The Carroll family may be the oldest residents of Howard County. They were here before the county even existed. They built their home, Doughoregan Manor, in Ellicott City back in 1727 when Maryland was still a colony of Great Britain. Almost three hundred years later the estate is still owned by the same family. While development occurred at a breakneck pace all around them they preserved their farm.
And how do we acknowledge almost three centuries of their stewardship of the land?
We threaten to take away their property by an act of Congress.
On a recent posting on the Howard County Citizens Association listserv, Allen Dyer, a member of the Howard County School Board, wrote that “in light of its historic value, the "private property" aspect of Doughoregan is a sham issue.”
He went on to say “howard county local politics is much too small a forum for planning the destruction (or preservation) of Doughoregan manor.”
Picking up on this thread, C. Edward Walter, a resident of Woodstock, wrote that there should be “an act of Congress to preserve the site.”
He has even written to Congressman Elijah Cummings to enlist his support for this.
Who do these people think they are?
I’ll give a pass to Mr. Walter since he is a private citizen and entitled to his opinion but Allen Dyer is an elected official and therefore his words tend to carry a little more weight.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. He’s got to go.
