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    Baltimore County
    Baltimore County
    Baltimore County
    Ebook184 pages53 minutes

    Baltimore County

    By Gayle Neville Blum

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    About this ebook

    In its beginnings, Baltimore County was covered with dense ancient forests of deciduous trees and so little undergrowth that it was said a man could gallop horses within them. Today horses gallop over bucolic pastures of renowned Thoroughbred farms amidst quaint historic towns seen dotting the rolling landscape. Named for the Lords Baltimore, Baltimore County was originally an expansive area extending well beyond today's boundaries. Founded in 1659, the county has evolved from tobacco farming to diverse industries ranging from steel manufacturing to picturesque vineyards. Both then and now, nearby Baltimore Harbor on the Chesapeake Bay provides lucrative opportunities for merchants to trade their crops and commodities. The county offers endless recreational pursuits on over 175 miles of shoreline. Baltimore County is proud to claim among its residents the noted neurosurgeon Dr. Benjamin Carson; baseball's all-time iron man, Cal Ripken; and famous author Tom Clancy.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherArcadia Publishing
    Release dateSep 18, 2012
    ISBN9781439622834
    Baltimore County
    Author

    Gayle Neville Blum

    Author Gayle Neville Blum has selected the best images to illustrate historic Reisterstown�s remarkable past. These images capture the courage, vision, and industrious work ethic of the pioneers responsible for this quintessential American town.

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      Book preview

      Baltimore County - Gayle Neville Blum

      Collection.

      INTRODUCTION

      Early colonists of the 1600s journeyed to Maryland in hopes of enjoying religious freedom and even more so economic opportunities. George Calvert, the first Lord Baltimore, was a devout Catholic who had experienced prejudice at home and in the colonies, particularly Virginia. Impressed and inspired by the bountiful New World, George asked King Charles I for a grant of land north of Virginia. King Charles I not only granted Lord Baltimore his request, he enhanced it by giving him unparalleled power and privileges along with it. Lord Baltimore established Maryland’s charter to promote religious tolerance by providing that Maryland would be a Christian colony. This gave Catholics, unpopular at the time, and other Christian denominations the freedom to openly worship without affording special privileges to the Anglican Church, the official Church of England. In 1649, the Act Concerning Religion mandated that any person calling another person "any name or term in a reproachful manner relating to matters [sic] of religion would have to forfeit and lose the sum of ten shillings sterling." This new law promoted religious tolerance and resulted in a variety of Christian groups building churches in which to worship. Colonists of Baltimore County, most of whom were Protestant, had no resources to attract clergyman accustomed to a comfortable lifestyle. Religion remained a divisive force among the colonists, and control eventually reverted back to the Protestants.

      Lord Baltimore gave many enormous land grants along the Chesapeake Bay to his friends or loyal followers. Many others received grants from the original Lord Baltimore’s descendants, who were anxious to see Baltimore County settled so they could collect quitrents. These early pioneers were typically poor; many were indentured servants. Colonists settled along the waterways of Southern Maryland during the early 17th century. They planted tobacco, which drained the soil of nutrients and caused the streams to become clogged with sediment. Trapping beaver became more lucrative, so colonists moved inland, clearing the land and changing the ecological landscape with them.

      The migration of colonists into what is now Baltimore County was a slow process originating sometime in the 1650s. Although no exact date is recorded, we know Baltimore County was established prior to 1659 because on January 12, 1659, a writ issued to a county sheriff authorized an election to be held so the citizens of Baltimore County could choose representatives or burgesses for the next session of the Maryland Legislature. Originally the borders of Baltimore County extended far beyond the boundaries known today and included present-day Cecil and Harford Counties, parts of Anne Arundel, Howard, Carroll, and Kent Counties, Baltimore City, and even part of Pennsylvania. This large and expansive county was hard to govern and often posed a hardship for citizens needing to travel to the county seat to conduct business. Over the ensuing years, Baltimore County was chiseled down into a more manageable area with defined boundaries formed as a result of these other jurisdictions becoming established in their own right.

      As colonists migrated into the vast wilderness, they entered a perilous land. The woods were home to wolves, bears, bobcats, and cougars. It was also the hunting grounds of the hostile Susquehannough Indians, relatives of the northern Iroquois Nation. Few settlements existed in Baltimore County until the 1690s for fear of Native American attack. The Susquehannough Indians had significant impact on early colonial migration in Baltimore County. In response to attacks, the colonial government entered into a treaty with the Susquehannoughs in 1652; however, fighting continued with both them and the Seneca Indians until the 1670s, when a combination of war and smallpox diminished their power. The Shawnee Indians settled in Baltimore County between 1670 and 1710, but they too were reluctant to leave and make room for the white settlers migrating inland. It was not until the late 1700s that colonists could settle without fear of attacks by Native Americans. Ironically, it was the Native American trails that facilitated colonial migration into the dense forests of Baltimore County. In 1666, the General Assembly passed a law ordering the counties to widen paths and build roads, enabling horses and eventually wagons to traverse them.

      In the early 18th century, Baltimore County consisted of farm folks scattered in small towns with few houses of worship or schools. Many thousands of acres of unpatented land remained available for ambitious settlers, but fewer than 500 families called Baltimore County home. Many descendants of these early colonial families occupy the area today: the Worthingtons, Merrymans, Carrolls, Ensors, Zinks, Traceys, Bosleys, Woodens, Wisners, and Ridgelys. The first homes were meager log homes constructed of hickory or oak cleared from the forests. The logs were notched, fitting tightly together without use of nails. Since colonists depended on fire for light and to keep warm, their homes were always at risk of burning down. Soon stone homes on small estates sprung up, affording more protection against fires. These estates were improved with barns, smokehouses, springhouses, and summer kitchens. Farming was the main industry, with tobacco being the main crop, even serving as currency. Soon farmers shifted to wheat production, which was easier to ship from nearby Baltimore Harbor to demanding overseas buyers. The profitability of farming drove the dispersion of the rural population.

      In 1731, Baltimore County’s economy became more varied as investors started building iron furnaces to supply the British market with pig iron. The latter half of the 18th century in Baltimore County was distinguished as a period of rapid growth

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