Take Me To The River

The Patapsco River that is. Just across the bridge from downtown Ellicott City, the mill town of Oella is going upscale. Charles Wagant, the president of the Oella Company has struck a deal with Steuart-Kret Homes for 11 sites in the historic mill community. The project, dubbed Granite Hill, includes five existing historic homes that will be restored and at least three custom homes that will be attached to existing historic structures overlooking the Patapsco River. Prices for the custom homes will be in the million dollar range.

This has been a long time coming for Charles. Working out of his restored church in what can be described as downtown Oella, Charles has been a tireless promoter of restoring Oella and enhancing public awareness of the Patapsco River valley His strong support helped the Grist Mill Trail become a reality after years of hard fought battles with other property owners in the area.

If you have never wandered up into Oella it is worth the trip. No stores or shopping but some great views of the river and a pretty good idea of what it looked like back when the original mill, was chartered by the State of Maryland in 1808.