 It opened on January 1, 1837 as a girls' finishing school but was more designed under Mrs. Phelps to enable young ladies to be trained well enough to support themselves through teaching; the school remained in operation until 1891.Ellicott Mills (now Ellicott City) had both a boy’s school, Rock Hill, and a girl’s school, the Patapsco Female Institute (PFI).By 1840, neither was doing well.