Highland

History

The majority of the downtown Highland district is situated within the land grant named "Hickory Ridge". The Rouse Company borrowed the land grant name for one of its nearby villages of Columbia, built in 1974. The historic "White Hall" or "Hickory Ridge" estate (1749) was owned by the Ridgely, Hopkins and Disney families. One of the earliest businesses at the crossroads was Well's tavern, founded by Richard Wells in 1759. This was replaced with a wheelwright's shop by Joshua B. Disney in 1842. The same year, William Wall opened a general store and post office, giving the crossroads the short-lived name of "Walls Crossroads" before another name change of the post office on December 2, 1878, to "Highland" to reflect the town's elevation in Howard County. The County Commissioners added Hall Shop Road on the southern side of the community in 1877. The town did not receive direct rail service, but was only nine miles away from the B&O railroad in Laurel, Maryland using the rolling road now known as Route 216. A literary club formed in Highland in the late 19th century; J. B. Warfield in describing the Highland of 1904 refers to it as the "literary center of the county". Highland played several important roles in U.S. history. The town is believed to have hosted meetings of anti-British men who influenced the 1774 burning of the Peggy Stewart in Annapolis, the year after the Boston Tea Party protest. In 2015, the group Preservation Howard County placed the crossroads on its top 10 most endangered site list.

Geography

The community is located in southern Howard County at the junction of Highland Road, Maryland Route 216 and Maryland Route 108, and is still heavily influenced by its agrarian history; farms and horse fields are common in the area. The crossroads itself has a small-town feel, with various shops including some that share in the town history. Clarksville is to the north on MD 108, Laurel is to the southeast on MD 216, and Olney is to the west on MD 108. The center of Columbia is to the northeast.

Race & ethnicity

Largest nearby schools

• Reservoir High
  High · Fulton · 1,837 students · 15.2:1 ratio
• Howard High
  High · Ellicott City · 1,741 students · 15.7:1 ratio
• Marriotts Ridge High
  High · Marriottsville · 1,716 students · 17:1 ratio
• Long Reach High
  High · Columbia · 1,714 students · 13.7:1 ratio
• Mount Hebron High
  High · Ellicott City · 1,621 students · 15.3:1 ratio
• Atholton High
  High · Columbia · 1,467 students · 15.6:1 ratio
• River Hill High
  High · Clarksville · 1,424 students · 17:1 ratio
• Oakland Mills High
  High · Columbia · 1,401 students · 13.7:1 ratio