*** Welcome to piglix ***

Sykesville, MD

Sykesville, Maryland
Town
Downtown Sykesville.JPG
Location of Sykesville, Maryland
Location of Sykesville, Maryland
Coordinates: 39°22′16″N 76°58′21″W / 39.37111°N 76.97250°W / 39.37111; -76.97250Coordinates: 39°22′16″N 76°58′21″W / 39.37111°N 76.97250°W / 39.37111; -76.97250
Country United States
State Maryland
County Carroll
Incorporated August 1904
Government
 • Mayor Ian Shaw (2013- present)
Area
 • Total 1.58 sq mi (4.09 km2)
 • Land 1.58 sq mi (4.09 km2)
 • Water 0 sq mi (0 km2)
Elevation 545 ft (166 m)
Population (2010)
 • Total 4,436
 • Estimate (2016) 3,941
 • Density 2,800/sq mi (1,100/km2)
Time zone Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)
 • Summer (DST) EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP code 21784
Area code(s) 410,443,667
FIPS code 24-76550
GNIS feature ID 0591389
Website www.sykesville.net

Sykesville is a town in Carroll County, Maryland, United States. The town lies 20 miles west of Baltimore and 40 Miles north of Washington D.C. The population was 4,436 at the 2010 census. BudgetTravel.com named Sykesville, MD 'Coolest Small Town in America' in June 2016.

The land on which Sykesville sits started out as part of the 3,000-acre (12 km2) Springfield Estate, owned by wealthy Baltimore shipbuilder William Patterson. In 1803, Patterson's daughter Elizabeth, married Napoléon Bonaparte's younger brother Jérôme, but when she arrived in Europe as Jérôme's bride, Napoléon refused to let Betsy Patterson Bonaparte set foot on land. Napoléon refused the marriage of the two, and would not let Elizabeth set foot on France's soil. He was determined that Jerome marry into royalty, and sent Betsy back home. Denied by Napoléon, she was never able to see her husband again, leaving her to raise their son alone in the United States. Upon the death of William in 1824, his son George Patterson inherited the estate. In 1825, George Patterson sold 1,000 acres (4.0 km2; 1.6 sq mi) of Springfield Estate to his friend and business associate, James Sykes.

A tract of land on the Howard County side of the Patapsco River contained an old saw and grist mill. In 1830 Sykes replaced it with a newer mill and constructed a five-story stone hotel, to take care of railroad personnel and the tourist trade. In 1831 the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad (B&O) extended its main line to "Horse Train Stop", since Sykesville had yet to be named. Other businesses moved into the area, including two general stores, new mills, churches and a post office. In 1832 the town managed to gain control of a barn across the Patapsco River, the dividing line between Carroll and Howard County, but the citizens were forced to return the barn under threat of federal troops.


...
Wikipedia

...