'History' Trails County Historical Society

Agriculture Building 9811 Van Buren Lane Cockeysville, MD 21030

ISSN 0889-6186 Editors: JOHN W. McCRAIN and WILLIAM HOLLIFIELD VOL. 29 SPRING-SUMMER 1995 NO. 3 & 4

flood of 1868 and in some recent floods. Later the name Gun Road Gun Road was transferred to the present road, which had been known as the Road. "Cann-mi Track" to Su7Liurb County newspaper articles of 1898 and 1901 gave both names in referring to the road: by Lucy W. Merrill 118981: The Avalon road is now in better con- Gun Road, a little over a mile long, extends from Roll- dition than it was before since George Washing- ing Road across the old Main Line of the Baltimore and ton built it. I am informed that this is one of the Ohio Railroad into the Patapsco Valley State Park and oldest roads in the State. General Washington spans the before ending a short distance marched his troops down it on their way from into Howard County. Philadelphia to Virginia, and that is the reason it Several writers over the years have said that the road is often called the 'Old Gun Road.' Washington was so named because it was built under the direction of having hauled his heavy guns down there. George Washington to facilitate the movement of his troops 119011: . . The Old Gun Road, some times and supplies (including cannon, then commonly referred known as the Avalon Forge Road, is being put in to as guns) on their journey from Philadelphia to Vir- first class condition. The road is being widened ginia. The Continental Army reached the Avalon area by and graded, . . . part of the road has already been road, crossed the Patapsco River, and went to Elkridge shelled. Today it is in better shape and condition Landing, where it was transported southward in boats. than it ever has been since Gen. George Wash- Earlier, however, Gun Road was the name applied to ington first surveyed it out; for it is said that this River Road, which followed the Patapsco upstream from was his route when with the Continental Army, Relay and connected with the Frederick Road above he retreated from Philadelphia, going from Avalon Ilchester. Part of this road was destroyed in the great to Elk Ridge Landing, where he took boats for Virginia. This is historic land .

in the eighteenth century, Elkridge was a thriving port through which farmers shipped their tobacco overseas. adze Patapsco River was then navigable beyond Elkridge nearly to Avalon, The beginning of industrial activity at Avalon can be traced to 1761 when Caleb Dorsey, Ironinaster, part owner of Elkridge Furnace, bought the 1,800-acre tract "Taylors Forest," which extended along both sides of Rolling Road from present-day Francis Av- enue in Relay to Park Grove in Catonsville Next he ac- quired an adjacent 375-acre tract, "Long Acre,' which bordered on the Patapsco River. This land was at first used for its timber and possibly for charcoal burning. The forge he built, known as Dorsey's Forge, was at the southeastern end of "Long Acre.' The forge was used to produce crowbars, the only iron tools made in Baltimore County. All other tools were imported. The map produced by Dennis Griffith in 1794-95 showed Dorsey's Forge at the present Avalon Area of the 319 Gun. Road, built in 1877, was once surrounded by the Patapsco State Park. In 1815 the property was sold at Berger vineyard. auction to Benjamin and James Ellicott of the well-known PAGE 10 HISTORY TRAILS SPRING-SUMMER 1995

Ellicott brothers' inventory and was probably built be- tween 1815 and 1822. The Roman Catholic church was demolished in the early 1930s and Sylvan Monroe Clayton built his house at 309 Gun Road using stone from the church. It is thought that he also kept the church bell. This house was built on part of his father's property which is now 307 Gun Road and, at that time, was lived in by his sis- ters, Miss Dessie Clayton and Mrs. Allegra Braun. Their father, William Alexander Clayton, came from Tennessee to work in the power plant then located at Avalon and built the hosue about 1902 for his family of nine childeren. One son, Corliss, was named in tribute to the highly de- pendable steam engine at the flour mill complex at nearby Orange Grove. John Chandler Smith, owner of "Waveland," adjoin- ing on the north (511 Gun Road), which was built about 1830, purchased the "Seven Gun Battery House" and 301 Gun Road, a stone house of 1815-1822, surviving from deeded it to his daughter in 1884. It was afterward owned the Ellicott family's Avalon Iron Works. by Edward James Turner until 1912, when Mr. Bruns' father bought it. The railroad provided passenger service to this area milling family. In 1819 five more Ellicotts were owners. until 1949. Herbert Harwood, in his history of the rail- When the Avalon Company was chartered in December road, stated that before the opening of Druid Hill Park 1822, the partners conveyed their one-seventh shares to and other recreational and amusement parks in the Bal- the firm. timore area, Relay provided a place for city people to en- The act of incorporation seems to contain the earliest joy open grounds and fresh air. Affluent Baltimoreans use of the name "Avalon," for the name Dorsey's Forge built summer homes and country retreats on the nearby had appeared in every deed before 1823. Avalon was ap- wooded hillsides. parently a name devised by the Ellicott family. Avalon A Towson newspaper reported in June 1891 that was the ancient name of Glastonbury in Somersetshire, England. George Calvert gave this name to his first, and Mr. Sullivan Pitts and family, and Mr. unsuccessful, colony in Newfoundland, and the Mary- T. Manning and family will move out this week land state seal still refers to and Avalon. and take possession of "Waveland," Mrs. John Some writers have expressed the belief that Dorsey's Chandler Smith's handsome country seat. Forge had produced cannon for use by the Revolutionary Messrs. Pitts and Manning have taken army, but this is incorrect. The present name of Gun "Waveland" every summer for a number of years Road has helped to foster this idea. However, ordnance and find it the most convenient and healthy place equipment was not produced by a sitting mill. in Baltimore county, and this summer they will A later manufacturing industry at the site of Dorsey's find it more convenient on account of the extra Forge was the Avalon Nail and Iron Company which was number of trains recently added by the B. & 0. incorporated in the 1850s. The large 1869 bird's-eye view R. R. of Baltimore produced by E. Sachse showed an illustra- This land is rapidly improving in value and tion of the Avalon plant on its borders, but between the will be more valuable when the Belt Line is fin- time of making the drawing and its publication the Avalon ished. The residents around Avalon will then have works had been struck by the flash flood of July 24, 1868, a station at the corner of Baltimore and Howard and so thoroughly devastated that it was never returned Streets . . . and one at Lexington Market. What to production. The lithograph had labeled it the property could be more convenient than to get on the cars of H. L. Brooks and Co., also owners of the equally un- at Avalon and ride direct to the Lexington Mar- lucky Elkridge Furnace. ket; do your marketing; send it out by the next Apparently Avalon had been something of a showplace, train; go down to your office and attend to busi- depicted in contemporary paintings with the streets neatly ness? laid out and freshly painted houses, each with its color- James Bruns described the convenience of this rapid ful flower garden. After the flood, Avalon's buildings dwindled away, and only a few houses and a small Ro- rail service: man Catholic church appeared in Bromley's atlas of 1898, It was likewise only six or seven blocks from Two of the original village houses remain. They are a Camden Station to the center of the shopping duplex stone house now on state park property (201 Gun district and only two blocks to Lexington Market Road) and the Bruns house (301 Gun Road), known as where we bought most of our food. The fare from the "Seven Gun Battery House," which was shown on the Avalon to Baltimore was 15 cents for age 12 and SPRING-SUMMER 1995 HISTORY TRAILS PAGE 11

under. People who worked for the B. & 0. had a pass and rode free. Passes were based on the length of service of the employee, some being good only locally, others good on any part of the B. & 0., and for long length of service the railroads had a reciprocal agreement and passes issued that were good on any railroad in the United States. As the automobile became more popular, fewer and fewer people rode the trains and the railroad would discontinue first one train, then another, until finally there was only one inbound train in the morning and one outbound at night. Finally around 1940 [1949 according to Harwood] even these were discontinued. Today only freight trains run on the Old Main Line. My grandparents, Alexander Robinson White and Mary Louisa Carter White, bought their eight acres from John Chandler Smith and built their first house in 1890 be- 303 Gun Road, a festive example of Queen Anne style cause its location was a mid-way point between her fam- built in 1898. ily on Eutaw Place in Baltimore and his on Landing Road in Howard County and also because it had convenient renovated. About 10 acres will be retained by the transportation to his law office at 2 East Lexington Street. purchaser, while the remaining 10 acres are to They also had groceries sent out from the city on the be developed. This property is a portion of the train. land owned by the Avalon Nail and Iron Works, In 1877 atlas of Baltimore County showed just five which concern is said to have manufactured the structures at Avalon, three of which remain, while the first iron nails in America. The other purchasers 1898 atlas showed nine buildings. The 1904 "Map of Pro- were Mr. Edgar W. Day, 7 acres, and Mr. Ed- posed Park Lands of Baltimore and Vicinity," produced ward J. Shriver and Mr. George S. Schofield, of by the Olmsted Brothers, shows that the number had New York, who purchased villa lots of 150 acres grown to eleven. All but two of these remain today. jointly, which they propose to improve and dis- The growth of Avalon as a Baltimore suburb was de- pose of. This will undoubtedly add to the value of scribed in a Towson newspaper of 1891: adjacent property, as well as to the taxable basis Quite an extensive colony has grown up in by the value of buildings erected; but there is a the 13th District known as Avalon. The place is drawback in the present woeful condition of the situated on the Avalon Forge Road, which leads roads and it is to be hoped that the Board of from Catonsville to Avalon Station, on the B. & County Commissioners—who are live and pro- 0. R.R., and through the personal efforts of Mr. gressive men—will see the necessity of calling the A. Robinson White, a well known and prominent attention of the Road Commissioners of the Dis- member of the Baltimore bar, who moved from trict to the need of repairs of the road leading to the 1st District of Howard county, several ad- the railroad station at least. It would not require vantageous sales of lots have been effected. Mr. a great deal of money to put it in complete re- White built a neat house himself, and by his ex- pair, and the yield in enhanced values would soon ample was the means of encouraging a general repay for all expenditures. The road is the bound- and steady improvement. Among the purchas- ary line between the 1st and 13th Districts, and ers were Mr. Frank . Hildebrandt, who secured perhaps both sets of Road Commissioners ought 20 acres of land, and is now putting a handsome to look after it. The B. & 0. R.R., to encourage dwelling and stable on it, and will reside on the the settling along the line, have put on three ex- property throughout the year. tra trains so as to make it convenient for busi- ness men to go and return home to suit their The house built by Mrs. White, "Glenhurst," burned convenience. There are seven trains which stop in 1904 and a larger one was built the next year. It is at Avalon going and nine trains returning. There now my home. is also the advantage of the trains passing the The Hildebrandt property became known as Valley Relay House, which is but 10 minutes walk, so View Farm and according to the Baltimore News of Sep- that as far as railroad facilities are concerned, tember 10, 1908, was sold by Mrs. Albert Gambrill, Jr., this part of the county ought to develop a rapid to Mrs. Carrie K. Ehlen. The deal was closed through A. growth and a corresponding advance all along R. White also. The newspaper went on to state the line in value. It is proposed by a number of . . . it is the purpose of the purchaser to occupy the residents on "Lawyers Hill" and others, to- the fine old house on the place after it has been gether with the assistance of the B. & 0. R.R., to PAGE 12 HISTORY TRAILS SPRING-SUMMER 1995

build a handsome iron bridge across the Patapsco In September of the same year, the Towson newspa- River, between Avalon and the Viaduct, at an early per noted: day. If this scheme is successful the Avalon Forge The Baltimore and Ohio R.R. will continue the Road will save fully one and a half miles drive to same number of trains as they now have all the Catonsville and will avoid the extremely danger- winter. This is the right way to build up a coun- ous crossing at Catonsville Avenue [now Rolling try, and in a short time there will be a house Road], and will also meet a public demand and upon every hill from Relay House to Ellicott City. be a great benefit to a large number of persons living in the immediate neighborhood. Concern was expressed in the same newspaper a few months later about crossing the river: This "scheme" was carried out and the bridge lasted until the flood of 1972. It has since been replaced by a We have one ferry across the Patapsco River modern concrete structure. now at our village, but we must have another Complaints about the condition of the road were noth- nearer the Relay House. Howard County must ing new. The Maryland Journal of Towson contained the come to us . . . So we are all at work now collect- following in June 1891: ing funds for another ferryboat. The roads have recently been repaired, and now we have a regu- What Road Supervisor is responsible for the lar trotting track instead of a common country condition of the Avalon Forge Road? This ques- road. tion is hard to answer. From all the maps we have been able to find we see that it is the divid- Further comments about the situation in the Avalon ing line between the 1st and 13th Districts. Are area appeared in the same newspaper near of the Supervisors quarreling over having the honor 1891: of repairing the same? Or are they so oppressed with work that they cannot spare the time? We There is a petition being numerously signed would be glad to have some explanation of this by the people around here directed to the County condition of affairs. Here is a road which nobody Commissioners requesting them to place a watch- owns and no one will adopt. The County Com- man at the crossing here, which crosses at grade missioners in their wisdom might make a new the double track of the B. & 0. R.R. The crossing place and give us a new man on this road, and is dangerous and should have a watchman and then we would know who to be polite to. gates, or some suitable device to warn persons of the approach of trains. It is impossible from Less than a month later, things had improved: one side to see approaching trains on account of A new road has been dug out along the switch the sharp curves on each side of the crossing at Avalon by the B. & 0. R.R. who now seem to . . . Since the road has been repaired so well a have changed their policy towards suburban resi- great many people use it, but they always run a dents. This improvement makes it very conve- risk when there is no one to warn them of the nient for persons who have carloads shipped approach of trains, and the engineers frequently there. do not whistle as they approach this crossing. In a short while the banks of the Patapsco River will have at least two electric light plants. It is proposed to purchase the water right of one or more of the large streams that flow into the Patapsco River and thus light by electricity Catonsville, Orange Grove, Lawyer's Hill, St. Denis, Catonsville avenue, Relay House, , and last but not least, Avalon. Can any- one say that this section of the county is not on a boom? and that good roads have not already been of advantage? About 1910 the Baltimore County Water and Electric Company, headed by Victor Bloede, acquired the iron works site and put up a new generation of industrial buildings to filter and pump water for the southwestern corner of the county and city. Bloede dam still stands, and in 1993 a fish ladder was completed at the site to enable shad and herring to travel upstream. The darn at Glen Artney was badly damaged in Agnes in 510 Gun Road, a Colonial Revival built in 1898 for Sullivan June 1972 and has since been demolished. The trestle Pitts, designed by J. Appleton Wilson. bridge that spanned the river at Gun Road was washed SPRING-SUMMER 1995 HISTORY TRAILS PAGE 13

. . . the B. and 0. Railroad was always part of life at Avalon, and was no doubt instrumental in the decision to buy the home on Gun Road. In front of our house was a watchman's shack measur- ing about 8 feet square and containing a small "egg" stove, chair, and built-in table. It was the duty of the watchman when a train was ap- proaching, to stand in the road holding a round metal sign perhaps 24" across, which said in large letters STOP. In addition to the 15 or 20 passen- ger trains, there were numerous freights to keep him on the go. It was also his duty to tidy up the passenger station just across the tracks and to have a fire going there for the comfort of the pas- sengers when it was cold. The transient men in the area were recalled by Bill Hedeman in 1991: 403 Gun Road, "Glenhurst," built in 1905 by I used to walk home along the railroad tracks, A. R. White. then cut into the woods. There was a little trickle of a stream in there and always some hobos. away in the flood, although the stone bridge over the old Those were Depression days and they always millrace remained. Because of this , Gun Road is asked me if I had food. They were always hun- no longer the main entrance to the Avalon Area of the gry. I don't know where they got the coffee, but Patapsco State Park. Today the road is a little farther they always had that. east and goes over a new concrete bridge, bringing traffic Mr. Hedeman also recalled that Gun Road was paved into the park from Route 1 in St. Denis. with crushed oyster shells in his youth. The Avalon area A correspondent to the Maryland Journal in 1898 was very rural then and many families kept sheep and expressed concern about the railroad's local facilities and cows "so there were plenty of chores; I got very strong the danger to residents and livestock in crossing the from milking those cows." tracks: James Bruns, recalled the wintertime pleasures of his Everything looks bright and prosperous early days in the area: around here except the station on the B. & 0. Sledding was very popular and the grand- R.R. This is a disgrace to any railroad. Here is an daddy of all the hills in the area was Gun hill. It important station with the county road crossing was the steepest and the longest hill in the area at a grade the double tracks of the B. & 0. The and attracted sledders from all around whenver crossing is very dangerous. Three people using we had a snowfall. this crossing have filed a petition with the County Commissioners asking them to require the rail- My father, John Glenn White, would never let us chil- way company to place a watchman at this most dren sled on this hill; he was afraid we would be run over dangerous crossing and yet for some reason or by a train at the crossing. Skating in the reservoir, now other the Commissioners have paid no attention Lost Lake, and above the Avalon Dam always provided to the same. good winter activity for us and our friends, and they would Sunday morning Frank M. Hildebrandt's cows come back with us for cocoa. My grandfather is said to got on the track and one was killed and another have skated from Gun Road to Annapolis one year. had her leg broken. This is a serious loss. The A major development of the early twentieth century County Commissioners have the power to com- was the establishment of the state park. In 1912 the pel a railroad to do a simple act of justice with- Patapsco Forest Reserve was established after public- out expense to the county. I should think one life spirited citizens urged the state legislature to authorize sacrificed is worth more than twenty watchmen. the purchase of land along the river. The Reserve be- The dilapidated shed at Avalon is a harbor for came the site of one of the nation's first Civilian Conser- tramps and is filthy, and is dangerous for ladies vation Corps (CCC) camps—Camp Tydings—in the 1930s. to go there unattended. Surely a watchman would Camp Tydings became the nation's first camp for consci- cure all this and be a great protection to the trav- entious objectors during World War II. eling public. The following are summary histories of some of the in- dividual houses of interest along Gun Road: The railroad later provided for a watchman there. James Bruns lived close to the railroad and recalled in 303 Gun Road—Built 1898. First owned by P.S. 1977 that Shaffer, then by John P. Cavanaugh, who sold the prop- PAGE 14 HISTORY TRAILS SPRING-SUMMER 1995 erty to J.H. Burke in 1910. In 1917, it was purchased by Benjamin Anderson, whose descendants still live there. 319 Gun Road—Built 1877. First owned by E. Treuth and later by John Berger, who had extensive vineyards there. The Maryland Journal reported that "John Berger has completed a new building to be used I suppose, for a conservatory. The addition is certainly a great improve- ment to this already pretty place." Later owners were named Hurst, Clayton, Boring, Barry, and Macgill. Sylvan Clayton, a neighboring con- tractor, bought this house and divided it into apartments, probably in the 1940s. The Borings did major renova- tions which apparently were undone by the Barrys, who lost the house. The Macgills bought it from the bank in the late 1960s. 324 Gun Road—Successive owners were Frank M. Hildebrandt, Mrs. Albert Gambrill, Jr., William B. Ehlen, 405 Gun Road, 'The Old House,' an expanded log dwell- Page Dame, and the Schaar and Baldwin families. ing dating from 1877. The Ehlens were strict Methodists whose children were not allowed to read the comics in the newspapers on Sundays. My father said they had a special call which then on the party became a traveling event and contin- would echo across the hills to their house--something ues so each year. like this: "al-ley go min-ee go humpty dumpty yoo hoo." 403 Gun Road—A.R. White built the present house, The present owner, Gary Baldwin, who bought the "Glennhurst," in 1905 after a fire destroyed the original property about 1953, remembers finding wires around house in 1904. His son, J.G. White, inherited the home all the windows--reputedly part of a burglar alarm sys- in 1932, and my late husband and I took it over from my tem of a former owner who was a liquor salesman. He mother in 1965. During the Great Depression, my father also said that before electricity was installed the house had built a small bungalow downhill from the main house had an acetylene gas system. for the Gil Hedeman family who had to move out of an In the 1940s, two maiden ladies, Bess Fisher and Alma apartment in the Andersons' house across the field. Spencer, bought a piece of this land from the Schaars Some time in the 1930s, the Hedemans and their two and built a cabin for a weekend retreat after having sons, Harold and Bill, rented ground from the Schaars camped in the park previously. They added to the cabin and built their little shingle house next to the road which and made it a permanent home. It also served as the is now 406 Gun Road. Harold Hedeman and his wife Dot home of the annual Gun Road Christmas party starting built their house in stages beginning in the 1930s be- in the 1950s until the late 1970s or thereabouts. From hind "Miss Nettie's" house. It is 408 Gun Road. Bill Hedeman and his wife Betsy built 410 Gun Road in the 1970s. 405 Gun Road—A.R. White used this log cabin as a carriage house or stable. After the 1904 fire, my father and several of his sisters stayed here while other mem- bers of the family went to live with grandmother White on Landing Road in Howard County. They would drive in a horse-drawn carriage up River Road in the park to a drive- way that is now a park trail to visit the family. An addi- tion was made to this cabin in 1927 and it became a permanent home for Charles and Mildred Tinges, third daughter of A.R. White. The design was by Baltimore architect, Henry S.T. White, a cousin, who also designed Trinity School, St. Bartholomew's Church, and many homes in Guilford. It was called "The Old House." In 1985 Mary Louise Hoffman inherited it from our Aunt Mildred and another addition was built in 1987 by her and her husband.

416 Gun Road—This house was shown on the 1904 307 Gun Road, a late example of Gothic Revival built in Olmsted map. In 1915, it was owned by Mrs. B.E. 1902. Diffenderfer, and later it was owned by Mr. and Mrs. SPRING-SUMMER 1995 HISTORY TRAILS PAGE 15

Williamson. Mr. Williamson would drive down to our place in the last 20 years in the fashion of coun- house every Sunday and my father would sit in his car try homes. In old times nearly every one painted and talk to him. He had been a music teacher at their houses some dark, sombre color. Now ev- McDonogh School and had a grand piano. All I can re- erything is painted a light, bright, attractive shade member about the Williamsons' house is the piano and and which shows out miles and miles around. the curtains in the house which looked as though they Now, Mr. Donaldson's house looks like some large had been up for a hundred years. A black man, Walter, castle, and, from its great elevation, can be seen worked for the Williamsons as best he could. He had from every direction. only one hand and a hook for the other. The place is now owned by the Oblate Sisters of Provi- A later owner, a Mr. Banda, razed the house and build dence. The original house, after its purchase by the sis- a new one on the site. Afterward the place was owned by ters, was burned in the 1940s when a homemade mix- people named Rezai. ture of floor wax caught fire. The present building was 424 Gun Road—This little house was built probably opened in the fall of 1956 as a convent and junior col- in the 1920s by Sully Pitts whose father had owned the lege. Robert Kennedy was present at the dedication. The property earlier. I can remember, in the 1950s, seeing college was phased out due to competition from Mr. Pitts and his companion, Carlotta Young, driving out Catonsville Community College and later the University for dinner every afternoon. The house is now owned by of Maryland, Baltimore County. Frank Earp. The sisters gave the Bezolds (he was the caretaker of their property for many years) the property which is now 426 Gun Road—This was another house shown on the 515 Gun Road. 1904 map. It was a tenant house on the Pitts estate which A very picturesque barn stood against the hill below was lived in by the Eleys and later—probably in the the convent but was burned in the 1980s. 1940s—by a black couple, James and Ethel Johnson. James worked for Sully Pitts, and Ethel did ironing and The beauty of the scenery in the Gun Road area was other work. Judge Helen Elizabeth Brown bought the expressed in the Maryland Journal in 1891: property from Sully Pitts' estate and called it "Sable's Our mountain views are beautiful to look on. Nook." It is now owned by the Jarvis family and has been Standing upon one of the many hills that sur- considerably altered. round Avalon, after a storm, just as the sun sets, 510 Gun Road—This house was shown in the 1898 you can see ten or a dozen clouds of mist rising atlas. It was built by Mr. Pitts and later owned by Dr. from as many streams, and as far as the eye can J.S.B. Hodges, an Episcopal minister, and then by Dr. reach you can see rainbow after rainbow, made Lumpkin. The Taggarts bought it in 1923 and sold it to by the sun shining through them. Then you know the Ritters in 1958. that you are in God's own country and that Two members of the Taggart family and one member "Rome, who sat upon her seven hills and from of the Ritter family have built houses on the adjoining her throne of beauty ruled the world," was not property over the years. The main house was undergoiing restoration in 1995 (The Taggart family members were Frances Hosmer who built the house at 508 Gun Road in 1938, and Jean White who built the house at 516 Gun Road in 1958.)

511 Gun Road—This was "Waveland," built in the 1830s for the family of John Chandler Smith. Later own- ers were named Duvall, C.W. Fife, and Brownley. Mr. Banda bought the property in the 1950s, renovated the house, and built three more houses on the property. More recent owners were Richardson and then Lindberg. 612 Gun Road—This house was owned by Mrs. G.W. Read and later by people named Thom and then Riggs. E.H. Clayton bought eight acres on the west side, built his home there in 1938, and later sold off four lots. 701 Gun Road—This was shown in the 1898 atlas as the property of John J. Donaldson. In the spring of 1898, the Maryland Journal of Towson reported: Spring, as usual with us, has brought new improvements. John J. Donaldson has just re- painted his house and outbuildings and the im- 224 Gun Road, "Valley View Farm,' built 1898, where the provement is immense. What a change has taken annual neighborhood Christmas party started in the 1950s. PAGE 16 HISTORY TRAILS SPRING-SUMMER 1995

more beautiful or majestic than the seven hills that surround this lovely spot. . . . This country is far more beautiful than any that surrounds either Philadelphia or Washington, and if the same country was transplanted to either place would be built up in one-half the time it has taken us to discourse what a good healthy and beauti- ful country we lived in. Each hill from the Relay House up to Sykesville affords a magnificent site. Then you can build your house along the "Blue Patapsco's billowy dash" and see for miles the trains of one of the greatest trunk lines in the world speeding along. Today's residents don't express the beauty of the area in this manner, but many of us feel that once a Gun Roader, always a Gun Roader, for these hills of home get in your blood. Several of the larger tracts have been di- vided and developed, mostly since the 1950s. Some of these have been for younger generations to build on their parents' property, and more of the same will undoubt- edly continue to happen in the future. 426 Gun Road, once a tenant house on Pitts Estate.

— Baltimore County Public Library This illustration of the Avalon Iron Works appeared on the border of Robert Taylor's 1857 map of Baltimore County. The original map is displayed in the Wilson Room of the Towson Library.