History
The Howard County Conservancy is a local non-profit environmental education center and land trust. The Conservancy was founded by a group of local citizens in 1990 to help preserve the natural environment, agricultural farmland, and unique historic sites in Howard County. Headquartered at Mt. Pleasant Farm in Woodstock, Maryland, a 232-acre farm that is 300 years old, the Conservancy offers dozens of year-round educational programs for adults and children, hosts special events, provides numerous volunteer opportunities, and provides Howard County residents with information about land conservation.
In 1692, Thomas Browne, a Patuxent Ranger, was commissioned to survey the headwaters of the Patuxent and to keep watch on the Indians in Woodstock. He received Ranter's Ridge as a land grant and built a log cabin on a pleasant knoll overlooking two streams. This farm, which became known as Mt. Pleasant, remained in the Brown family for eight generations until Ruth and Frances Brown died in 1992.
Approximately 50 mature hardwoods, gardens, farm, fields, and streams, frame the historic house. Nine historic outbuildings – the carriage house, blacksmith shop, bank barn, wagon shed, corn crib, smokehouse, two hen houses, and more – surround the house as well.
In 1993, The Howard County Conservancy received Mt. Pleasant. A portion of the property is jointly managed with The Maryland Department of Natural Resources. The Conservancy agreed to permanently preserve the land in its natural state.
Trees at the Howard County Conservancy
On the property of the Howard County Conservancy grows an immense Tulip Poplar (Liriodendron tulipifera). With a circumference of over 20 feet, a height of 98 feet, and a spread of 87 feet, this tree is the second largest in the whole of Howard County. Ask the staff for directions to this Champion.
| American Elm | Ulmus americana |
| Apple | Malus spp. |
| Beech | Fagus grandifolia |
| Black Cherry | Prunus serotina |
| Black Walnut | Juglans nigra |
| Bush Honeysuckle | Lonicera maackii |
| Dogwood | Cornus florida |
| Ginkgo | Gingko biloba |
| Mimosa | Albizia julibrissin |
| Mockernut Hickory | Carya tomentosa |
| Norway Maple | Acer platanoides |
| Norway Spruce | Picea abies |
| Pear | Pyrus spp. |
| Red Cedar | Juniperus virginiana |
| Redbud | Cercis canadensis |
| River Birch | Betula nigra |
| Sassafras | Sassafras albidum |
| Saucer Magnolia |
Magnolia x soulangiana |
| Sawara Cypress | Chamaecyparis pisifera |
| Silver Maple | Acer saccharinum |
| Sugar Maple | Acer saccharum |
| Tamarack | Larix laricina |
| Tulip Poplar | Liriodendron tulipifera |
| White Mulberry | Morus alba |
| White Oak | Quercus alba |
| Willow Oak | Quercus phellos |
| Willow Oak | Hamamelis virginiana |
Maps
Download the Howard County Conservancy Map.
Location
The Howard County Conservancy is located off of Route 99 in Woodstock, MD. See Google Maps for driving directions.
