Towson
is an unincorporated community and a census-designated place in Baltimore County, Maryland, United States. The population was 51,793 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Baltimore County and the second-most populated unincorporated county seat in the United States (after Ellicott City, Maryland). [1]
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TOWSON TICKETS
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History
1600s
The first inhabitants of the Towson region were the
Susquehannough people who hunted in the area. Though their region included all of
Baltimore County, their primary settlement was along the mouth of the
Susquehanna River.
[2]
1700s
Towson was settled in 1752 when two Pennsylvania brothers, William and Thomas Towson, began farming northeast of present-day
York and
Joppa Roads. William's son, Ezekial, started the Towson Hotel at York and Joppa Roads in 1768 to serve the increasing traffic of farmers bringing their produce and livestock to the port of Baltimore. The village became known as "Towsontown".
Today a shopping mall
[4] is situated at the intersection of York Road and Joppa Road known as the "Towson Town Center"--but this name more likely reflects its location, in Towson, rather than being an homage to the original village name.
In 1790,
Charles Ridgely completed the magnificent Hampton Mansion just north of Towsontown, the largest private house in America at the time. The Ridgelys lived there for six generations, until 1948.
[5] It is now preserved as the
Hampton National Historic Site and open to the public.
1800s
On February 13, 1854, Towson became the
county seat of
Baltimore County by popular vote.
[6] The Court House, still in use, was completed the following year, constructed of limestone and marble donated by the Ridgely family, on land donated by Towson merchant Grafton Bosley.
The Courthouse was subsequently enlarged in 1910, 1925, and 1958.
From 1850 to 1874, another notable land owner / Amos Matthews, had a farm of that - with the exception of the largely natural parcel where the
Kelso Home for Girls (currently Towson YMCA), was later erected - was wholly developed into the neighborhoods of
West Towson,
Southland Hills and other subdivisions beginning in the middle 1920's.
[7]
Towson was briefly the scene of a minor engagement between
Union and
Confederate forces during the
Civil War. On
July 10,
1864, a 130-man Confederate cavalry detachment attacked the
Northern Central Railway in nearby
Cockeysville, under orders from
Gen. Bradley T. Johnson. After cutting telegraph wires along Harford Road, they encamped at Towson overnight. The next day, the Confederate cavalry skirmished with a smaller force of Union cavalry along York Road as far south as Govans, before heading west to rejoin Gen. Johnson's main force.
[8]
The Towson fire of 1878 destroyed most of the 500 block along the York Turnpike causing an estimated $38,000 in damage.
[9] [10]
During the summer of 1894, the Towson Water Company laid wooden pipes and installed fire hydrants that were connected to an artesian well near Aigburth Vale. On November 2 1894, Towson was supplied with electric service through connection with the Mount Washington Electric Light and Power Company.
[11]
1900s
At the beginning of the century, Towson remained largely a rural community. Land continued to be sold by the acre, rather than as home parcels. Most residences lay within Towson proper: no houses existed west of Central Avenue along Allegheny or Pennsylvania avenues, and there were only three homes along the West Chesapeake Avenue corridor.
[12]
As the growth of Baltimore's suburbs became more pronounced after
World War II, considerable office development took place in Towson's central core area. Many of the large Victorian and colonial-style residences in the vicinity of the Court House were demolished in the 1980s and 1990s for offices and parking.
In 1839, Epsom Chapel became the first Christian house of worship in Towson, used by various denominations.
As the population grew in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, several churches were built to serve the community, such as Calvary Baptist Church, Immaculate Conception Catholic Church, Trinity Episcopal Church, First Methodist Church, and Towson Presbyterian Church. Epsom Chapel was demolished in 1950 when
Goucher College sold a portion of its property for development of the Towson Plaza shopping center, now
Towson Town Center. First Methodist Church moved in 1958 to land also acquired from Goucher College and is now
Towson United Methodist Church.
Geography
Towson is located at NE (39.392980, -76.609562).
According to the
United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 14.2 square miles (36.8 km²), of which, 14.0 square miles (36.4 km²) of it is land and 0.2 square miles (0.4 km²) of it (1.06%) is water.
The community is located immediately north of Baltimore City, inside the Beltway (
I-695), east of
I-83 and along
York Road. Its census boundaries include
Pikesville to the west,
Lutherville-Timonium and
Hampton to the north,
Parkville to the east, and Baltimore to the south.
Major neighborhoods in Towson include: Anneslie, Idlewylde, Greenbriar, Southland Hills, Rodgers Forge, Stoneleigh, Wiltondale, Southland Hills,
Hampton, Hunt Crest Estates, East Towson, and
West Towson.
Ruxton, which lies to the west, is sometimes considered a part of Towson. Eudowood is a Towson neighborhood named after Eudocia, the wife of Dr. John T. Stansbury - on whose former estate it is situated.
[13]
Climate
Lying north of the city of
Baltimore, and at the southern edge of the
Piedmont gives Towson an "in-between" climate, lying between the
Humid subtropical climate zone to the south and the
Humid continental climate zone to the north. Summers are hot and humid, with daytime highs reaching into the 90s in July and August. Spring and fall bring pleasant temperatures in the 60s and 70s with moderate rainfall. Winters are mild by American standards but can still include occasional snowfall and freezing rain, with typical highs just above 40 degrees and lows in the mid 20s. Annual rainfall totals .
Government
The
Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services is headquartered at Suite 1000 at 300 East Joppa Road in the Towson CDP.
[14] [15] [16]
Demographics
| Census year
| Population
|
| 1960
| 19,000
|
| 1970
| 77,768*
|
| 1980
| 51,083
|
| 1990
| 49,445
|
| 2000
| 51,793
|
| *Census Boundaries in 1970 extended beyond the community proper
|
As of the
census of 2000, there were 51,793 people, 21,063 households, and 11,331 families residing in the CDP. The
population density was 3,688.7 people per square mile (1,424.3/km²). There were 21,997 housing units at an average density of 1,566.6/sq mi (604.9/km²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 86.9%
White, 7.53%
African American, 0.10% Native American, 3.7% Asian, 1.9% Hispanic, and 0.0% Pacific Islander.
There were 21,063 households out of which 23.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.6% were
married couples living together, 7.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 46.2% were non-families. 36.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 17.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.16 and the average family size was 2.87.
In the CDP the population was spread out with 17.4% under the age of 18, 17.5% from 18 to 24, 24.9% from 25 to 44, 20.1% from 45 to 64, and 20.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 82.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 78.8 males.
The median income for a household in the CDP was $53,775, and the median income for a family was $75,832 (these figures had risen to $64,313 and $98,744 respectively as of a 2007 estimate
[17]). Males had a median income of $49,554 versus $38,172 for females. The
per capita income for the CDP was $32,502. About 2.5% of families and 7.7% of the population were below the
poverty line, including 3.8% of those under age 18 and 4.7% of those age 65 or over.
Transportation
The primary mode of transportation in Towson is the
automobile. The streets are wide and, with the exception of the downtown area, most shops and restaurants have their own free parking for customers. Towson is accessible from exits 25 through 29B of the Baltimore Beltway (
I-695).
"Ma and Pa" Railroad
Railroad service began to Towson on
April 17,
1882, with construction of the Baltimore & Delta Railway Company, soon renamed the Baltimore & Lehigh Railroad and later reorganized as the
Maryland and Pennsylvania Railroad. The "Ma and Pa", as it was affectionately known locally, formerly operated between Baltimore and
York, Pennsylvania, through Towson. Its passenger station was located just west of York Road on Susquehanna Avenue. Passenger service was discontinued on
August 31,
1954, and the railroad line through Towson was finally abandoned altogether on
June 11,
1958, leaving only the stone abutments where the tracks crossed York Road on a steel girder bridge.
[18] One passenger on the last passenger train recalled that many riders came from as far away as
Boston and
Washington, D.C., to participate in the historic event, along with members of the
National Railway Historical Society.
[19] Historic Towson, a local group of history buffs, installed a bronze plaque on the west abutment in 1999, commemorating the defunct railroad's place in Towson's history.
[20]
Public Transportation
The Towson area has several bus lines operated by the
Maryland Transit Administration. These include:
- Route 8, which operates along York Road to Lutherville and downtown Baltimore (formerly the #8 streetcar line)
- Route 11, which serves the Charles Street corridor and GBMC hospital
- Route 55, which operates cross-county service to Parkville, Overlea, Rosedale, and Essex
- Route 3, which serves the Loch Raven Boulevard corridor, with selected trips along Joppa Road.
- Route 12 operates along York Road and Dulaney Valley Road to Stella Maris Hospice at the times needed for the facility's change of shift.
Towson also has
light rail service to downtown
Baltimore and
BWI Airport along its periphery via the Lutherville and Falls Road stops.
Towson University and
Goucher College also operate bus services for their students, and the has several stops in the area.
Shopping & Other Attractions
thumb
Towson has some of Baltimore County's largest shopping areas. These include:
Towson Town Center
Towson Town Center
is Baltimore County's largest indoor mall, with four stories of shops and a parking garage, which is also linked to some other shops across the street, including a
Barnes and Noble, which structurally is beneath
Joppa Road near the
Towson Circle. Also nearby is Allegheny Avenue, the main street of downtown Towson, which offers a variety of local eateries.
Towson Commons
One block away from Towson Town Center is
Towson Commons
, a smaller mall that was once most notably home to
Borders Books, but has since declined and now houses a lone AMC movie theater.
The Shops at Kenilworth
The Shops at Kenilworth
, formerly known as
Kenilworth Park
and also as
Kenilworth Bazaar
, is a small indoor mall located on
Kenilworth Drive. The mall at one time was home to an express location of the
Motor Vehicle Administration, which has since moved.
Towson Marketplace
The
Towson Marketplace
is a major shopping area near
Joppa Road,
Goucher Boulevard, and
Putty Hill Avenue. Built on the site of the
Eudowood Sanatarium, the original Eudowood Plaza shopping center was an open mall anchored by Montgomery Ward. Renovated in the early 1980s to an indoor mall, the location has been converted into some
big box stores and supermarkets, including a
Wal-Mart,
Target,
Marshall's,
Sports Authority,
Superfresh, and
Bed Bath & Beyond.
Recher Theatre
The
Recher Theatre, located in downtown Towson, is a popular concert venue for popular local and national acts.
Towson Center & Unitas Stadium
Towson University's arena
Towson Center and stadium
Unitas Stadium are both main destinations for
Towson Tiger athletics and other events.
Education
Colleges and universities
Towson University is a public school in southern Towson. Towson University's student population is close to 20,000, making it the second largest institution in the
University System of Maryland. TU is home to the largest Business School in the state of Maryland, with 2,500 students. It was founded in 1866 as the Maryland State Normal School for the training of teachers. North of downtown is a small private liberal arts school,
Goucher College, which was founded in 1885 as
The Woman's College of Baltimore
.
Public schools
thumb
Towson is served by the
Baltimore County Public Schools district, and the Baltimore County Board of Education headquarters is located here as well. There are three high schools.
Towson High School was the first secondary school founded and is Towson's largest, while
Loch Raven High School dates from 1972. The
Carver Center for Arts and Technology is a local magnet school.
Towson is served by four public elementary schools: Rodgers Forge, Stoneleigh , Riderwood and Hampton . All four of the schools are now over-capacity: Rodgers Forge has 625 students, despite a stated capacity of 396; Stoneleigh has 623 students, with a capacity of 499; Hampton's enrollment stands at 377, with a capacity of just 307; and Riderwood currently enrolls 513 students, with a capacity of 501.
Private schools
The Towson area has a number of long-established private schools at the
secondary school level, including
Towson Catholic High School,
Loyola Blakefield,
Calvert Hall College High School,
Baltimore Lutheran School,
Notre Dame Preparatory School.
Notable residents and natives
- Spiro Agnew (1918-1996), Vice President of the United States 1969-1973
- Carmelo Anthony (born 1984), National Basketball Association player
- Albert Cassell (1895-1969), architect
- William Purington Cole, Jr. (1889-1957), U.S. Congressman for Maryland's 2nd District, 1927-1929 and 1931-1942.
- Mel Kiper, Jr. (born 1960), ESPN Draft Analyst.
- Divine (1945-1988), actor, the drag persona of Harris Glen Milstead.
- Jean Marie "Jeff" Donnell (1921-1988), film and TV actress
- F. Scott Fitzgerald (1896-1940), writer
- Jane Frank (Jane Schenthal Frank) (1918-1986), artist
- Dorothy Lamour (1914-1996), film actress
- G. E. Lowman (1897-1965), radio evangelist
- Gino Marchetti, Hall of Fame NFL defensive end (Dallas Texans, Baltimore Colts)
- Anita Nall (born 1976), 1992 Summer Olympics gold medalist swimmer
- Thomas W. Offutt (banker, land owner) president and director of the Second National Bank, Towson
- Michael Phelps (born 1985), 2004 and 2008 Summer Olympics gold medalist swimmer
- Charles Ridgely (1733-1790), Hampton estate founder and ironworks owner
- Charles Carnan Ridgely (1760-1829), Governor of Maryland 1815-1818
- Eliza Ridgely of Hampton (1803-1867), 'The Lady with a Harp'
- Don Shula (born 1930), Former Head Coach and Player with the Baltimore Colts. Holds NFL record for most wins as a Head Coach.
- Johnny Unitas (1933-2002), Hall of Fame NFL quarterback (Baltimore Colts, San Diego Chargers)
- Ricky Van Veen, owner and co-founder of CollegeHumor website
In fiction, the character
Elaine Benes, of the 1990s
NBC sitcom Seinfeld
, is from Towson. The character
Sam Fisher in the
Splinter Cell
novels by
Raymond Benson, resided in a townhouse in Towson.
Tom Clancy's fictional CIA Analyst character
Jack Ryan was born in Towson.
Medical Facilities
- Greater Baltimore Medical Center
- St. Joseph Medical Center
- Sheppard Pratt Hospital
References
- Towson, Maryland: A Great Place to Live, Work & Play!—A Synopsis of Towson, MD
- Towson: A Pictorial History of a Maryland Town, page 13, Henry George Hahn, Carl Behm, 1977, Donning Co. , ISBN 0915442361
- Towson and the Villages of Ruxton and Lutherville
- http://www.towsontowncenter.com/html/index4.asp
- Images of America — Hampton National Historic Site
- Historical marker, Towson Courthouse, Baltimore County Historical Society.
- A Brief History of West Towson, by David A. Loizeaux http://www.bcplonline.org/info/history/hist_west_towson.html
- The Civil War in Maryland
- A History of Baltimore County, Neal A. Brooks and Eric J. Rockel, ISBN 0960232613, p. 293
- Maryland Journal, Sept. 14, 1867, Feb., 2 1878; (Towson) Union News, June 9, 1917.
- A History of Baltimore County, Neal A. Brooks and Eric J. Rockel, ISBN 0960232613, p. 297
- A History of Baltimore County, Neal A. Brooks and Eric J. Rockel, ISBN 0960232613, p. 298
- A History of Baltimore County, Neal A. Brooks and Eric J. Rockel, ISBN 0960232613, p. 292
- "Contact Information by Agency." ''Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services''. Retrieved on March 23, 2009.
- "Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services." ''Maryland State Archives''. Retrieved on March 23, 2009.
- "Towson CDP, Maryland." ''U.S. Census Bureau''. Retrieved on March 23, 2009.
- http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/ACSSAFFFacts?_event=Search&geo_id=16000US2467675&_geoContext=01
- The Ma & Pa — A History of the Maryland & Pennsylvania Railroad
- The Ma and Pa's Last Run from Baltimore to York
- 'Ma and Pa' railroad abutments get HTI plaque
- Baltimore County, Its History Progress and Opportunities, by T. Scott Offutt and Elmer R. Haile, The Jeffersonian Publishing Company inc. 1916 - Enoch Pratt Library REF XF Md. 182.1.03