it ended anyway.
You should have went deeper behind St. Kotska church. There you would have seen the old cemetery & tombstones deep in the woods. And at the bottom & just to the right side of those broken steps used to be a male dalmation's grave. (around late1999) Imagination carrying your deceased family pet that far into the woods for a historical burial & decorating his grave real nice with a plaque & lots of photos & a just a few months later, some a-holes come along & destroy it. Very sad :)
Can you show how you got up there
I used to go all the time as a kid but now everything is over grown up there and I no longer could find the steps to get up to the trails/buildings
So many places that have been abandoned or towns taken over in Maryland..The post office in Oxon Hill right behind it is grave site (literally out back of the post office), the dam was built over a town, College Park was a black community that was taken by the University, Patapsco Park was once a small town..so much history in this state..and where you are I have hiked before
Are the Daniel’s family, that own Daniel’s Bar, on Washington Blvd, related to the Daniel’s Company
No, but all the boys from Daniels bar would of definitely visited the Daniels dam area.
Having been from Pa And seeing along rt 611 canals where horse drawn barges would go up and down in a bygone era. I’m into historic stories of towns. I like to imagine them in Their heyday
Daniels was nearby/amongst the first outpost, perhaps the first, of Jesuits in Maryland. The old "Hell House" in Ilchester, Md is also nearby and related. Great write-up on EastGhost for decades.
I live on Edmondson in Catonsville, so this doesn't seem like it's too far from me. I pass the one entrance to patapsco on Washington Blvd, which I believe is one part of the park you are at
That looked like a nice town.
I have a great aunt who is buried at the Gary Memorial Church. She passed when she was 20 months old in1918
If you walk up to the memorial church and make your way behind it (don't walk through the graveyard) there's another church ruins on the side of the hill. And near the top there's a mountain spring with a shed built over it. There's also a path along the ridge that gives you a nice view of the dam.
Good trout fishing there
*I am born & raised in Maryland, 29 years now, going on 30 years in December on the 12th... And I had NO IDEA this place existed... I have been to the Patapsco State Park HUNDREDS of times, if NOT, THOUSANDS of times but I had no idea this trail & history existed... I am for sure going to check this out next time I am in the area... I live in Anne Arundel County now, so the Patapsco State Park is not far away at all, maybe a 20 min drive with bad traffic. There's a lot of FREE WAYS to get into the park, LEGALLY, if you do NOT want to enter the park through the main entrance where you have to pay a fee, even though I recommend doing that because, at least as far as we know, the funds go into keeping the park clean & open so we can visit but, sadly, we all know how corrupt our government in Maryland is...*
*Thank you for this video... It randomly popped up in my recommended and I am GLAD it did because now I am going to check out ALL your videos... Not sure if you are from Maryland or just visiting, I hope to see some more Maryland areas in your videos... Thank you for the great content! Be safe & Stay Dangerous out there ;) if you are NOT aware, Maryland has a large number of the "Missing 411" cases... Especially around the Patapsco State Park, the media & law enforcement just does a good job of hiding it.*
I live near there. Thistle Road, College Avenue. That area.
Ely is a name in my family. In fact, my mothers maiden name. We also pronounce it the same way you did.
That first car in your video is what’s left of a 1958 or 1959 Rambler. Both years used the same body shell. The second appears to be the chassis of an early 1960s Chevrolet.
It appears to be a 1959 Rambler Six Two Door. Note the ribbing pressed into the center of the front bumper, which the 1958 did not have.
When i was a teenager in the 90s me and my best friend would small mouth bass fish this part of the river and catch literally fish after fish using crawldad tails and we would catch our own bait right at the battom of that dam,some of the biggest helgromites that you ever seen.The water was so clean back then we would swim after a long day of fishing the beautiful potapsico river , it was pretty deep at the bottom of that dam that you showed. Miss the good old days,now im 50 something and really enjoy watching your videos.
Used to party in the ghost town after Agnes
the church at the top of the hill is Gary united methodist, luther starnes used to be the pastor. i was married there in 1993. my mother in law was able to sit on the stoop that was her house growing up there. the guy that used to own the mulch factory owned the property, he may have sold to Eddys welding. I was a ups driver there, which is why we chose the church to get married in.
There was a small bar there in 1972 when Agnes came through. My next door neighbor, her girl friend, and boy friend all drowned.
I heard that story from my parents. They found them 2nd or 3rd floor of the Washington flour mill in Ellicott City. My parents worked at Daniels and I was 4 years old when we moved out in 1966.
Solid video!! Very enjoyable!! (just disappointed to learn that there is no respect among graffiti artists)
❤
Still swim at the dam all the time. Heard they are going to tear it down at some point
First car appeared to be a 1958-62 Nash-rambler the second car appeared to be a 1959 chevrolet
Also I always known this as “Hell house”
9:03: Giant X on the ground. Hardly natural. Bigfoot sign? Looks like a squatchy area.
Danville Virginia was a company town it was owned by the Bassett Furniture Company Ikea furniture company bought this later Town remains spell between steep hills with the foreman or the owner most of the housing look the same High School we were there for a basketball game this is on the border of North Carolina