Past Projects

Oella Walking Tour Brochure

Many cleanup projects at the Cemetery hosted in conjunction with and partially funded by the Patapsco Heritage Greenway

Survey of the Oella Cemetery to establish boundary lines and markers at cemetery corners. This work was funded in part by a grant from the Maryland Heritage Areas Authority. Granite corner posts were created and placed at the cemetery corners, partially funded by the Patapsco Heritage Greenway.

Research by UMBC Public History Students

In partnership with the 2017 Oella Maryland House and Garden Pilgrimage Committee, created 6 interpretive signs placed throughout the community. The signs are located at the Entrance Garden adjacent to the river at the foot of Oella Avenue, along the Trolley Trail Number 9 and at the Oella Cemetery. The project was funded in part by a grant from the Maryland Heritage Areas Authority and proceeds from the Pilgrimage.

Recently Completed Projects

  • Oella Archiving and Oral History Project

    We digitized 25 oral history recordings and had them professionally transcribed to preserve these important primary sources on the history of the mill village.

    We hired Mary Mannix as Archivist and Julia Nicoll as Assistant Archivist to catalogue and create finding aids for a large collection of documents, photos, and other artifacts collected by Charles L. Wagandt II in the Oella Company Office over the course of many decades.

    The project was funded in part by a grant from the Maryland Heritage Area Authority.

  • Video on the History of Oella

    We produced a 2 part video of the history of Oella in the words and voice of Charles L. Wagandt II. As a member of the Dickey family, Charles Wagandt had worked in management for several years in the Dickey Mill in Oella before it’s closing in 1972. Charles had varied interests and many achievements during his long life and was truly a Renaissance man. Perhaps his most lasting legacy is the Renaissance of Oella, the result of his labor of love spanning more than 4 decades. This video is composed of excerpts from a talk Charles gave at the Miller Branch Library in 2013.

    The video was funded by a grant from the Patapsco Heritage Greenway.

Future Projects

  • Documenting and mapping all headstones and other markers in the Oella Cemetery.