Howard County Clerk of Court

Story

The Howard County Courthouse is the former Courthouse building that now houses the Orpan's Court A stone house on main street served as a temporary courthouse during construction from 1840-1843. A new property was purchased from Deborah Disney. The $24,000 granite structure was started in 1840 taking three years to build on a steep hill once named Capitoline Hill It also went by the nickname "Mt. Misery".Howard County Circuit Courthouse and administration buildingBy 1870, the Circuit court volume was 91 cases with 14 appeals a month. In 1938 additions were added to the courthouse. On 23 September 1948 a monument to confederate soldiers serving from Howard County was erected at the courthouse and rededicated in September 1999. In the 1960s, proponents attempted to consolidate county government on land purchased recently by The Rouse Company in its development of the city of Columbia, but did not go forward. In 1962 more additions were added to the original courthouse. In 1980 County Executive J. Hugh Nichols approved a renovation that included a 14,500 sq ft addition that connected to the Howard County Circuit Courthouse.The Howard County Circuit Courthouse is located at 8360 Court Avenue in Ellicott City, Maryland. The courthouse houses the chambers and courtrooms for the 5 judges of the Circuit Court for Howard County, as well as the clerk's offices, jurors' assembly room, the law library and masters' offices. It has a connection to the original 1840 Howard County Courthouse, now used by the Orphan's court. A porch section is constructed from the foundation of an adjacent historic house.The Howard County Government used the building as its headquarters of administration until the completion of the George Howard Building in 1976.