Johns Lane, Ellicott City, MD 21042. The land was purchased by William Whipps in 1855 to serve as a family burial ground for the Whipps family of Howard County. The Whipps were well-known farmers and merchants of the day who also served as blacksmiths at Oakland Manor--now Oakland Mills in Columbia, Maryland. In the later 1800s burial lots were sold to other families. The last burials took place in the early 1900s. After that, the site became increasingly overgrown and vandalism took a heavy toll. Many gravestones were damaged, destroyed or stolen. In 1987, members of the St. Johns Community Association, in cooperation with the Whipps family, began a program of restoration, protection and preservation. Today, the cemetery is owned by The Friends of the Whipps Cemetery and Memorial Gardens, Inc. The cemetery is supported by fund-raisers and donations. It is maintained entirely by volunteers, primarily the University of Maryland Extension Howard County Master Gardeners. At the Whipps Cemetery Park-often called the Angel Garden-Howard County Master Gardeners plant and maintain heritage and native species in a variety of different settings, interspersed by pathways, benches, and family tombstones. The plants are typical of those grown in Maryland gardens of the 1800s. The Whipps Cemetery gardens educate and inspire Howard County residents to preserve old cemeteries as small community parks, showcasing local history and culture in the style of the famous garden cemeteries of the 19th century.
