Community Corner
New Clocktower Plans Revealed On Back To The Future Day
County and city leaders have launched a Back to the Future campaign to help raise money to replace Old Ellicott City's clocktower.
ELLICOTT CITY, MD — On Back to the Future Day Tuesday, leaders announced they were looking ahead to the future of historic Ellicott City and will be rebuilding the Old Ellicott City Clock that was washed away by the 2016 and 2018 floods.
Howard County Executive Calvin Ball announced the plan to build a new clocktower alongside representatives of the Ellicott City Partnership and historic Ellicott City business owners. The clock will be built at the Baltimore & Ohio Ellicott City Station Museum Plaza this spring 2026.
The fundraising campaign for the new clock has a "Back to the Future" theme, since a character in the movie also tried to save its clocktower. Leaders had a Back to the Future DeLorean at the announcement Tuesday to help tie in the theme with the initiative. The goal is to raise $10,000 from the community and secure grant funding to cover the rest.
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"On Back to the Future Day, we gathered at Tiber Park to celebrate imagination, progress and resilience as we unveiled the design for the return of the beloved Old Ellicott City Clock. Just like Hill Valley’s famous clocktower, our clock tells a story of perseverance. Washed away by the 2016 and 2018 floods and recovered from the Patapsco River each time, it has stood as a reminder that Ellicott City always rises again," Ball said during a news conference.
The Kiwanis Club of Ellicott City funded the original clock in 2000 that was built outside the B&O Railroad Station Museum. It included a plaque marking the town's founding in 1772. But it was destroyed in the 2016 flood.
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A piece of the original clock was found in the Patapsco River and temporarily set back up at 9:20, the time the flood hit. A new clock was installed in July 2017, but the May 2018 flood washed it away, too. Pieces of this clock also were found in the Patapsco River.
The new clock has been designed to be flood-resilient, leaders say.
To donate or learn more about the fundraising campaign, click here.
Photo courtesy of the Howard County Government
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