Oella

Four years ago, a neglected mansion sat high on a hill in Oella and was known throughout the neighborhood as the eyesore at the end of the Trolley Tour. But when the house went on the market, Jeanne and Sean St. Martin, who lived right down the street from the wreck, were determined to buy it, restore it and live there for life. In 2006, the couple paid $585,000 for the three-story, historic house that had served in the 1920s as a hotel and retreat for the wealthy called Rock Springs.

Already some of the voices have slipped away. An exhibit at Howard County Center for the Arts documents the stories of residents in the communities along the Patapsco. Some of the people featured in the "Portraits of the Patapsco" exhibit have passed away since the project began in 1997. "I'm glad we had the opportunity to capture their voices," said Ali Kahn, a folklorist and free-lance writer who interviewed the subjects of the portraits. "Most of the people were pretty forthcoming."

There's no false modesty from Leslie Lewart when it comes to her dream home. "It's enchanted!" she exclaimed, standing on the rear balcony of her restored mill cottage in Oella. Oella was founded in 1808 in Baltimore County, across the Patapsco River from Howard County's historic Ellicott City. Smatterings of hillside houses built of granite along with two-story brick rowhouses were built for the workers and their families of the old Union Manufacturing Co. mill, which was later replaced by the William Dickey & Sons textile mill.

When Carl Taylor moved to Oella in 1948, it was for a job at the textile mill. In those days, that was the reason people moved to Oella. It's a different story today. Founded in 1808 and reportedly named for the first woman to spin cotton in America, the village was created to house workers for the original cotton mill that was later converted into a textile mill. Even though the mill closed in 1972, Taylor stayed because much of the original town remains. A step back in history, Oella features some of the finest examples of early brick, log, frame and stone homes in the area.

A trolley-style bus to serve Ellicott City's historic district will be taking more turns to get to Main Street, figuratively speaking. A new plan to bring the long-awaited vehicle to town would link it with two nearby planned communities, the high-priced apartment complex slated for Oella Mill and a housing complex for seniors at College Avenue. "It will be nice because it'll link [Ellicott and Oella] back together," said Jared Spahn, president of the Ellicott City Business Association, which has spearheaded efforts to purchase the trolley.

Since 1973, Charles L. Wagandt has been working to rehabilitate Oella, a former textile mill village in western Baltimore County that he bought after the mill closed. The picturesque village, named after the first woman to spin cotton in America, encompasses more than 70 acres along the Patapsco River and contains about 175 home sites, ranging from log cabins and modest millworkers' houses to newer waterfront dwellings. It's a time capsule of life along the Patapsco. Wagandt is a great-grandson of mill owner William James Dickey.

Decorative painter Nancy Pascale went to Oella four years ago in search of an inspiring work setting. She found an ideal combination - a historic home in Oella and a studio space at Oella Mill. She and her husband, Bill Knapp, share a studio and have grown accustomed to the relationship between the community and the 19th- century mill, home to several art and antique dealers. Residents have easy access to the shops and can buy items on the spur of the moment, she said. But since Forest City Residential Group announced plans in November to develop the mill into luxury apartments, Pascale and the 100 mill tenants are in limbo, wondering whether they will have to move and where they can find space in Howard County.

The Baltimore County zoning commissioner has approved plans by a Cleveland developer to transform the historic Oella Mill into 175 upscale apartments. In a 26-page opinion, Lawrence E. Schmidt said that opponents' concerns about things such as parking, traffic congestion and the number of units to be created were unfounded. The ruling opens the way for renovation of the 193-year-old building, now home to an eclectic mix of art and antiques dealers, unless neighbors appeal to the county's Board of Special Appeals.

As a Korean-born American, artist Barbara yousooja Han is aware that many Western people mistakenly see Eastern culture as being homogeneous. But the co-curator of the Oella Mill Gallery's first Asian American Artist Group Exhibition -- which showcases the work of 37 artists representing seven countries -- believes the show will go a long way toward dispelling that myth."

The remaining artists at Oella Mill are counting on a miracle. "The thing is, the mill still has not been officially sold," said Joan Bevelaqua, volunteer director of the rent-free 8,000-square- foot Mill River Gallery housed within the historic building. "The gallery is booked through 2003, and I don't want to cancel any of the shows until I know for sure. ... Something could still happen." But it's not likely. What is likely is that the current owners soon will sign over the 193-year-old former mill to the Forest City Residential Group, a Cleveland firm that plans to divide the site into 175 upscale apartments.