Haunted Ellicott City Maryland: The Patapsco Female Institute

The ruins of the Patapsco Female Institute are situated high above Ellicott City on Church Road. The school was one of the first female finishing schools in the south when it officially opened on January 1, 1837. It remained in operation until 1891.

The west wing featured an immense ballroom. Floors were made from a fine hardwood. The house was decorated with fine tapestries and imported furnishing and fabrics.

Despite this opulence, life at the institute was rigid. The stone building was bitterly cold in winter. Colds and sickness spread winter months and a number of girls died from influenza and croup.

One such girl was said to be Annie Van Derlot, the daughter of a rich southern planter. She died from pneumonia during her first winter at the school and her ghost is said to still linger there, roaming the ruins where her classrooms and dormitory once stood.