Fifty Years of History Trails: Highlights from a Half-Century of Stories Tracing Baltimore County History

Similar documents
Chapter 2: Historical Overview of Independence

NEWSLETTER HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF BALTIMORE COUNTY. February is African American history month JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2017

Upper-Grade Presidential Spelling Boxes

APRIL Authors Robert Dudley and Marc De Simone are presenting their new book. with a lecture, sale and signing on Sunday,

The Andrew Job Line. Andrew Job, Sr.

PRESIDENTIAL GRAVESITES ARE RARELY ELABORATE TOMBS USA Today Newspaper, 11 June But visiting can flesh out a life: By Gene Sloan, USA Today

Historical Society of Frankford collection on Northeast Philadelphia churches

SAMUEL A. CARTWRIGHT AND FAMILY PAPERS (Mss. 2471, 2499) Inventory

The New York Public Library Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Manuscripts, Archives and Rare Books Division

Between the early 1830s and the mid 1850s, a new political party called the Whigs ran in opposition against the Democrat party of Andrew Jackson.

Wallace Township local history collection

Presidents Day Resources

Presented at the City of Oconto Sesquicentennial Celebration Kickoff Reception

Why is the Treaty at Logstown in 1748 so important? What did it do?

THE WELLINGTONS OF TRAPELO ROAD by Elizabeth Castner 1

Grand Lodge A.F. & A.M. of South Dakota 520 S. First Avenue Sioux Falls, SD

I hope I shall possess firmness and virtue enough to maintain what I consider the most enviable of all titles, the character of an honest man.

MEDINA BUGLE. Officers 2011

Coordinator s Corner:

Johnston Farm & Indian Agency. Field Trip Guide


THE ALLEY SHOPS PORTFOLIO SALE

Memorial Day Mini Study. Sample file

Our Community Service. by William A. "Steve" Stephens. [Portions Taken from my report to the members of the Moffat Cemetery Assn.]

CLASSROOM Primary Documents

Concord Township Historical Society. local history manuscripts collection

The Allegheny City Society REPORTER DISPATCH

THE LATE GREAT PUGET SOUND MERIDIAN. Washington State s Own Principal Meridian. by Denny DeMeyer

The Webbs. A Tompkins County Family

Centennial Celebration

Making Memories

Time Travel on Main Street

LINCOLN PUBLIC LIBRARY ARCHIVES/ SPECIAL COLLECTIONS

FIRST SETTLERS BURIAL GROUND

C H U R C H O F S C I E N T O L O G Y I N T E R N A T I O N A L

Southampton Baptist Church records

Old Sandy Baptist Church Graveyard

PROFITS THROUGH PRESERVATION

Historian ISDUP LIBRARY REMINDERS

Station 1: Maps of the Trail of Tears

םיאבה םיכורב רומיטלבל

THE RUSH IS ON MINING DISTRICTS DISCOVERY

Guide to the Samuel Morse Felton Family Papers,

Comal Settlement CONTEXT

Lampercock Spring Farm

Where do we go from here?

ALABAMA REGISTER OF LANDMARKS & HERITAGE NOMINATION FORM. Historic Name: and/or Common Name:

History of the Shawnee Presbyterian Church

Ramus/Macedonia (Illinois) Markers Dedicated

PS 150 American 20 th Century Political History, John F. Settich, PhD

Mini-Unit Integrating ELA and Social Studies With Maps and Primary Source Documents

Hallowed Grounds: Sites of African-American Memories. Courtesy of the archival collection at the Albany County Hall of Records

President Lincoln Visits Antietam

LINCOLN PUBLIC LIBRARY ARCHIVES/ SPECIAL COLLECTIONS

HISTORY OF LA MARQUE CEMETERY

Pennepack Baptist Church collection

What can we learn from their leadership examples? How do we apply them to the Financial Aid profession?

Alignment to Wonders 2017

INTRODUCTION TO FREEMASONRY The Fellowcraft Degree By Carl H. Claudy

T.F.S. Three, five, and seven #238

How to Plan A Successful AHEPA Day Program

The History of Cedar Hill Seminary.

Ralph Cameron speaking to Scottsdale Community College for Keepers of Treasures 1

... Readers Theatre. Gettysburg and Mr. Lincoln s Speech. Resource 17: Every. Child. Reads

BROWN, JOSEPH PAPERS,

Guide to the Oran K. Gragson Photographs

Jeanie Glaser Public Comment RE: Buck s Tavern Board of Supervisors Meeting 1/3/2017

Church planter Paul Caldwell is

AP US History Document Based Question

Marple Historical Society local history collection

KEY DATES TO REMEMBER

Crooked Creek Baptist Church

Stories from the Stacks Oct. 2017

One Man Can Make a Difference

Concord: A Bicentennial Sketch. Clarence E. Horton Jr.

Early History of Cropwell Butler Methodist Chapel:

Shiloh-McCutcheon Cemetery. Shiloh-McCutcheon Cemetery is located southeast of the Williamson County

Joseph B. Stratton Papers (Mss. 464, 1329) Inventory

Table of Contents. Our Pennsylvania Story 5

The Funerals of Abraham Lincoln. forced to prove himself, both physically and intellectually, multiple times throughout his life.

Thomas Eames Family. King Philip s War. Thomas Eames Family in King Philip s War Josiah Temple The Thomas Eames Family.

INTRODUCTION SITE. First Baptist Church of Guilford is the 15 th oldest church in Columbia, Maryland. First Baptist is one of

Compiled by D. A. Sharpe

Colonies Take Root

Social Studies Chapter 11 Study Guide. People/Places/Terms to Know

NUGGETS of HISTORY. Last Kishwaukee Settlement on Stillman Valley Road South of Kishwaukee School

Book Review Lincoln s Sword: The Presidency and the Power of Words by Douglas L. Wilson

Great Falls, Montana 31 October 1970

Guide to the Albert S. Henderson Papers

1863 Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation Cemetery plat filed with Hennepin

Living In Territorial Utah: culture, business, transportation, and mining. Timeline. Schools in Utah Territory

The American Connection Unit 7

NEWTOWN SQUARE HISTORICAL SOCIETY NEWSLETTER: October 2018 OCTOBER Major General George Meade: The Man, the Engineer, the Soldier"

TAYLOR, BAXTER FAMILY PAPERS

An Overview of U.S. Westward Expansion

Paxson, Alfred I. Alfred I. Paxson family history, diary, and reflections

Beers Atlas of Worcester, 1870, p.7 (partial) Supplement 2-A. (from photograph by author)

World Book Online: The trusted, student-friendly online reference tool. Name: Date: 1. Abraham Lincoln was born on, in the state of.

Bible Christian Cemetery

African American Heritage Saint James Episcopal Church & Holy Trinity Lutheran Church

Transcription:

Volume 46 Autumn 2016 Editor: Kathleen M. Barry Number 1 Fifty Years of History Trails: Highlights from a Half-Century of Stories Tracing Baltimore County History Different mastheads, 1966 to present. History Trails Archive, HSBC Collections.

PAGE 2 History Trails INTRODUCTION With this issue of History Trails, we are proudly marking the journal s fiftieth anniversary with some reflections on its history and highlights from issues past. September of 1966 brought the first edition of History Trails by the Publication Committee of the Baltimore County Historical Society. In the fifty years since, History Trails has changed with the times in many ways. But it has consistently offered readers fact-filled journeys through the history of Baltimore County and its people, places, properties, and organizations. Whether tackling local stories of war, industry, agriculture, sport, or commerce, or excerpting amusing tidbits from nineteenth-century newspapers, History Trails has been a steady source of edification and engagement. It is truly among the most important and enduring of the Historical Society s contributions to preserving, interpreting, and promoting Baltimore County history. History Trails could not have reached its fiftieth anniversary without the volunteer contributors and editors who have provided content and made publication possible over five decades. We offer our sincerest thanks to the many who have worked on History Trails since its inception. While not all contributors and editors have been named over the years, we are nonetheless grateful to all. The following are some who have played particularly important roles in the journal s history: Founding Publication Committee, 1966-1971: Myrtle S. Eckhardt (Chair), Eva A. Akehurst, Bertha Bland, Dr. Mary S. Braun, E. Bennett Bowen, Mrs. T. Newell Cox, Edwin Gontrum, Jennie E. Jessop, and Mr. and Mrs. Carroll E. Saumenig Acknowledgement is also due to: Mrs. George Gompf (typist, 1966-1971) Editor, 1971-1973: Robert David Williams Editors, 1974-1977: John W. McGrain and Robert W. Barnes Editors, 1977-2008: John W. McGrain and William Hollifield* Layout and Editing, 2008-2010: Adam J. Youssi and Ann Blouse Editor, 2010-2016: Adam J. Youssi *A special note of appreciation is due to John McGrain and William Hollifield. Both not only served as longtime editors of History Trails, but have also been generous contributors. John McGrain in particular has been the author of scores of articles before, during, and after his thirty four-year tenure as editor. They, more than anyone, deserve credit for the success and endurance of History Trails. Many thanks! William Hollifield and John McGrain, ca. 1973. Gift from Alice Martin, HSBC Collections.

50 YEARS OF HISTORY TRAILS PAGE 3 HIGHLIGHTS The following are summaries with excerpts of History Trails articles that stood out to us as we reviewed the many interesting articles since 1966. Some highlight the work of the Historical Society, while others focus on topics of enduring general interest, such as place names and ghost towns. All are articles that struck us as particularly apt examples of the appealing topics and careful research that have defined History Trails over the years. We hope you enjoy them. Tom Graf, President of the Board of Directors of the Historical Society, and Kathleen Barry, current editor and Executive Director of the Historical Society History Markers, September 1966 (Vol. 1, No. 1). The inaugural issue of History Trails described HSBC s effort to identify and erect Baltimore County historical markers. Initiated by local Historical Societies in 1930, the Maryland State Road Commission launched a statewide roadside marker program in 1933, with responsibility now under the Maryland Historical Trust. Approximately 800 markers have been erected on Maryland roadways, with over seventy located in Baltimore County. Among the markers erected by HSBC was a sign recognizing the location of the Gorsuch Tavern, built in 1810, and a popular gathering place in northern Baltimore County. The article noted: Strategically located on the York Road, the tavern was a busy place. It catered to the teamsters and shippers who brought huge grain shipments from the rich Pennsylvania farms to the north and hauled them on to Baltimore Town for export. Stories abound about the genial hospitality of the host and his helpers, the good food and lodging, and a bar that offered the finest of local and imported beverages. Then, too, there was the well-stocked store for the ladies of the countryside where they could shop to their Gorsuch Tavern, 15910 York Rd. at Ensor Mill Rd., built by Joshua Gorsuch as an inn, ca. 1812. Photographed in 1974. P000432, HSBC Collections. heart s content amid the latest importations of fine fabrics, frocks, hats, shawls, perfumes, jewelry, as well as tea, coffee and sugar - additional luxuries. Origin of Names, June 1967 (Vol. 1, No. 4). The fourth issue of History Trails explained the origins of many of Baltimore County s place names. Even though sources may not always agree, even though some findings may not be absolutely authentic, nevertheless, the attempt to find how some of our place names originated can become a bit of interesting research. The article discussed the origins of local place names under thematic headings: From Our Indian Heritage (the Chesapeake, the Patapsco, the Sweathouse Road); From Large Landholdings (Sweet Air, My Lady s Manor); From the Pages of History (Relay, Harrisonville, Fort Howard, Pulaski Highway); From Industry (Owings Mills, Dundalk); From Other Lands (Perry Hall, Hereford); From Family Names (Parkton, Kingsville); From the Geography of the Area (Fork, White Marsh, Green Spring Valley, Long Green Valley); From Famous Old Inns (Johnnycake Road, Wiseburg/Weisburg); and From the Unusual (Glyndon, English

PAGE 4 History Trails Consul). Offering a final list of local names that might provoke curiosity, the article explained, Black Rock, White House, Greystone, Blue Mount, Beaver Dam, Cub Hill, Featherbed Lane, Devil s Backbone, Frog Pond, Turkey Point, Bear Creek and Maiden Choice are among the quaint old names of the county which incite interest in their origin. More or less descriptive in nature, many of the above were assigned for quite obvious reasons. Buzzards Glory, near Grave Run, was so named (according to a story that is told) because several old men in the neighborhood sat on a nearby fence every morning to enjoy a bit of gossip. One of the disapproving housewives remarked look at the old buzzards sitting there wasting time. The name Buzzards Glory followed and has stuck ever since. In the selection of names for towns, villages, valleys, streams, and roadways, the article concluded, Baltimore Countians, over the years, have shown consistently a keen appreciation for the fine natural, historical and cultural background with which they were favored. Jennie E. Jessop, Ghost Towns of Baltimore County, December 1969 (Vol. 4, No. 2). This issue explored the history of Baltimore County s ghost towns, such as Hoffmanville and Marblevale. Warren was a busy textile mill town with nearly 1,000 residents in the mid-1800 s, until business declined and Baltimore s need for a stable water supply led to the village s sale and eventual flooding after the second Loch Raven dam was constructed in 1922 (note: History Trails revisited Warren in Vol 39, No. 4). Ashland was the site of an around-the-clock iron works, with three active furnaces and houses nearby for more than 200 skilled artisans and unskilled laborers. Following a major fire in 1880 and facing declining demand for pig iron, the machinery was moved to Sparrows Point and the Ashland iron works were closed. The village remained, but the city sold the thirty fouracre site to furrier and developer Mano Swartz for $43,000 at auction. Lacking indoor toilets, the remaining houses were polluting Loch Raven Reservoir and in the 1980 s the village was sold again. It was renovated/rebuilt and is now the development you can see today adjacent to the Western Run. Joppa Town historic marker (now in Harford County). This site was the county seat of Baltimore County from 1712-1768. P001535, HSBC Collections. Joppa was an early settlement and shipping port, serving as the county seat of Baltimore County in the mid-1700 s. Joppa was blessed with a wide harbor, ample water power, and a thriving social center. Dances, horse races, exciting trials, lively elections, punishment by pillory, whipping posts, and gallows tree were part of everyday life. But little of it remains today: Why did this settlement which gave so much promise in the beginning days of Maryland s history, lose its prestige and gradually become an abandoned city? Marsh land filled up what was once Joppa s excellent harbor, for the clearing of timber from the surrounding area brought down tons of mud and silt to the river s mouth. Malaria and an epidemic of small pox took their toll causing many to seek new homes. In 1768 the county seat was moved from Joppa to Baltimore - a deathblow to the town on the Gunpowder. For these reasons Joppa became a deserted village dwindling down through the years to one building known as the Rumsey Mansion

50 YEARS OF HISTORY TRAILS PAGE 5 and to one grave stone with an epitaph to David McCulloch, dated 1766. The mansion and the grave-stone are the sole reminders of the vanished glory of old Joppa Towne. Baltimore County Territorial Changes: 1659-1919, Winter 1972-1973 (Vol. 7, No. 2). At one time, this brief article explained, Baltimore County embraced the entire northern part of the area of Maryland from the Patapsco on the West to the Chester River on the Eastern Shore. Illustrated with a map (reprinted below), it noted how Baltimore County lost territory successively to adjacent counties. Those counties included: in 1674, Cecil County; in 1726, Anne Arundel County (parts of which later became Howard County); in 1773, Harford County; and in 1836, Carroll County (note: other sources may give slightly different dates). Baltimore County s borders shrank further to their present size with the expansion of its former county seat, Baltimore City, which was officially separated from the County in 1851 by a revised state constitution. The city of Baltimore, beginning in 1816, began to expand its boundaries first northward to Boundary Avenue (now North Avenue). (The line was along the north side of the street including the front steps but not the houses on that side!) [sic] then again in 1888 annexing to the west and again northward taking in an additional seventeen square miles and another 35,980 people. Baltimore County boundaries: 1959-1973. Boundary lines wandered up and down the country. At one time the boundary line between Pennsylvania and Maryland was thought to be above Philadelphia (Dash line at top was original Maryland Charter Boundary-1632) and at another time below Baltimore. A dispute between the Penns and the Calverts was finally settled by the employing of two English surveyors, Charles Mason and Jeremiah Dixon. In four years (1763-1767) they, together with a forty man brush-cutting crew and a few local Indians established the north-south line between Maryland and what is now Delaware and the east-west line between Maryland and Pennsylvania. The shaded area indicates Baltimore County territory in 1659. Baltimore City was also included in Baltimore County until 1851. Drawings by David Williams. Map and caption from History Trails, Vol. 7, No. 2, History Trails Archive, HSBC Collections.

PAGE 6 History Trails In 1918, the City claimed an additional fifty square miles and 100,000 residents. However, Citizen complaints of excessive annexation and other problems eventually caused a law to be passed in 1948 forbidding further annexations except by consent of the voters in the area affected. Baltimore County s boundaries have not seen any major changes since the city s last annexation in 1918. William Hollifield, The Baltimore County Historical Society of 1886, Summer 1977 (Vol. 11, No. 4). Although the current iteration of the Baltimore County Historical Society was founded in 1959, this issue tells the story of the first Historical Society, organized in 1886 by the Rev. Dr. John G. Morris (the founder of Lutherville). Rev. Morris wrote a letter to the Baltimore County Union newspaper and proposed these objectives: 1. To collect and preserve all old records of historic value which are now lying in obscurity and liable to be exterminated by conflagration, mildew, the depredations of vermin or natural decay. There must be a number of old families in our county who doubtless have such old papers stowed away in antiquated trunks and barrels, or neglected cupboards, which have not been disturbed for years. They would be glad to have them saved from destruction by presenting them to a historical society which would carefully keep and properly value them. 2. To perpetuate the history of persons of the olden time, who have distinguished themselves in any position of life, and whose deeds should not be suffered to be forgotten or unrecorded. 3. There are not a few places in our county associated with interesting historical events, which are as yet indistinctly known, and which should be thoroughly investigated and brought to light. 4. There is a multitude of isolated historical facts of deep historical interest which are John Gottlieb Morris (1803-1895). Oil on canvas by Oscar Hallwig, ca. 1895. Courtesy of the Maryland Historical Society, Item ID #1896.4.3. floating about as traditionary [sic] stories and many of which are founded on truth. These could be identified from the old church records, and many facts could be gathered from some of our oldest inhabitants, but especially from the newspapers of the olden time, which are rich sources of local information. Dr. Morris invited enterprising gentlemen as well as ladies and the more advanced pupils of our school to join. More than twenty county residents (all men) responded. The first regular meeting was held in Towson in January 1886. The last recorded meeting was held in Lutherville in May 1886. It is assumed that the society disbanded at about that time. As Dr. Morris summarized his experience, In January, 1886, a few of us founded a Baltimore County Historical Society at Towson, Md, of which I was chosen President. It was composed of very few members, and no interest whatever could be excited in the subject, and the Society soon became extinct.

50 YEARS OF HISTORY TRAILS PAGE 7 John W. McGrain, The Presidents in Baltimore County, Parts 1-3, Summer, Autumn, Winter 1987 (Vol. 21, No. 4, Vol. 22, Nos. 1-2). At the beginning of this three-part series, Mr. McGrain explained that he has been collecting random mentions of presidential visits to Baltimore County for years, aspiring to create a comprehensive list including every president. Hence this article, which covers every president to have served until the time of writing. When no incursion into the county could be proved, he explained, visits to Baltimore City have been listed as the next best thing. Only after the development of the helicopter, could a president skip over the county and land inside the confines of Charm City. As a final point he added, While this article may not be a contribution to learning, it is at least a tour de force and a bit of fun, or is intended to be. So what did all those Presidents of the United States do while in Baltimore County (or City)? The earliest presidents dined and lodged in local inns. President Monroe visited Fort McHenry and the Battle Monument in 1817. President John Quincy Adams walked in the funeral procession of John Eager Howard in 1827, one of many visits. President Jackson enjoyed the first-ever presidential train trip on the B&O in 1833. Subsequent presidents availed themselves of the thriving local rail system, and several were brought to Baltimore, among other cities, to lie in state. President Franklin Pierce, accompanied by General Jefferson Davis, greeted a city crowd of some 100,000 in 1853, while President-elect James Buchanan passed through almost unnoticed en route to his inauguration in 1857. President Lincoln traveled through repeatedly, including on his historic visit to Gettysburg. He came on April 18, 1864 to open the Maryland State Fair for the Benefit of the Sanitary and Christian Commission. The following year, after his assassination, Lincoln s funeral train passed through the city and ground slowly through northern Baltimore County, where crowds of people turned out at Lutherville, Phoenix, and Monkton. In 1876, President Grant attended commencement at the Notre Dame Institute, where his niece was a student, and, in a subsequent trip, Chromolithograph picture of Abraham Lincoln, ca. 1884, unsigned. 1962.13.02, HSBC Collections. visited the private stately homes at Montebello and Clifton. President Garfield had the misfortune of passing through via train three times in illness and then posthumously in 1881, after being shot by an assassin on July 2 and eventually dying on September 19. Again, in 1901, locals turned out to pay respects to an assassinated president: A number of citizens of Towson and vicinity went to Sherwood, Northern Central Railway, to see the funeral train bearing the body of President McKinley from Buffalo to Washington, D.C. The casket was on a raised bier covered with an American flag, in full view of the many thousands who gathered along the lines of route to view the funeral train. As travel became easier in the twentieth century, presidents paid more frequent visits to the Baltimore area for ceremonial events, political campaigning and other various reasons. President Coolidge, however, failed to appear at the opening of the Fair of the Iron Horse in Halethorpe on 1927 (marking the centennial of the B&O) as the local press had predicted. In attendance instead was future president Herbert Hoover, then Secretary of

PAGE 8 History Trails Commerce. President Franklin Roosevelt visited Middle River in 1940 to see construction of bombers at the Glenn L. Martin plant. After his death, Roosevelt s body crossed eastern Baltimore County on the Pennsylvania Railroad, on the first electric-powered funeral train. Only a few weeks before, then-vice President Harry Truman addressed the Maryland Historical Society on Maryland Day, March 25, 1945. Truman later visited Alto Dale in Reisterstown and appeared at the Pikesville Armory in 1958. Presidents Eisenhower and Kennedy, traveling by helicopter, were the first to visit the city without setting foot in the county, though Kennedy had previously visited Towson and Pikesville while campaigning in 1960. Whatever else we might say about President Nixon, he is the only US president to have worked in Baltimore County. He oversaw government contracts at Glenn L. Martin in 1944-1945. Among other visits, Nixon and his wife attended the wedding of his Vice-President Spiro T. Agnew s daughter at Towson Presbyterian in 1969. President Ford kicked off a year of bicentennial celebrations at Fort McHenry on July 4, 1975. President Reagan, the current office holder at the time of the article s appearance in 1987, had not set foot on County soil, though he had thrown out the first pitch at an Orioles game and visited Fort McHenry. Flag Day Celebration at Fort McHenry, June 14, 1986, with President and Mrs. Reagan, Governor Hughes and Senator Mathias, among others. Photographed by White House photographer. P003014, HSBC Collections. Martha A. Hendrickson, The Montebello Water Filtration Plant: Clean Water for City & Suburb Alike, Summer 2012 (Vol. 43, Nos. 3-4). Baltimore s water system serves as a foundation to the city and county s growth, stability, safety, and health. In the late nineteenth century, our city planners recognized the essential need for a clean and plentiful water supply and a reliable sewage system. The great fire of 1904 created an opportunity to rebuild large portions of the city and install underground water, sanitary, and storm sewerage pipes and modernize the system for the city and county. The Montebello Water Filtration Plant, drawing water from Loch Raven Reservoir, was completed in 1915. It received universal acclaim for its contributions to the public s health and well-being, and is still in use today. The Baltimore Water Board selected James W. Armstrong to design the plant and head the Filtration Division. Armstrong had extensive training in design, engineering, and architecture and spent formative years involved in the design and construction of the New Orleans water filtration plant. After consulting for other plants around the country, Armstrong came to Baltimore to work on the Montebello project. Construction of the plant begin in 1913 and opening ceremonies were held during the celebration of Defenders Day in September 1915. The Morning Sun wrote: Taxpayers who like to see how their contributions to the city s maintenance are spent will have an opportunity to do so if they are present at 11 o clock this morning when Mayor Preston formally turns on the water at the great filtration plant that will henceforth purify Baltimore s water supply. A view of this interesting and intricate bit of mechanism will make the taxpayer realize that the $5,000,000 water plant is a big asset and something he can be proud of when telling his friends in other cities of the advantages of Baltimore. The filtered water is now going into every home and the unpalatable water of the past soon will be a memory only.

50 YEARS OF HISTORY TRAILS PAGE 9 Loch Raven Dam under construction, 1921. P009084, HSBC Collections. The Montebello Plant became known nationally for its architectural design and engineering achievements, and was widely featured in newspapers and engineering journals. Visitors came from around the world to view the construction (which could only be appreciated while it was being built, since much would be underground during operation). Armstrong led the filtration division for twenty-five years, continuing his significant contributions to the quality of our water supply: completing designs for raising the Loch Raven Dam, designing a second Montebello Plant, developing the designs for the Prettyboy Dam, and proposing locations for the Liberty Dam. Patrick Cutter, When No One Else Cared: The Story of the Upland Home, the Third and Last Baltimore County Almshouse, Autumn 2013 (Vol. 44, No. 2). Almshouses were charitable homes for the elderly, poor and sick, unable to care for themselves, and people deemed insane with no other family to care for them. Maryland first established support for relief and aid in 1768, with Baltimore County passing Chapter 30 in 1775 to provide good, strong, sufficient and convenient houses, habitations and dwellings for the reception of the poor of said county, and of such vagrants, beggars, vagabonds and other offenders. The third Baltimore County Almshouse, the Upland Home, was built to serve county residents following the city-county separation in 1851. County Commissioners purchased the land in Texas, Maryland from Dr. John Galloway in 1870, the County appropriated $60,000 for the construction of the building, and construction was completed in 1874. The Baltimore Sun reported: The new Baltimore county almshouse, a fine stone building, three stories high, with attic, situated five miles beyond Towsontown, on the Northern Central railroad, has been fully completed. Yesterday the inmates of the old structure, seventy-two in number, comprising forty-four males, twenty-eight females and eighteen colored persons, were removed to the new building by A. Cole, the superintendent of the institution. Several insane people of the county, from the State hospital at Catonsville are also to be placed in the new quarters shortly. The Upland Home was a self-sustaining farm, with a range of livestock and gardens and orchards, supported by mentally and physically fit inmates. If unable to provide physical labor, inmates were assigned duties within the house such as tailoring, cooking, cleaning, and even babysitting for the superintendent s children. The farm produced

PAGE 10 History Trails or those with no family or money were buried. The Almshouse (with unidentified visitors or staff) before a major fire on Dec. 31, 1918, destroyed the original façade seen here. P009107.02, HSBC Collections. revenue and supplies for the Almshouse and the county. Inmates were placed in the Almshouse for a variety of reasons: [D]estitution, epilepsy, paralysis, measles, consumption, feeble mindedness, insanity, dysentery, neuralgia, fistula, ulcers, remittent fever, burns, heart trouble, imbecility, dropsy, old age, crippled limbs, stomach troubles, deafness, muteness, and blindness. The records kept by the almshouse share a large selection of symptoms that could warrant one s internment in the almshouse. Some unlucky individuals only went there in death, and were subsequently buried in Pauper s Field, the unmarked gravesite in the back of the property where unknown individuals In the 1890 s, some residents began to move to specialized facilities, such as the Sheppard and Enoch Pratt Hospital. Most of the remaining inmates were elderly and those suffering from dementia. Improved health care and social services continued in the twentieth century, and with the rise in nursing homes, the Almshouse population steadily decreased until costs exceeded the value to the county. In 1958, the third Baltimore County Almshouse was closed. The 280 acres surrounding the farm were divided and the main building was allocated to other County services, such as the Farm Bureau, the 4-H Club, and the Civil Defense Hospital Unit. In 1959, it began serving as the home for the newly incorporated Baltimore County Historical Society. Teri Rising, United by Service: The African American Fraternal Organizations of Winters Lane, Spring 2014 (Vol. 44, No. 3). In the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, American fraternal organizations offered fellowship, community, and status. Typical members were white, middle-class men, although the wealthy and working class participated. When African American men sought the same benefits, they were turned away from joining the existing lodges and established their own organizations, attuned to their needs and communities. This issue describes the growth of the African American fraternal organizations in the Winters Lane area of Catonsville. The Almshouse in 1962, front view (west side), with two staff houses to left that no longer exist. P002025, HSBC Collections.

50 YEARS OF HISTORY TRAILS PAGE 11 Until the Great Depression, fraternal lodges among African Americans were the most popular community institution, no other organization, except the church, could boast of reaching into the masses of the Negro population and at the same time into the middle class. White orders made several attempts to legally challenge the legitimacy of certain African American organizations, but the legal fight mounted by the targeted membership was not only for their right to organize but also as a matter of racial pride. The African American community in Catonsville generally resided in the Winters Lane area, beginning with former slaves settling in the northern end and the establishment of a colored school at the southern end. By 1910, over seventyfive percent of Catonsville s African Americans lived on Winters Lane and adjacent streets. The period between 1870 and 1910 has been called the Golden Age of Fraternalism and so it was in the Winters Lane community, which became home to several fraternal organizations including the Freemasons, the Odd Fellows, and the Elks. As the neighborhood grew so did the need for civic institutions. The lodge building itself was very important and became the central location for the secret rituals, recitations and social activities that went along with the organization. Due to the popularity of fraternal organizations in that era, the need for lodge space was great. The Landmark Lodge No. 40 of Free and Accepted Masons, established in 1904, is located on 48 ½ Winters Lane. Most African American Freemasons are affiliated with the Prince Hall Grand Lodge, considered the oldest continuous African American institution in the United States. Prince Hall, a free craftsman in Boston, founded the first African American Freemason lodge in 1775. White Freemasons would not grant a charter to Hall; the lodge remained provisional until 1785 when the Grand Lodge of England granted a permanent charter. Winters Lane, 2015. Landmark Lodge No. 40 is the building with the projecting entryway with hipped roof. Photo by Evart Cornell, HSBC Staff Files. The African Lodge s rejection by white Freemasons highlighted the dual standard that existed in the United States at the time. In 1795, Samuel Dexter, a Boston merchant and patriot, noted the irony of the situation, in Boston there is a lodge of free and accepted Masons, the brethren of which are negroes... they cannot be denied without violating the spirit and design of the institution. Freemasonry quickly spread among African American males in New England and into other urban centers on the east coast. Prince Hall would go on to distinguish himself as an important figure that used the structure and idealism of Freemasonry as a basis for his public voice. In 1797, Hall delivered what is considered to be the earliest publicly recorded antislavery address by an African American. Although most of the Winters Lane lodges have disbanded due to loss of members, the Landmark Lodge No. 40 remains active, and is the only Prince Hall-affiliated lodge meeting in Baltimore County.

PAGE 12 History Trails History Trails is a publication of the STEWARDS OF THE PAST FOR THE PRESENT AND FUTURE Images Except where otherwise noted, the images included in this issue are from the photograph collections of the Historical Society of Baltimore County. With some 8,000 items, the photograph collections are a rich resource for exploring local history. For more information, please call or email the Society (contact information below). Board of Directors Tom Graf, President Dale Kirchner, Vice President H. David Delluomo, CPA, Treasurer Len Kennedy, Secretary Phyllis Bailey Scott Batton Brian Cooper Evart Bud Cornell Geraldine Diamond John Gasparini John Gontrum Jeff Higdon Sarah Koch Jim Long Mike McCarthy Larry Trainor Donna Tyree Vicki Young Honorary Board Louis Diggs Dr. Robert Dubel Hon. Adrienne Jones Find us on social media: Submissions While the subject matter of History Trails has traditionally focused on local concerns, we are interested in expanding its scope into new areas. For example, where one article might focus on a single historic building, person, or event in the county, others may develop and defend a historic argument, compare and contrast Baltimore County topics to other locales, or tie seemingly confined local topics to larger events. Articles abiding by the Chicago Manual of Style Documentary Note (or Humanities) system will be given priority. For an abbreviated guide to Chicagostyle citations, see Kate L. Turabian s A Manual for Writers of Research Papers, Theses, and Dissertations (University of Chicago Press, 2007; http://www.press.uchicago.edu/books/turabian/turab ian_citationguide.html). Digital and/or hard copies of articles may be submitted to the attention of the History Trails editor at the address below. E-mailed and digital copies are preferred. The Historical Society of Baltimore County 9811 Van Buren Lane Cockeysville, MD 21030 (Phone) 410-666-1878 (Web) www.hsobc.org (Email) info@hsobc.org