Is Old Ellicott City really haunted? The whispers about ghost presence are strong in the older buildings on Main Street, from shadowy figures in the windows to mysterious whispers and footsteps on floors that nobody could possibly be on. I decided to go see for myself and roam the streets of Old Ellicott City with two of my friends, seeking answers.
As we wandered the streets of Old Ellicott City, we decided to pay a visit to the Trolley Stop. This structure, built in 1833, was originally a tavern and county inn, but then turned into a general store and boarding house. The building now operates as a local restaurant and bar.
As we entered the building, we were greeted by a man working as a host. When I asked him if there were any ghosts in the building, he informed us that he had seen a mysterious woman in the second floor window. He told us to talk to one of the bartenders, Carrie, who had worked there longer than him, and she verified his story.
Carrie added that when she is near the Trolley Stop, her car radio mysteriously turns off. Carrie’s son, who also works at the Trolley Stop, told us that when he first started working there, a woman came in and sat down and was about to order. Suddenly she became alarmed and said she had to leave, because a spirit was walking around her table. Later on that same day, as we were driving past the Trolley Stop, my friend and I both saw a dark shadowy figure in the second floor window.
After we left the Trolley Stop, we headed towards Doc Taylor’s Toy Emporium. This building was built in 1924. Chris, the only employee working at the time, told us about two ghosts in the toy store, one on the second floor one on the third floor. Chris was enthusiastic about the second floor ghost, whom he named Princess. He told us, “Children under 10 years old refuse to go upstairs when Princess is upset.”
My friends and I ventured up to the second floor to investigate. When we got upstairs, we started wandering around. A few minutes later, I saw a shadow by one of the end cases. We kept hearing heavy stomping near that area. We all kept hearing footsteps on the third floor when we were sure nobody was up there because it was near closing time. This gave us an eerie feeling and made the hair rise on the back of our necks. My friends and I looked at each other with wide eyes.
A few minutes later, Chris came up and we asked him if he had ever seen Princess. He said he had and showed us where he had usually seen her, which was a few feet from where I saw the shadow. He also told us that he communicates with her through videos on two toy displays on the second floor. The videos can be turned on and off through motion sensors and the volume can be adjusted. He said that is how he discovered that Princess was a girl. He explained that he would ask her questions and the next day he would come to work and the volume on the toy displays would be turned up. One night before he left, he asked her to turn up the volume on the left display if she was a girl and to turn up the volume on the right display if she was a boy. The next morning, when he arrived at work, the left display’s video was turned up significantly.
My friend started talking to Princess and asking questions and the video turned on once. As we were walking downstairs, we felt a presence following us, and we could still hear people walking on the second floor even though we were the only ones on that floor. That made our hearts drop.
Chris informed us “ I think the third floor ghost is a boy, and I don’t associate or interact with him.” When he would, he said it would result in a cold chill and a fight or flight response. Chris shared that he hears “footsteps on the third floor when the building is vacant, and [he feels] an uneasy presence on the third floor.” He told us about an incident where lights would turn on and off and the motion lights would trip on the third floor, which caused him to feel a sense of unease.
The last place we went to was the Bohemian House, which is owned by Tiffany Avril. The building is 250 years old and it used to be the doctor’s office and a residence for three generations. She told me that the basement used to be the town morgue, which is where dead bodies are kept. Tiffany shared that she has had many spirit encounters, one being that the front door flew open and a man appeared, making eye contact with her and then disappearing. She said, “he looked like he was having a heart attack.” This description gave me chills.
She recounted to me that the most interactive spirit she has encountered is the ghost of a little boy. She believes that the little boy thinks that she is his mother because she hears whispers of a child’s voice repeatedly saying “mommy.” Tiffany has sensed that the little boy has followed her home on several occasions. She also told me that items break in her shop and she believes this is caused by the little boy.
Another occurrence Tiffany described was seeing a spirit of a woman in her garden, who she named Elizabeth, who is fond of flowers and jewelry. She also recalls smelling a woman’s perfume, which reminds her of her grandmother. She explained how the spirits are attracted to shiny things, like earrings. Tiffany related stories about various paranormal activities, such as items moving, flowers appearing on shelves, and her plumbing functioning on its own.
Before Tiffany moved into the Bohemian House building, she used to have another location farther down Main Street, which she says was full of spirits. She recounted experiences from her old location, where children would tug on her clothes and appear in security camera footage. She described how security footage would “record orbs that moved through the floor and would go out the windows.” When her friend did a healing bath in the building, this caused “thousands of orbs to appear.”
Tiffany theorizes that the town is a portal due to its nearby river and quartz, which attracts paranormal activity. Tiffany comments that the spirits, “want to communicate. A lot of times they want to be heard.”
After talking to the shop and restaurant owners down on Main Street, we decided to drive on Oella Avenue and River Road. As we were driving, my friend saw a pale white figure suspended over the river. When we turned around to check and see if it was still there, it had disappeared. A little farther down the road, we all felt the air in the car become cold, causing us to get goosebumps. The chill in the air disappeared only after we reached a certain point in the road closer to Old Ellicott City.
Whether you believe in ghosts or not, the many ghost stories of Old Ellicott City keep the history alive. These ghostly tales add a unique charm to the town, reminding us that some spirits never leave.
