Oakland Mills, Maryland
| Oakland Mills | |
|---|---|
| Village | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Maryland |
| City | Columbia |
| Established | 1968 |
| Named for | Oakland Mill |
Oakland Mills is one of the 10 villages in Columbia, Maryland. It is located immediately east of Town Center, across US Route 29.
Neighborhoods in the village of Oakland Mills include Steven's Forest, Talbott Springs, and Thunder Hill.
The name Oakland Mills comes from the mill and postal station in the local area that were part of a 2,300-acre estate that combined Oakland Manor slave plantation and surrounding properties. The 1796 grist mill and its properties are aligned along the road built by the Columbia Turnpike and Road Company between Montgomery County and Baltimore in 1810. The road was managed by the Columbia Turnpike Company and later came to be known as the Columbia Pike, Old Columbia Road, and now U.S. Route 29 in Maryland. The Oakland Mills Blacksmith House and Shop was built around 1820. A sawmill, coopers shop and country store was built on a 16-acre site prior to 1824. The Oakland Mills postal station opened on February 23, 1821, in the Howard district of Anne Arundel County. It operated until 1909, and the name was used again in 1974 when the land development company Rouse picked the name for one of its villages. The grist mill at Oakland Mills was built by Robert Oliver in 1826 on the site with the sawmill. On May 13, 1858, a tornado passed through the Oakland Mills town from , taking out large swaths of trees.
In 1969, the Rouse Company started land development, choosing Oakland Mills for the name of one of its "villages" to the east of the historic Oakland Mills site. The village was considered officially open on November 11, 1969, with the opening of the village center. Homebuilders from Amberly, Artery Leighton, Green, Page, and Ryland built model homes in the Stevens Forrest neighborhood with a random mix of architectural styles including Modern, Contemporary, Farm, and California style. In 1971, arsonists burned as many as ten new homes under construction, prompting residents to form community watches.
In 1987, the State of Maryland and Howard County approved a road widening which affected the historic buildings at Oakland Mills site. In 2011, the Blacksmith House was added to the National Register of Historic Places. The same year, the Maryland State Highway Administration commissioned a Maryland Historical Trust survey to include adjoining mill buildings declaring the site not eligible for state historical status because they "no longer effectively reflect their historic design or association with the historic mill site". County executive Ken Ulman broke ground at the project May 28, 2014, in front of the Mill Buildings announcing, "It means we can be more productive in our careers. It means we can get to our kids' practices and games on time. It means more quality time for families."
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