Savage is a historic town located in Howard County, Maryland. It nestled between Baltimore and Washington DC. It’s situated 12 miles south of Baltimore and 20 miles north of Washington D.C.. The advantage of Savage is that is not as popular compared to Columbia and Ellicott City which means that most of the people that goes here are local making the area less crowded.
The Savage Mill Historic District comprises of the industrial complex of Savage Mill and the village of workers’ housing to the north of the complex. The town of Savage started during the peak of the textile industry and was an important manufacturing centers harnessing the power of the Little Patuxent Rivers.
The town is named after John Savage, a merchant from Philadelphia who chartered the Savage Manufacturing Company. By 1825, the cotton mill employed about 200 people including women and children and 120 power looms for the production of cotton duck. The company produces sails and clippers ship that sailed out of the Baltimore Harbor along with wide variety of cotton products. Savage has also been an iron foundry that made machinery specializing in textile manufacturing.
William Baldwin, an owner of a Baltimore dry goods firm, bought the company in 1847 and renamed the company to Baldwin, Leslie and Company after expanding. The Baldwin family erected a stone community hall for the town and a large group of tenant houses. During WWI and WWW2, it produced 400,000 pounds of cotton duck a month. In 1948 the mill closed, started manufacturing Christmas ornaments before closing permanently and converted for commercial use.
Today, Savage has gone through a renovation beginning with the establishment of Savage Mill a major permanent marketplace. It showcases quality arts, craft, antiques and specialized home decor. The Savage Mill Manor House is found down the street from the Mill and has also been completely renovated. It is now used to host weddings, parties and special events.
