BALTIMORE COUNTY
Transcribed by Denise Wells
No county in Maryland has greater opportunities for development than Baltimore county, and no county is more indifferent to her opportunities. Blessed by nature with an abundance of water and wood, with soils easily cultivated and capable of yielding ample harvests of all the cereals, vegetables and all the best fruits of temperate climates, it rests only with the inhabitants to advance their own interests by adjusting themselves to the surrounding physical conditions. Two of the great areas of rain precipitation being included within its limits, together with the mildness of the climate, give it almost unsurpassed advantages for sustained a healthy and flourishing population. It has an area of 622 square miles, and a population of 72,909, divided as follows: white, 62,540; colored, 10,369. The soft, micaceous soils of the rolling uplands are covered by farms richly cultivated, and yield abundant crops of wheat and corn. On the ridges are forests of oak, hickory, chestnut and maple. Numerous streams run through this section. The waters are clear, and do good service in furnishing power to flour mills, which stand hid away in unsuspected dells or hollows:
VALLEYS OF BALTIMORE COUNTY.
Valleys of surpassing loveliness may be seen in various parts of the county. The chief of these are Green Spring, Worthington, Dulany's, Long Green ad the Great Central Basin.
Dulany's Valley extends from the ridge north of Lake Roland to that three miles beyond the Gunpowder river, or a distance of ten miles. It varies in width, being no over a mile across in any part. It connects with other short valleys on its northwest side, and thus appears immensely expanded at several points. In this valley is the large estate of Hampton and Glen Ellen. It is richly supplied with almost inexhaustible beds of the strongest limestone, yielding the best quality of burnt lime.
Long Green Valley is a more abrupt depression between the chain of high hills, and narrower than any of the other large valleys. The Hartford road passes through the whole length of the southeastern depression, and connects with roads running into other sections of the region, making every part of it readily accessible. On every hand picturesque farm-houses, with their groups of whitewashed outhouses, associated with fine orchards of peach, cherry and apple trees, greet the eye, contrasting finely with the dark soil of the hills, and testifying to the neatness and thrift of the people. The whole region is picturesque, attractive, well watered and most inviting as a place of summer residence. It only needs a modern railroad to make it speedily accessible in order to draw a large population.
The Green Spring Valley is a beautiful tract of country, running nearly west and east, and opening out at the basin of Lake Roland. It extends from near Owings' Mills to the latter, a distance of about seven miles, and is about two miles in its greatest breadth. Its name was derived from the numerous springs which bubble up in two small lakes near the head of its depression, situated in the midst of a tract remarkable for its rich verdure. The ridge on its north side rises by gradual stages from the basin adjoining the Northern Central Railroad, and rolls in lower, broad waves toward the head of the valley. On the south side a chain of hills rises in majestic beauty above the horizon. This ridge starts from near its opening with a high back, about three-quarters of a mile long, and is continued by six or seven others of less length, all crowned with tall trees, and flowing westward like the folds of a huge sea-serpent, until lost amid the domes at the head of the valley. Fine, large farms range on both sides and along the flanks of the hills, and many of the choice country seats of wealthy citizens of Baltimore lie half concealed behind the groves of trees which shut in the landscape. The soil varies from clay to loam, is well watered and yields abundant crops of cereals and fruits. The valley is in the midst of a rich grazing tract, containing numerous dairy farms, which produce vast quantities of the richest milk and cream, and prove the importance of this district to Baltimore.
Cross the broad rise of Chestnut Ridge, upon which Reisterstown is situated, and proceeding a short distance towards the east, Worthington Valley stretches out in a broad, oval depression, having a general northeast by southwest trend, of nearly five miles in width, and more in length. It is surrounded on all sides but one by moderately high, almost abruptly sloping hills, crowned with deep forests of every variety of green. The depression becomes gradually deeper as Western Run is approached, while several of its tributaries take rise along the flanks of the ridge on the southeast and west sides of the basin. A short swell of low limestone hills pushes into the valley from near the middle of the southeast side, and contributes an element of variety to the view in that direction. The valley is underlaid by a sheet of white limestone of extraordinary purity and excellence, in which excavations have been carried to a depth of more than sixty feet, without reaching to the underlying rocks. Nature has endowed this lovely valley with everything needed for the comfort of man. A deep, fertile soil spreads out all around; vegetable humus is washed down from the hills by every freshet; all the cereals grow in rich profusion; fruits of all the usual kinds are at home here; brooks cut their way through the meadows at frequent intervals, and two kinds of water for drinking run from the hills or swell up in the limestone wells. The woods are full of varieties of flowering shrubs and plans, and the ferns luxuriate in dense thickets upon every moist hillside or hollow, and form brakes in the damp corners of the meadows. This peaceful valley rests in the midst of a scene of quiet beauty, affording pleasant prospects in all directions. It only needs a system of good roads to render it highly attrative [sic] to residents of the city who seek a place for health and repose.
IN THE LIMESTONE BASIN.
The Great Central Basin is the broad, open depression adjoining Cockeysville. It is a wide stretch of country, sloping inward from the rolling hills on the northwest and south, but itself rolling gently away towards the southeast and south, and connecting with smaller valleys in those directions. It is bounded by Chestnut Ridge on the left and Ashland Ridge on the right. It is a great limestone basin, scooped out of the archaean rocks, overlaid by iron-ore clays in depressions, and with quartz distributed throughout in their beds. It is both the center of the marble and agricultural interests. The Beaver Dam and other quarries yield inexhaustible supplies of choice white marble of various kinds, while the Texas belt supplies immense quantities of valuable limestone. In and around the basin large farms of rich soil in a high state of cultivation are numerous, and on the northwest side is situated the celebrated Hayfields, the prize stock farm of the county. All the cereals and fruits grow here in abundance, and the grazing farms supply the city with milk and butter. Situated on the Northern Central Railroad, within three-quarters of an hour's ride from Baltimore, renders it quickly accessible and it is rapidly filling up with an active and intelligent population.
On the rolling hillsides and in the river valleys, many of the finest and most valuable rural estates and farms of Maryland are spread out, whose history runs back into the colonial period. Along the line of the Northern Central Railroad there are numerous busy towns. Distilleries, cotton duck mills, paper mills, quarries and various other industries are in operation.
CLIMATE AND PRODUCTS.
The waters of the Chesapeake Bay wash the shores of the county from the Patapsco river northeast to the Gunpowder, and between these two rivers are numerous streams. The climate is mild, with an average temperature of about 56° Fahrenheit. The upper section of the county is remarkable for its salubrity of atmosphere and the healthfulness of its people. Besides the agricultural staples, great quantities of garden fruit and vegetables are grown for the city markets, and the yield of grapes and berries is a sources [sic] of much profit. The mineral deposits are valuable, and are extensively worked. Besides the varieties of fine building stone, may be mentioned limestone, iron ore, pipe clay, chrome, manganese, ochre, an abundance of brick clay, beds of marl on the river and bay shores, and veins of copper. The shores of the Chesapeake and its estuaries on the southern and southeastern sides of the county, are largely used for gunning and fishing grounds, where as good sport may be found as anywhere in the land. Excellent roads lead from the city down to these shores, which are owned or leased by clubs or individual sportsmen. The common school system of the county is in a flourishing condition, offering to all pupils the benefits of free education. There are institutions of learning in the county that have a world-wide reputation.
EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS.
In the midst of a smiling landscape on Charles Street avenue, about half way between Baltimore and Towson, the county seat, are the spacious grounds and lofty trees surrounding an imposing structure-the Convent of Notre Dame-attached to which is the famous Notre Dame of Maryland, a collegiate institute for young ladies. It is approached by a broad avenue. From the broad marble hall, up the wide stairs to drawing-rooms, study halls, music-rooms, chapel and dormitory, the twin goddesses of health and hygiene have fulfilled all the requirements. In an upper story, where the windows command a magnificent view of the Chesapeake Bay, are a dozen rooms, each one handsomely furnished. They are occupied by parlor boarders, and are presided over in each department by a sister. Besides the regular curriculum, the scholars are given ample scope for proper physical development in calisthenics, boating, tennis, &c.
Situated upon a high ridge just east of Catonsville, commanding a view of an immense expanse of land and water, is Mount de Sales-the Academy of the Visitation-a school for young ladies, under the charge of the Sisters of the Visitation, which is known all over North America as one of the foremost educational institutions on this continent. Its walls and towers are visible from every point of the compass for miles.
The McDonogh Institute, near McDonogh Station, on the Western Maryland Railroad, presents a beautiful front of two hundred and thirty-six feet.
Woodstock College, under the direction of the Society of Jesus-a general house of study, embracing a thorough course of philosophy and theology-stands on a magnificent eminence over the Patapsco, an hour's ride from Baltimore on the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad. Over two hundred acres of land are attached to the college property. The buildings occupy a fine plateau surrounded by ornamental grounds, and contain two hundred rooms. The library occupies half of one of the wings, and contains over twenty thousand volumes of rare and valuable books, embracing complete sets of the Greek and Latin Fathers, and original guage [sic]. The chapel is a gem of beauty, finished in the Roman style, with frescoes and pilasters. The altar rail is from a church in San Domingo, and is over three hundred years old. The college is one of the most important institutions in America fro the training of young men for the priesthood.
Mount St. Agnes Academy, at Mount Washington, in charge of the Sisters of Mercy, is a stately edifice of marble and brick, crowning a lofty hill, and is devoted to the education of young ladies.
Hannah More Academy, near Reisterstown, is another institution of learning.
Amid the quiet loneliness of Lutherville, on the Northern Central Railroad, stands the Lutherville, on the Northern Central Railroad, stands the Lutherville Female Seminary, an educational institution of a high order, under the direction of the Lutheran Church. The seminary has, to some extent, assisted in promoting the growth of Lutherville, and another agent is the eligibility of the place for suburban residences and summer boarding-houses.
Mount St. Joseph's College, on the Frederick road, is an excellent school for boys. The tone of society in the beautiful valleys of the county, as well as in other sections, is highly refined.
CHARITABLE AND BENEVOLENT INSTITUTIONS.
Among the institutions worthy of mention are: The Spring Grove Asylum for the Insane, situated near Catonsville, a State institution; St. Agnes' Hospital, on Maiden Choice road; Hebrew Orphan Asylum, at Calverton Heights; St. Mary's Female Orphan Asylum, Roland avenue; Mount Hope Retreat, on the Western, Maryland Railroad, an institution for the care of the insane. This place is surrounded by a fine estate of more than three hundred acres, and is one of the most complete and magnificent edifices of the kind either in this country or in Europe. The Sheppard Asylum, near the county seat, is another magnificent institution for the care of the insane.
The county is not excelled by any other in the State in the numbers and architectural beauty of its churches. The most obscure hamlet has its houses of worship. The more ambitious towns and villages show numerous edifices, consecrated to the service of God, and the elegance of many bears witness to the taste and prosperity of the people. The taxes are very low, the rate for the present year being but fifty-four cents.
NATURAL PRODUCTS.
Among the important industries in the county are the Beaver Dam quarries, near Cockeysville. These quarries furnished the huge monolithic columns for the Capitol at Washington. The marble for the magnificent City Hall at Baltimore came from these quarries, as also has the material for scores of fine public buildings and thousands of stately private residences. In the vicinity of these quarries the Northern Central Railroad passes for nearly a mile between walls and over a bed of the best alum limestone. In this section a very extensive business in lime for building and fertilizing is done.
Iron ore in the vicinity of Ashland is plentiful and of excellent quality, and furnaces of an iron company have given employment to many persons in the neighborhood. The most extensive paper mills in the State are located in Baltimore county.
No city in the country has finer suburbs than those on the thoroughfares of the county leading to the City of Baltimore. Numerous merchants of Baltimore City have their country residences on the Frederick road and in its vicinity. Catonsville is situated on this road six miles from Baltimore, and is connected with the city by a steam and horse railroad. Located upon an elevated plateau, five hundred and fifty feet above tidewater, surrounded by noble forests and highly cultivated estates, and drained by gentle slopes towards the Patapso river south and west, and Gwynn's Falls north and east, it is one of the most healthful and beautiful villages in the State. It enjoys so great a reputation for salubrity that it has been chosen as the site of four educational institutions. The scenery is charming, embracing views of the city and Chesapeake Bay as far south as Annapolis, the dome of the State House being visible in a clear atmosphere. It has a population of 2,115, an increase of 23.54 per cent. over the census of 1880.
MANUFACTURING INDUSTRIES.
Wetheredville is a thriving village situated on Gwynn's Falls, five miles from the city. It is surrounded by bold and romantic hill scenery, through which the stream rushes with impetuous force. Cotton and woolen factories give employment to many of the inhabitants.
Granite, fourteen miles from Baltimore, is noted for its great granite quarries, from which a first class quality of building stone is obtained in inexhaustible quantity.
Alberton is the seat of a heavy cotton manufacturing business. It extends on both sides of the Patapsco, eighteen miles from Baltimore, on the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad.
MAGNIFICENT RESIDENCES.
Along the Liberty road, and a portion of the Western Maryland Railroad, is a region taken up with elegant residences of wealthy citizens, and farther out is a succession of grand old homesteads and farms, whose broad and well-tilled acres yield luxuriantly of the fruits of the soil. A generous hospitality is exercised by the proprietors of these splendid estates.
Mount Washington, situated on the Northern Central Railroad, five miles from Baltimore, and the vicinity, are in much demand for summer resorts. The surroundings are hilly and romantic. A flourishing cotton duck factory gives employment to several hundred persons. A mile north of the village is a rich vein of copper. The copper mines there will, it is said, be put in operation in the near future.
Nine miles distant from Baltimore, on the Northern Central Railroad, Lutherville, an exceedingly handsome town, is located. It occupies the side and crest of a hill overlooking the valley of Jones' Falls in one direction and Dulany's Valley in another, while the country about is dotted with small villages and the country residences of city merchants. To the south of Lutherville ix Ruxton, a magnificent place for a summer resort. Cockeysville is a flourishing village north of Lutherville. In this section are superb stock and grazing farms.
That portion of the county immediately north of the city is covered with residences of more or less elegance, and a little farther out each side of the roads presents a succession of suburban villages and cottages, and their grounds, many of which have exhausted the resources of the architect, the landscape gardener and the decorator. Year after year this splendid territory is being still more elaborately beautified. It is impossible to compute the number of millions of dollars of capital that are invested in it. The region has a steadily increasing elevation from tidewater to the hills of the Gunpowder river, and that stream and Jones' Falls, together with dozens of brooks fed from abundant springs, flow down from the elevations, topped with tasteful and imposing suburban mansions. This section is the home of rural ease, plenty and elegance, and contains the time-honored homesteads of the Ridgelys, of Hampton, the Gilmors, the Hillens, the Hoffmans, the Jenifers, and other old families.
THE COUNTY SEAT.
Towson is the county-seat, and is seven miles north of the city, on the York Turnpike and Baltimore and Lehigh Railroad. It has a flourishing population of about two thousand. Here are located the court-house, the county offices, the county jail, several hotels, churches and schools, and during terms of court and in times of political contests, farmers' gatherings, county meetings, &c., the town has a very lively appearance; while it is at all times the center of much activity. There are many handsome cottages and other residences in the town, and the taste of the people has led to the cultivation of attractive gardens around their homes, so that in the proper season they are beautifully set off with flowers and twining plants. A considerable amount of capital is held in and around Towson, and the buildings show that a refined judgment has directed large expenditures.
DOWN "THE NECK."
An important section of the county lies to the east and northeast of Baltimore city. It is known as the Twelfth district. The lands stretching towards the numerous estuaries of the Chesapeak are mainly devoted to truck raising, which has proved much more profitable than the cultivation of the cereals. The country is low, and is pierced in every direction by excellent roads, such as the Trappe road, the Old Trappe road, North Point road and Eastern avenue extended. Many of the roads are laid with oyster shells, which, pulverizing under the wheels of vehicles and hoofs of horses, form a bed of unsurpassed smoothness and solidity. What is more particularly known as the Shell road leads from the city to Back river, through charming scenery at the heads of the inlets to the bay. Public resorts are numerous along the road and on the shores, and the drive is a very popular one with the people of the city. The gunning and fishing grounds in this district are, perhaps, among sportsmen, the most famous in the Untied States. They are what are known as the "Necks," formed by the Patapsco, Middle, Back and Gunpowder rivers, where the streams make up for miles into the country, leaving tongues of land between. The water-fronts all through here and on the islands of the upper Chesapeake are owned or leased by yacht clubs, gunning clubs, fishing clubs, or private individuals with a fancy for sport, and many of these associations have erected cozy houses for the accommodation of their members. The late fall and the winter months are the season for duck shooting, and owing to the enforcement of excellent game laws, the supply of birds continues large. The ducks are attracted to these feeding-grounds by the abundance of valisneria, or wild celery, which grows on the flats near the shores.
CANTON.
That section of the district contiguous to the eastern limits of the city is the home of a large population and the scene of important industries, especially in Canton and Highlandtown. The property of the Canton Company extends along the Patapsco river all the way down to Colegate's Creek on the river front, and thence across the neck to Back river. Upon it are located the immense grain transfer elevator of the Northern Central Railway Company, the marine terminus and wharves of the Union Railway Company, several large petroleum refineries, with their wharves and railroad connections, two whiskey distilleries, iron furnaces, chemical works and many smaller industries. The river front from Lazaretto Point to North Point, where the Patapsco empties into the Chesapeake Bay, forms the northern side of the entrance to the harbor of Baltimore, and from the low bluffs fifty miles of water are spread before the view, bearing on its bosom the commerce of a great seaport. Fort McHenry and the city frame the picture of the north, on the west are the shores of Anne Arundel; down to the northward and eastward the protrusion of North Point melts away into the vast expanse of the Chesapeake. While the foreground is filled up with the gray walls and bastions of Fort Carroll and the innumerable fleet of all classes of vessels that are constantly arriving and departing.
Chesterwood, the grounds of the Free Excursion Society of Baltimore, is upon Bear Creek, five miles from the city. This noble charity provides during the summer free excursions for the poor of the city.
The price of land in the upper, or agricultural, portions of the county is very low. Land in the Green Spring Valley can be bought for from $100 to $250 per acre. In Catonsville it runs from $500 to $1,200 per acre, and the same along the York turnpike, Reisterstown pike, Roland avenue and Harford road. Along the Philadelphia road land sells at from $40 to $100 per acre. Some of the most valuable and fashionable property near the city is located between York and Falls turnpikes. Among the magnificent estates in this neighborhood is "Guilford," the property of the A. S. Abell estate.
STEELTON.
The great works of the Pennsylvania Steel Company, one of the most important industries in the State, are located at Steelton, a village of vigorous growth in the Twelfth district. It was begun in 1887, and has increased to such vast proportions that it will undoubtedly become one of the great industrial and commercial enterprises ever begun in the United States. The parent company, which was started at Steelton, Pa., in 1865, proved such a success that the plan of forming another plant near tidewater was deemed a wise and proper course. The city of Baltimore and its immediate vicinity seemed to show great advantages in the particular line desired than any other place along the coast or accessible to tidewater. Fred. W. Wood, the superintendent of the company, was sent to Baltimore during the winter of 1885, and made a careful inspection of all the properties along both sides of the Patapsco river. He finally fixed upon Sparrows' Point as the most desirable location for the extension, and after carefully investigating, the management subsequently fixed upon Mr. Wood's choice. Negotiations for securing the property were successfully conducted, and the deeds for Sparrow's Point, Holly Grove and the adjacent lands were turned over to the Pennsylvania Steel Company in March, 1887. Surveys of the property were made at once, the plans for the steel plant and town were made in the offices of the works at Steelton. A large force of engineers was employed to make surveys for a railroad line to connect this city with Sparrows' Point, in order to facilitate the transport of manufactured iron and steel over the railroad lines which centered here. Work was begun in earnest in April, 1887, under the direction of Rufus K. Wood, and now Steelton is the largest steel works along the Alantic [sic] coast. It is connected with the city of Baltimore by the Northern Central, Philadelphia, Wilmington and Baltimore and Pennsylvania Railroad at Orangeville, and by the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad at Colegate's Creek. The enterprising company have erected on their property several immense furnaces for the manufacture of Bessemer steel, an immense stock house, a vast number of boiler and engine houses, rolling mills, pattern shops, machine shops, pumphouses, shipyard, docks, piers, &c. The company has also laid out and built upon a systematic plan a model town for the employees and their families. The company owns 1,000 acres, and a portion of them has been platted in blocks, and streets of 60 feet width, crossing each other at right angles, which, with 10-foot sidewalks, leaves a space of 80 feet between the houses on opposite sides. A thorough system of underground drainage has been made, and water is conducted in iron pipes to all the dwellings. The town and the works are lighted by electricity. The residences of the officers and the cottages of the workmen are built of frame on pretty modern architectural designs. Several hundred houses have been finished, and many more are in course or construction. The population is about 2,500, and the payrolls now number about 2,000 people.
Catholic, Methodist Episcopal and Protestant, and Episcopal churches have been built on ground donated by the company. There is also proper provision made for the education of the young in the town.
The growth of Steelton has been such that it is believed in ten years the company will have 25,000 people residing on their property. At the same time it is estimated the place will have eight piers, with steamships unloading thousands of tons of ore daily. The specialties manufactured are to be boiler plate, ships' plates and railroad iron. Sparrow Point will produce everything entering into the manufacture of ships at low cost. There will be plenty of steel for ships and coast defences. The building of steel ships and ironclads, with their machinery and equipments, will give ample employment to the Sparrow Point works, and it is believed will advance Baltimore in the line of shipbuilding. It is proposed to use foreign ores largely at the Sparrow Point furnaces. They will come from Cuba, Spain, Island of Elba and Mediterranean localities. The outlook is most encouraging, and the community is to be congratulated in the establishment of such an industry in the immediate locality of Baltimore.
Scharf, J. Thomas, "The natural & industrial resources and advantages of Maryland: being a complete description of all counties of the state and the city of Baltimore: together with an accurate statement of their soil, climate, antiquities, raw and manufactured products, agricultural and horticultural products, textile fabrics, alimentary products, manufacturing industries, minerals and ores, mines and mining, native woods, means of transportation, price of land, cheap living, ready markets, excellent homes, and the material and social advantages and unequaled opportunities Maryland possesses for those seeking homes, and for capitalists who wish to invest in industries that are sure to pay big dividends," C.H. Baughman & Co., Publisher; 1892. pps. 21-36.