Glen Ellen

Address: 
12460 Dulaney Valley Rd, Phoenix, MD 21131

Glen Ellen

History: The boy hood home of Confederate Maj. Harry Gilmor was Glen Ellen, situated in the Dulaney Valley, on land southwest of this location. As a young adult, Harry's father, Robert Gilmor III, visited his ancestral Scottish homeland where he stayed at Abbotsford. When he returned to Maryland, Gilmor built his own country estate modeled after what he had seen at Abbotsford. He named his property Glen Ellen after his wife, Ellen Ward Gilmor.

At the start of the Civil War, Harry went south and served with the legendary cavalier Turner Ashby. He formed his own unit, the Second Maryland Battalion in May of 1863. Despite his local roots, Gilmor returned to this area during the summer of 1864 to attack Baltimore and Harford counties, while leading a detachment of Maryland cavalry.

More to Explore: Be sure to visit the Loch Raven Reservoir, the largest body of water located entirely within Baltimore County, where you can enjoy beautiful water vistas, wildlife, hiking, and fishing. You also won't want leave without visiting Boordy Vineyards, where you can enjoy winetasting and a guided tour of the facility. Concerts, holiday picnics, and festival events are also held here weekly during the spring, summer and fall. Just a short drive away is the Ladew Topiary Gardens, a beautiful location to take a nature walk and tour of the manor house and its gardens. Self-taught gardener Harvey S. Ladew, created the 15 thematic "garden rooms" on 22 acres of his 250 acre Maryland property in the early 1900s.

Photo Credits:

  1. "Glen Ellen Photograph." Courtesy of Baltimore Co. Public Library.
  2. "Glen Ellen Drawing." Courtesy of Baltimore Co. Public Library.
  3. "Maj. Harry Gilmor." Courtesy of Library of Congress.