I talked to my friend who owned the Bean Hollow Coffee Shop - and she said she will NOT be watching - it is SO much not in any way reality! It was filmed TWO years after the flood. When doing the ACTUAL clean-up, they had to wear Hazmat suits to shovel the two feet of mud and debris out of their businesses - because of the sewage in it - not wear cute blue shirts and use brooms! And - the restaurant and business owners he helped live in $6 million homes - and really did not represent most of the small business owners affected. I will still watch for the location, I think - but not for any help Ramsey provided!!!!!
Ellicott City to be featured on 'Gordon Ramsay's 24 Hours to Hell and Back' on Tuesday | FOX 5 DC
This historic town is about 3 miles from where I live and is one of my favorite places. Some history:
- The community was established by the milling industry in the late 1700s. Quaker brothers Joseph, Andrew and John Ellicott founded Ellicott's Mills after purchasing land west of Baltimore in 1772, according to a 1865 historical account by Martha Ellicott Tyson. The mills ground wheat and other grains after the brothers persuaded local farmers not to plant tobacco.
- Settlers called the area "The Hollow" for the valley characterized by steep hills, according to Ellicott Tyson.
- The Wilkins-Rogers plant produces Washington brand flour on the original Ellicott mill site. The plant is the only remaining grist mill in Maryland, according to Howard County tourism.
- The Baltimore & Ohio Railroad Museum has a historic station in the city. The museum, located in Baltimore, features "the oldest, most comprehensive American railroad collection in the world," according to the site's webpage. The Ellicott City location is the oldest U.S. station, featuring a depot built in 1831.
It has suffered two devastating floods in the recent past, caused by uncontrolled development on the hills above the town. A neighbor had a well loved coffee shop with an eclectic clientele. She was known for her location-roasted coffee; the roaster was found in the river after the first flood. She rebuilt after the first, and gave up after the second. Some of the flood footage is included on the show, airing tonight. It's going to be on Fox tonight at 8:00.
