Historic East Towson
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Historic East Towson is the oldest African-American community in Baltimore County, Maryland. Its origins date back to 1829, when the death of Charles Carnan Ridgely, Maryland's 15th governor, triggered the manumission of over 350 enslaved people by the terms of his will. Some of those formerly enslaved moved to East Towson, and by the 1850s, the freed people from the Hampton Estate[1] had built a community by establishing housing, a school, small businesses, and community centers.
Now referred to as Historic East Towson, this community is still home to descendants of people formerly enslaved at the Hampton Estate. Over time, the neighborhood has shrunk in size due to urban development. The Historic East Towson community, local colleges, grassroots organizations, and the descendants of those formerly enslaved are working to ensure the community and its history are known and respected by sharing stories about their past.
Indigenous people
Historic East Towson was originally inhabited by the three Native American tribes: the Piscataway Conoy, Piscataway, and Accohannock. They each resided throughout parts of Towson and stretched alongside the East Coast in other areas. These tribes were preceded by the Susquehannock, a tribe of territorial indigenous people who controlled the eastern and western shores of the Chesapeake. Smallpox, war, and colonial factors decimated the Susquehannock population.[2]
Historically Black Towson
The Hampton Estate held around 377 enslaved people at the time of Charles Carnan Ridgely’s death in 1829. Following his death, Ridgley’s son, John Ridgely, proceeded with the process of manumission for a select number of slaves based on the terms of his will. This included enslaved people from the ages of 25 to 45 for women; 28 to 45 for men; and infants under the age of two were emancipated with their parents.[3] Ownership over the slaves who did not meet this criterion were disbursed to Ridgely’s heirs. Only 90 certificates of freedom have been uncovered under Carnan’s 1829 will. Many of these people were freed in 1829, with some receiving their freedom as late as 1843.[4]
In the 1830s, manumitted people from the Hampton Mansion went on to found prominent communities in Baltimore including East Towson, Sandy Bottom, Schwartz Avenue and part of Lutherville.[5][unreliable source?] Though slavery would not be abolished in Maryland until November 1, 1864, free African Americans were able to purchase land before that time. Daniel Harris is credited as the first African American landowner in East Towson.[6] On September 14, 1853, he purchased an acre of land near Hillen Road in East Towson for $187.50 from Benjamin Payne.[5] More freed people migrated to East Towson to purchase land and build homes after their emancipation. East Towson consisted of a largely Black population until around the end of World War II due to suburban development.[5]
Three historically Black churches remain active in Historic East Towson today: St. James African Union Methodist Protestant Church, Mount Olive Baptist Church, and Mount Calvary African Methodist Episcopal Church. These historic sites are among many in the area that the residents aim to sustain.[7]
Some of the descendants of those freed from the Hampton Estate still reside in Towson, Maryland. These descendants are being recognized through ethnographic studies such as Tracing Lives, completed in 2020 by Cheryl LaRoche and a team of scholars in collaboration with the National Park Service.[3]
Urban development
Once a community that stretched from York Road and Bosley Avenue to North and West Towson, Historic East Towson now consists of six blocks due to urban development projects.[8] In 1968, Baltimore Gas and Electric bought property in East Towson and built a power substation that caused the demolition of eight historic homes and the Negro League baseball field[5] in East Towson. In 1972, houses on Chesapeake Avenue–also known as the Great Black Way–were demolished to build the parking garage for the Baltimore County Library. In 1994, the neighborhood’s bordering land was used to build the District Courthouse, causing the removal of four more historic homes.[9] Later in 1994, the construction of Harris Hill affordable-condominiums razed five more historic homes in Historic East Towson.[10]
In 2012, Evergreene Homes approached the Delaware-based owner of the Historic Parker House log cabin in Historic East Towson. The company offered to buy the land, which would be used to host a townhouse development plan. The owner accepted and relocated this log house to Fairmount Avenue at the eastern edge of Historic East Towson. Evergreene obtained permits for a 35-unit luxury townhouse complex which will be located one block away from St. James African Union Methodist Protestant Church.[11]
In 2019, the Red Maple Place Project was proposed to provide affordable housing for residents in Baltimore County. The Red Maple Place Project is a planned 56-unit apartment building slated to be built on half of a 2.8 acre plot originally addressed 413 East Pennsylvania Ave in the Historic East Towson community.[12]
As a result of these developments and a subsequent reduction in housing, residents are relocating. The decision to sell and/or flip homes of Historic East Towson was made by some of the descendants of original residents.[3]