ELLICOTT CITY, Md. — The iconic Ellicott City clock tower, destroyed twice by devastating floods in 2016 and 2018, will return to its home at the B&O Plaza in spring 2026, county officials announced.
They are getting a little help from Marty McFly and the Delorean to raise money to make it possible.
If you haven't seen the movie, in 'Back to the Future,' the clock tower of the fictional town of Hill Valley was struck by lightning and frozen at 10:04 p.m. The town rallied to save it because it symbolized the heart of the community.
Ellicott City launches 'Back to the Future' campaign to save the clock tower
Howard County Executive, Dr. Calvin Ball, showed up in a Delorean and was introduced by McFly, traveling from 1985 to help make this announcement: "Grab your flux capacitors, hang on to your hoverboards, and get ready because we're going back to the future of Ellicott City."
"Here in Ellicott City, our story isn't so different. Our clock, the beloved old Ellicott City clock, has stood at the bottom of Main Street as a symbol of connection, a symbol of resilience," said Dr. Ball, at the event to announce the return of the timepiece.
The Old Ellicott City Partnership needs to raise money to make this possible.
"As Doc Brown might say, we need just 1.21 gigawatts of support to get this project fully powered up," said Partnership president, Julia Sanger.
They'll need donations from the community to help make it a reality, and have started a fundraiser.
The clock has special meaning to the town as it was destroyed by floodwaters twice. The first time was in 2016, and then it was rededicated in 2017.
Massive flooding impacted Ellicott City again, and the clock was washed away during the 2018 event. Parts of it were found in the Patapsco River. The damaged face of the clock now resides in the Museum of Howard County History.
This afternoon, Geoff and Mark Haver of Ellicott City recovered the frame and part of the face of the iconic clock in the Patapsco River. This clock was installed last July to replace the clock that had been swept away -- and recovered -- in the 2016 flood. #ECFlood #ECStrong pic.twitter.com/0TpleEtYfD
— Howard County Gov't (@HoCoGov) June 2, 2018
The clock was donated to Howard County in 2000 by the Kiwanis Club of Ellicott City.
Mark Hemmis, owner of the Phoenix Upper Main Street, still tears up when he thinks about that day in 2018, "I stood on the balcony. 20 yards from here during the 2018 flood and watched that clock go down."
The goal is to raise $10,000 from the community and get grant funding to cover the rest.
