Essex Heritage 1909-1969

'f11E" 1 ( .. . ' J tertlage SOCIETY of ESSEX and MIDDLE RIVER

baltimoreorless.com (scan courtesy of Bobbie Rich Bell)

Mrs. Laura H e n sler

Vice-Presiden t

Baum, Betty Bau, Charles Baumgartne r. Alex Baumgartner. Arthur Baumgartner. Diane C. Baumgartner. Helen B. Baumgartner, Helen T. Baumj!;artner. Mary Blackmon, ~ary Helen Blackmon. Wesley B. Blevins, Linda May Blum , frances E. Blum, Frank E. Blum, .\lladaline Blum, Marie E. Blum, Naida A. Blum, Ruth Y. Boone, Dana Boone, Etta M.G. Borsos . Virginia Brooks, Doris Bugatch. Samuel I.

Burkhardt, Amonda Harry CaUaway Callaway, Thomas Cefaloni , John Cefaloni, Myrtle Clark, Gent>vit've C. Columbia, Alan Connell, Kay Corey, Mary Corey. Roland Crowell. Be tty* Crowell, Jerry* Crusse, Edward A.A . Crusse, Josephine Cecelia Dehne Thelma DeVaughn Diggs. John Dorrett, Ethel Dudrow, Myrt le Dunham, Betty Dunham, Em ma Dunham, Nelson Evans, Madaline

Mrs. Mary Co•·ey

TreastLrer

MEMBERS Gaedkc, Chris tina Gaedkc. Sr. Harry Guttenberger . John Havrilak. John P. Hensler. Calvin Henslt>r, Harry Hensler. Joan Hen lt>r, Laura Henslt'r, Rita Hensler . Robert L. Hod~tcs . Leona Kearns. James T. Kolbe. ,\>1il lard Kolbt'. Therese KopiC'ky. Dorothy KoiJi<'ky. Elmer L. Krannebi tter, Gertrude Krannebitte r. Karl Krs, Evelyn Levie , Pearl Lukoski. Casimir J. ~cCarter. Esther .'vfcCarter. Horace

McCarter. colt Kathleen Mc Kevitt :\lart inak, George J.

l ilke. Irene J.\Irok, Rose Muenzing, Bessie Nelson. Lula

ixon, Richard M. * Oakcl', Evelyn Oronson, Edith M. Oronson, .Joseph Pie rce. Audrey Pierce, Deborah Pierce. Ht>rbcrt Pierce, ~arie Pierce. Robin Pierce, William Alice Platt J. Jay Platt Pugh, Josephine Pugh, Kenneth Darleen Raber Reese, Bernice

~ACE CEILINGS SPECIALISTS IN

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Mrs . H e le n Baumgartne r

SecrPtar.r

Reese , Charles Rizzo, Alice Rizzo, Ellie Ruley, John .I . Ruppert , Agatha Ru ppert, Darryl Sadler, Rosalie P . Scoggins, Earle Svezzese. Kathy Taylor, Benjamin Tutchton . Beatrice C. Tutchton, James T. Ward. Alma Wheat ley, Ann Williams. Anna Williams. Patricia ~Williams, Robert D. Wolfe, Kay Wood, Lottie Workman. Ethel Young. Callie Zipkin , Evelyn Ball

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EARLY 1608, Ca pta in John mith

explored and mapped tht> Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries . Lord Balti more visited Virginia in 1628 and, in all probability, ex plored this area, since he later obtained a grant on it.

St. Mary's was settl ed in 1634 and Baltimore County was established in 1659. At that time, the area covered by Baltimore County inc luded what is now Carroll and Harford Cou nties and large parts of An ne Arundel, Howard and Frederick Counties.

There wt>re quit e a few familit>s living in Baltimore Cou nty in l65Y. One was that of Det mar and Reuska Stan bury (Standsbury, Stansborou gh, Ste mborou gh) and the ir small son, Tobias, who arrived as immigrants in 1658.1 At present , we do not know the date of the pate nt granted the Sta nsbu rys nor exactly where the ground was located. We do know there were Stansburys in the Patapsco Nec k and Bac k River Neck sections during the middl e and late 1600's. We also know that Tobias , son of Detmar and Reuska Sta ns bury. obtain ed a patent on 100 acres of ground known as POPLAR NECK in 1670, when he was just 17 years of age.

A 3,000 acre patent was granted Thom as Lytfoot on October 26, 1686 and on Nove mber 7, 1686 (12 days la ter), 200 of these acres were surveyed by a Thomas Scudamore for Tobias Stansbury, a lthough this patent was not recorded until 1744. These 200 ac res were known as WESTWOOD and, according to

a photostat of the patent in our possession, it was located bet ween the "Eas t s ide of :Vliddlc River a nd the West side of said river known as North Eas t Bra nch' '. T his wording is co nfus in g and could be taken two ways, (l) that the ground between Middle River and the North East Branc h (now Essex) wa then known as WESTWOOD; and (2) that the North East Branch was a branc·h of "said river'-, that is Middle River", sin<:e it is the only river me ntioned. This, we know, is incorrect, since it is a branch of Bac k River. It is possible the deed wron gly indicated Middle River and the land actually laid between the East side of Back River and the Wes t side of orth East Branc h, or the section now known as Chcsacu Park. This seems to he borne out

6 0th Anniver sary Publication Published by

The Heritage Socie ty of Essex and Middle Rive r 113 Riverside Road • Baltimore, Maryland 21221

1969 Alex Bumgartner ....... .. . . . ....... Presiden t Mrs. Laura Hensler ... .... _ .. Vice-Pre.~ ident

Mrs. \1 ary Corey ......... . ..... .... .. Treasurer 'v(rs. Helen Humgartncr . ... . _ .... ..... Secretary

Layout nnd Design by Milton Parizek and Associate.,

1907 Longview Ave. • 8664318

HISTORY by anotht>r patent obtained by Luke Stansbury, son of Tobias. whic h indicates WESTWOOD was located at th e " head of Back River and West s ide of North Eas t Branch"_

In addit ion to WESTWOOD, Luke S tansbury obtained pate nts on the sec tions known as LOTT, FOREST, SA:vlSONS A GLES. SAMSONS ADDITIO , ADDITION TO WESTWOOD, and others.

In tlw Back River Nec k sect ion. pate nts were obtained by me mbers of the Stansbury fami lies on BALLESTO NES, STA S B URY CLAIM. STA NSBURYS 1 -HERITANC£, STRIFE and a great ma ny others.

ln 1865, the home of Carville S. Stansbury, located in Bac k River ~eck . burn ed. The mansion had been in his fam il y around 200 year , whic h dates it to a pproximately 1665.2

A great deal of time and research is required in tracing old records, as most are Located in Annapolis and St. Mary's. However, as time goes on, we intend to delve more deeply into the history of the Stansbury family which included at least two Generals , General Tobias Stansbury and General .John E. Stansbury; a minister, Rev. Tobias Stansbury, minister of the Methodis t Episcopal Church , on whose farm, located in Patapsco Neck, General Ross was killed in the War of 1812; and Elijah Stansbury, Mayor of Baltimore City. ~-

l. T lw .l clft·r~~~~•ian. St•pt. 13. 11J30 2 . .Sd!;trf s- Hi:~ot; ~ r)' ;,f BallinH•rt: (: it y and (:;,unty

T his publication on the 60th Anniversary of the Essex Area, reflects the Heritage of the com munity. This fi rst souvenir publication would make an excellent gift to friends and relatives, and to son s and husbands in the service of our country, to acquaint them with our small contribution to the Heritage of our countr y.


PHOTO REMEMBERANCES

1. Bell from Vigilant Fire Department Tower (191 7). 2. Northeast corner of Mace and Eastern Avenues (1 909). 3. J<it·st residence built in Essex by Mr. & i\frs. j. Schuster (1909). 4. Ford Agency in Essex (1929). 5. Soapbox R ace (194 7). 6 . Vigilant Fire Department (1917). 7. Essex A. C. Baseball Team (1 9 ). 8. Confection store corner Eastern Avenue and Riverside -Drive (19 ). 9 . Vil!-ilant Fire Depart-

. ment (19 ). 10. Looking West on Eastern Ave. (191 0).

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ESSEX ELEMENTARY

SCHOOL ~

HE FIH T E EX 5<'hool was opened in Jan uary 191 3 with 2R pupils. The building, lo<'ated at the <·orner of Eastern and Taylor

Avenues. was originally built as a s ample house and was used as a Rt>a l b:s ta te office.

Miss Branford Gis t. princ ipal. arranged with the Essex \1e thodist C hurc·h. the n located on the uppo11ite corner of Easte rn and Taylor Avenues. to re nt their ha~ement in 1915 to accommodate morE' th ildren.

In l91R. thf' !lehool was relocated in the portable s<·hools at Dorsey and Woodward Drive.

By 1925, the portables we re so c rowded. the new s<·hotJI was opened a t :Vlacf' and Franklin Avenues. An addition was added to this school in 1942. •

First ~rode at Ess.-x School-1918-Teache r, 1\frs. Smith

This aerial photo of Essex was taken in 192 7 under the direc tion of the E ssex School P.T.A. Of particular interest ore (1) Firs t gro('ery s tore built in 1910, (2) 1\tace Ave, (3) Essex Elem. School built in 1925 (4) First Home built in 1909, (5) Essex 1\feth oclis t C hurch, (6) Sample house which became first school in 1913, (7) Eastern Avenue and (8) St. j ohn'& Lu theran Church .

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Middle River was a " wilderness of farms and swamps'' when in 1892 WiJiiam Louis Smith (in the inset) built there the hotel that is shown above. Far.,.;ers, fishermen and a travelin~t magic lantern show were patrons.

Middle River As A 5-Family 'Town'

By Mrs. Edith Smith Asher

(Reprinted from the Sunday Sun-November 28, 1954)

!DOLE RIVER'S families came throu gh he'd have plenty of -and houses-could be bus iness. He argued that Middle counted on one hand back River was a great fi shing hole, and

in 1892. if there was a good hotel there. he The family names were Jeffers , could get customer in dro ves.

Hughes, Kimmel, Heldorfer and Middleton did nut materialize. Smith. But my fa tlw r's hunch was a good

The widow Kimmel and her son one. On week ends during fishing made up the th ird fa mily: they oper- sea on. every bed in the seven a ted a tiny grocery two blocks south hotel rooms was ocTupied- and of the sta tion but on the we t side extra beds were put up. The bar was of the tra<· ks. The George Heldorf. crowded and so was the dining ers kept a saloon a t what is now the room. where. for 50 cents, the ang-eurner of Euslnn avenue road and le rs got hu ge chic ken dinners. Harrison boulevard . And my par- Although there was nothing in the ents, Mr. a nd .\1rs. Will iam Louis neighborhood of 1iddle River ex-Smith, operated the only hotel in cept farm s - Stemmers Run and " town." Bengie were even smaller than our

The Smith Hotel was situ ated on town, and Essex didn 't exist -the west s id e of the tracks, a lmost there was plenty of bu siness during directly across from the station. :\1y the week. Farmers, after doing bus-father built it in the Spring of '92. A iness at the post office which was wounded Civil War veteran who had operated by my father in the hotel , been a hotel keeper in Anne Arundel came into the bar. Salesmen would county, he'd seen a real-estate ad - stop in for a night. A couple of vertisement proclaiming that a vast times so me people who operated a development to be called Middle ton traveling magic-lantern show were would be built in the Middle River guests. For some years county Re -area. publicans held rallies at the hotel ,

.\[~ mother scoffed. Who'd want too. tu build an~1hin~ in that wilderness And 1 r ecall that when telephone • i farms and ,-wamps? .\l y father lines w er e going through around ~;1· 1 that t>' en if no de,elopment the turn uf the century. we put up

three dozen workers for one winter at $6 per w eek per man. At noon. I recall, my father carried wash boilers of soup and coffee and boxes of sandwiches out to their work s ite.

I'm glad I grew up in Middle River. Isolated as it was, there was plenty to do. There was fi shing and crabbing and swimming in the clear waters of the river itself. There were hu sking bees on the Wilkinson. Ed wards and Hughes farm s, all of them on the present Y.lartin land ; I can still taste th e big farm suppers and hear the music of the fiddl es as the young people danced.

We learned our ABC's at Orem'.s School, the one-room public school that was a mile's walk from home between Middle River and Stemmers Run. Miss Sarah Pielert was the teacher there. One of my classmates and close friends, Doris ::Vlill· ing, is a prominent c itizen in the town today. ow she 's Mrs. Doris Cross, the Middle River librarian.

By the time the new century arrived :viidd le River was growingalthough why, 1 can' t say. I s uppose there were a dozen new res idents by 1900, including the community's beloved doctor for so many years, Dr. Harrison. He had the firs t te lephone in town, 1 re member. Harrison boul evard , is named for him .

After 1900 T co mmu ted to town every day to s tud y a t the State Normal School. then lu<·atcd a t Carrollton and Lafayette avenues . I took the train; my fath er wouldn't a llow me to take the s treetcar which paralleled Eastern avenue, the n a shell road. He didn' t like the streetcar because it pas ed by Hollywood Park, an amusement <·enter at the north end of the Back River bridge . He didn't like it for several reasons, one of which was that he had actually seen a woman chewing gum there!

When I graduated in 1904 1 be· gan a thirteen-year tour as the teacher at the public chool at Bengies. It was in 1917 that 1 moved with my mother into the city. Dad had died in 1911 , but s he had kept on with the hotel. Then in 1917 the railroad bought it so a siding could be put in on its site. That never happened. Late t·. the railroad sold the site for houses t bat are now surrounded by a thriv· in~!; community. ~


I

Historical Sketch of

BACK RIVER METHODIST CHURCH

lnformation received from :\1rs. Herbert Dieckman

II HE RES IDE T of Bac k River eck , most of whom were farmers. had no place to worship neare r than Orems M.E. Church. which was

about eight miles away. Since this was th<' era of the horse and buggy, it was considered quite a long driv<'. About the year 1870, the res idents with some aid from the county built a school house on the site of the iJresent Back River e<'k School. This was a lso used as a place of worship.

About 1882, e fforts to begin services again were su<'cessful and through the cooperation and leadership nf Re v. W. G. Hedges, pastor of the Great Fa lls Circuit of the .VI .E. Church , and the junior pastor. Rev. Charles Bryan, services were held regularly e very two weeks. with the pastor and junior pastor alterna ting.

The work continued to grow in in terest. a lthou:rh few in number. Then a co mmittee was form ed under the leaders hip of th t> pastor to plan for a building in which to worship.

The building was erected by Mr. John haffe r with the assistance of Mr. Hax, a carpenter. Bdore the framing was finis hed , th e fa rmers went to Baltimore (lll

March 7, 1888 and hauled a ll the necessary millwork from W. D. Gill. This included doors, frames, windows , flooring, wainscoting, etc. The wainscoting was used ins tead of plaste r for the walls and ceiling. The equipment and furnishings of the new building consisted of ke rosene lamps for lighting, a large coal or wood burning stove for heating, window shades wert> hung at all windows, a raised platform with Jec turn and altar rail, an organ and sufficient pews for the aud itorium.

The churc h was dedicated August 12, 1888. The name selec ted was Back River M.E. Church and was officially connec ted with and served by the minis ters of the Great Falls Circuit. This section automatically adm itted it to the Baltimore Conference of the M.E. Church. The dedication sermon was preached by Rev. William Herbert of Caroline St. M.E. Church, Baltimore. His subject was taken from Psalm 122 and part

the first church was

of the sixth verse: " They shall prosper that lovc Thee". The Sunday School grew too large for the build ing

and it became evident that a nothrr room mus t be addPd. It was dec ided to raise the building and build a room under it. Thi;: necessitated jac·king the buildin:r high enough to give head room. then enclosing the room with a concre te block foundation. Mr. John Wright agreed to do the work and as a resu lt. a largt> Wl'll-lighted room was available.

On und ay morning. February 26, 1928, everyo ne was horrified to see the church building on fire. In one hour's time, nothing remained but a smnuldt>ring mass of ashes. A few chairs were salvaged but all else was a total loss.

Expressions of sympathy came from many sources, together with immediate offe rs of assistance to fina nce a new and better building. The first offer rece ived was from :\1rs . Frederic k Josenhans to use her hall as a place of worship unti l the new bui lding was ready. Tht> new building was completed and dedicated in eptember 1928. By 1938 additional room was needed and a room was added to the back of the present buildin g.

Jn 1939. the name was changed to Back River Methodist Church, as a result of the uniting of three branches of ;\lethodis m.

The Back River Church d iffers somewhat from the average church because the attendance increases during the summer season. :\1any shore residents desi re to attend church and there is always a spirit of welcome here. ~


~ !l!jji!!!@@lliiii ii@II III@II IIIIJI IIII II' !Ill ""'!!P-41'f r I II

HISTORICAL BACI{GROUND OF BACK RIVER NECI{ By \lr~. Janet Reel ing-(formcr teacher at Mars Estat<'S)

" . ;, .-\:'\Y YE.-\RS \GO. the in- The Philadelphia Ruad is one of In 1907, the s tore on the corner l>l ·-.,. ·habitant~ of 11ur l·ommuni t \ the old<:!s t highways into the eity. of Back River eck Road and Old ,:· · ,~ -~'' ere leathl'r ~. redskinned It was an indian trail which was Eastern Avenue was sold to Fred -men wtw '' ere knuwn as "Tillers surveyed in 1787 by John Eager erick Josenhans, an outsider from of th e soir·. These indians. the Howard. It was called the Old Post the city. His official trademark be-Yaco mi to~. :\antic-ukes. and Mat- Road and mail was carried over it came "The Busy Corner- T he Bee-tawas. were peaceful due, mainly, by stages between Was hington and hive of Industry". To this day, th is to the humane laws of the Calverts. New York. Many visitors travelled area is known as " Josenhans'

In our parly days, areas were to Washinbrton by stagecoach and Corner" . Soon a building was con-known as parishes. A parish was General Washington often rode to structed which served as a livery div ided into '"hundreds"' and once the Continental Congress in Phil- stable while upstairs was a com-a year a levy tax list was made of adelphia. This road was chosen be- munit y hall in which were held the taxable residents of each hun- cause it was the shortest route be- social and political meetings, and a dred. Taxable residents were all tween Philadelphia and Baltimore dance studio called the Rossville free residents who owned fifty with fewer dangerous places and Academy. The post office at th is a ·res of land or a " vis ible estate" hills to mount. It has also been time was located at Rossville. of not less than fo rty pounds. These called the Great Eastern. Along This was known as the horse and tax-payers were called upon by the thi s route weary travellers s topping buggy day. A popular vehicle of sheriff to appear at the courthouse at an inn or tavern would read a this t ime was the Phaeton Wagon to choose delegates to the General bill of fare such as: which was used to carry people Assembly. from the trolley lin e, which was ex-

There were no formal churches tended to Middle River, to the or schools. The c ircuit rider would Tavern Rates pleasure shores. With the advent of come as often as possible and automobiles, gasoline tanks were

FIXED BY THE COURT prayer meetings were held in river ON OLD POST ROAD added to the store and a jitney* bus cabins. By 1774, the population had Hot Dinner with beer or cider- replaced the Phaeton Wagon (*]it l:,'rown so extens ively. that a church 2 shiltinl!s means nickel - the fare was five was needed. Land was deeded and Cold Dinner wi th beer nr l'ider - cents). A woman, Lil Klima, brought the firs t Methodis t Church in this 1 shilling, 6 pence the first ones to Baltimore and be-country was founded on Orems Breakfast or supper with green came known as " Ji tney Lil". Road. Its' minister, Francis As- 1 shil/inK, 6 pence The s ite upon which Mars Estates bury. became our first bishop. School now stands was once an ice

Along th e beautiful shores of Back River was found Paradise Farm belonging to E. Taylor. The old colonial farmhouse was surrounded by rolling countryside. In 1860-l , it was rented to Mr. Tutch-ton.

Ten years after Cove Point opened, part of the land was sold for St. Stephens African Methodist E piscopal Church which was erected on the corner of Back River Neck Road and Old Eastern Avenue. The church and cemetery still stand.

The post offi('e was located at the Stemmers Run S tation of the Pennsylvania, Wilmington and Baltimore Railroad. The population was approximately 350. The Locust Grove Iron Furnace , which provided arms for the war, managed to em ploy about 100 hands. A s tore owned by the \ralters Brothers was 11pened ac-ross from the church and the post office was moved there.

Farther out on these roads are pond belonging to the Romberg many pleasant farms and country family, for whom its st reet was residences. The qu ality of the soil named. lends itself to the cultivation of Soon there was need of a larger vegetables and fruits (truck farm- school so, in 1908, a "new" two-ing). The roads were laid with room schoolhouse was opened. oyster shells which, pulverizing There was one teacher for eight under the heels of vehicles and classes, approximately fifty chil-hoofs of horses, formed a bed of un- dren. Attendance at school was sea-surpassed smoothness and solidity. sonal. During planting and harves t-

The shell road led from the city ing season, the children were to Back River through charming needed at home. In wintertime, the scenery at the heads of inlets of roads were impassable . Often the the bay. There are numerous public children walked to school, their feet resorts and the drive is very pop- wrapped in heavy sacks. Before ular with the people of the c ity. and after school , boys would de-

In 1888, because of the growth of li ver papers and mail over the ice on skates. population, Back River Methodist

Church was built. In 1895, during the period called

the "Gay Nineties", the trolley line from the city was extended to Back Rjver Bridge. Hollywood Park, sort of an oasis at the end of the car line. was built for local recreation and picnics.

For entertainment, the young people would travel to different houses for parties, dancing to bands, the gramaphone or the player piano. ~

,.. baltimoreorless.com (scan courtesy of Bobbie Rich Bell)

ESSEX THE ESSEX WAR MEMORIAL was dedicated on Sunday, May 2, 1948, in me mory of 18 Essex boys who were killed in World War II. These boys were: Adam Amend; Robert S. Dean; Joseph H. Dutterweich; C. Hessenaur; Melvin H. Lindsay: Theodore P. Merling: William H. Ritter, Jr.; Andrew J. Wermsdorfer : Fra nk J. Rutowski; Robert R. Bennett , J r.: George C. Dehne; J. Griffith, George E. Krueger; Walter Lamka: Earl E. Martin; Henry H. rhwinn; William Wciderman and Joseph C. Welker.

The Barre, Vt. granite memorial, "ALTAR OF FREE DOM", designed and executed by Frank E. Hammaker of Towson, is 14 feet high and 8 fee t across its base. Within the cornerstone is a copper box containing a scroll bearing the names of over 800 Essex Veterans. a bible and other momentos. lt is erected on a plot of ground leased from the Young .\len's Democratic Club for l c for a period of "99 years plus 99 years··.

Donations for the memorial and an Endow ment Fund for maintenance were raised by the Essex Memorial Assn., Inc., formed in 1946 under the leadership of Neeley Hurley. Workers on the fund raising were: Mrs. Elizabeth Crusse; Mr. & Mrs. Louis Engle; Mr. William S. GPorge: Mrs. Lillian Hu ghes: Mr. Neeley Hurley;

Mr. & Mrs. Herbert Keiser: Mr. & Mrs. Melvin D. Lind ay: Mr. John Roth and :Vlrs. Anna Walters.

Arcrue K. Price was chairman of the parade which preceded the dedication. Some of the participants in the parade, which began at the east end of Back River Bridge and disbanded at Stuart Street, were: State and County Motorcycle Police; The U.S. Marine Band; The llSth Inf. Reg. H.Q. Company of

g the Maryland National Guard from Towson; The 327th Army Band , Color Guard and Firing Squad from Edgewood Che mical Arsenal: The American Legion Band,; Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Band ; the 29th Drum & Bugle Corp. sponsored by

mahder Veterans Foreign Wars: John .\1cGuire, Judge AdvocateOur Lady of i\[t. Carmel CWV Pos t 706 and William J. DeWitt , Commander-Our Lady of Mt. Carmel CWV. The Invocation was given by Rev. Leo Techlenberg of St. Johns Lutheran Church: the Dedicatory Prayer by Rev. John Schauer of Zion Evan. Lutheran Church and the Dedicatory address by William C. Wright, State Chaplain of the Veterans Foreign Wars.

The Memorial Service was read by Rev. John Velasco of the Trinity Protestant Episcopal Church. As Mas ter of Ceremonies J . William McAvoy called out the 18 names on the Memorial , 18 girls from the

WAR MEMORIAL Essex Yle morial VFW Post 2621; fire trucks fro m Arbutus , Rosedale, Midd le borough and Rockaway Beach, as well as numerous other civic groups.

Junior Forest Rangers George E. Larrimore (than 18) and Frank A. Baltusis (then 15) were Honor Guards on each side of the Memorial du ring the ceremonies, which were broadcast over Station WSID, Essex.

Master of Ceremonies was .f. William McAvoy and speakers were Charles Buscher. State Com·

Essex Youth Center, dressed in wrute, one by one placed a longs temmed carnation at the base · of the monument. Three volleys were fired by a squad of soldiers from the Maryland Military District and the Benediction was given by Rev. Francis Wagner, Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Church.

Each year , ori Memorial Day, services are held here by the various V cterans organizations. Flowers are placed throughout the year by Connelly's and Brudzinski's Funeral Homes. •

DEDICATIOI'i-ESSEX WAR MEl\10RIAL-)IAY 2,1948: Mr. Harry Feldner, of Franklin Avenue-Essex, donated this pic ture to the Heritage Socie ty. H e took it from the roof of his father-in-law's h ardware stor e (JUilke's). l\1r . Feldn er works for the News-Am erican and was responsible for the n ews items on the Essex War Memorial which app eared in the paper a t thai time.


OUR LADY OF

MOUNT CARMEL CHURCH

HE RECORDS OF Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church begin with the Bap

tism of Frances Vic toria Dougherty the daughter of Edward Dougherty and Florence Hawkins on ovember 14, 1893. The Baptism was ad ministe red by Fa the r Carroll W. Curri er who ca me to the new mission in Middle Ri ver from Saint .Joseph's, Fullerton, .\1aryland each Sund ay. The first wedding performed in the nt> wly founded parish was that of Charles Mohr and Maria Haut on Februar y 6 , 1894.

The parish was mainly composed of German stock. T he second pastor was Father George Tragesser who was followed by Father Franc is Wunn enber g. Th e fourth Pastor

Compliments of

HENRY J. BETZ & SON

MURDOCK 6-4055

7122 Gold e n Ring Rd. Esse x, Md. 21 221

Fresh Cut Lunch Meat

Jo's Grocery RIVERSIDE & POPLAR RD.

O PEN 7 DAYS

'i\on . .So1. S-8 Sunday 9 -6

was Father Francis Flanigan. During these years the parish grew very slowly and was s till mainly rural in na ture.

Father John Connelly was th e fifth Pastor. He was follow ed by a

·man who was to have a major part in molding the paris h into a large self supporting; subu rban Parish . This man was Monsignor Nicholas Jaselli. T he period of his Pastorate covers a period from 1919 to 1949. It was during his pastorate that the small wooden church which s tood where the present hedges and lawn are, was torn down and the corner s tone of the lower church and bell tower was laid on Oc tober 3, 1920. T he present upper church was added in 1937.

In 1925 the firs t section of the Parish Elementary School was built containing four classrooms and an auditorium. The firs t class grad uated in 1927. Sister Philomena was th e princ ipal. The class was composed of s ix boys and fiv e girls : Earl Hughes, Edward Kedjeski, Walter Grebe, William Kraft , John Pfeiffer, Francis Jones, Thelm a Helldorfer, Catherine Me Vey, Amelia Freidel, Katherine Arms· worthy, and Anna Kroning (Siste r Franc is Joseph O.S.F.) The second principal of the sehool was Siste r Ludelphus.

The Pas tora te of Mons ignor .l aselli was followed by that of Monsignor C. Carroll Kerr who began the construc tion of the lung awaited High School in 1 YSH. The school re ceived its first class of s tudents in September 1959 of 85 Freshmen. There were two teachers S is ter Leonita, P rineipal and Sister Carmel Joseph. Monsignor Kerr died befor e he ever saw the build-

Friendly owned and operated in Essex for over 25 yrs.

~~St.t

DINNER DINING ROOM

When in Towson visit our

TOWSON DINER DINING ROOM • COCKTAILS

718 York Rd. VA. 5-8617

ing which he planned in use. Fi nal arrangements were made by the new Pastor Father John .\1urphy who added the gymnasium in 1962. In June of 1963 Father John Murph y was elevated to the title of "Rt. Rev. Monsignor."

The Elementary School now c orn · prises three sect ions with a s tu dent enrollment of 757. There ar e twelve sis ter s and nine lay teachers. Recent Principals have been Sister Alma Regina, Sister Agnes Eileen, Sis ter Teresiana, and the presP.nt principal Sister Alma.

The High School grad ua ted its firs t class in 1963. J:he present enrollment is 275 representing a t least 30 differe nt parishes. There are six sis ter and four lay teachers.

The parish soc ie ties are the Hol y Name, Sodality, Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Catholic Youth Or ganization, Altar Boys, Adult and Boys C hoirs, Ushers, Lectors, and the newly organized Parish Council.

The present Pastor is Monsignor John J. Murphy, his Associa tes ar e Father Robert Keller and Fa ther Thomas Bevan. •

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AUGUST 3-4, 1957

ESSEX FIRE Baltimore count y fire offic ial

today began probing the ruins of a n Essex shopping center , seeking the cause of a blaze that gutted seven business firms and a branch bank and inflicted damage estimated at more than $1,000,000.

The ten-alarm blaze was discovered Saturday night, less than an hour aft er some of the firms had closed for the weekend, and raged out of control for about six huurs.

Firefighters were s till on duty at the scene today, guard ing agains t any fresh outbreak of flames among the de br is. The flames had burned through the roofs of all but a supermarke t on the eas t end of the center , on the south side of the 500 block Eastern boule vard.

Roland Pie!, Baltimore county building e ngineer , today began an inspection of the shopping cente r to determine whether all of the buildings would have to be razed.

Steel support girders were twisted out of shape by the heat, and walls had collapsed inwar d.

Street-le vel floors that burned throu gh, dropped displa ys into the basements of the buildings owned by the realty firm.

Firemen said the center and contents of the various stores were a total loss.

Police unofficially put the a mount of cash in the bank at S250,000, but officials of the Fidelity-Baltimore National Bank said no esti mate would be made public .

William B. Alexander, vicepreside nt of the bank, said he was confident the money was safe,

s ince the vault has a fire door and is e mbedded in c·oncrete .

Besides the branc h bank, the center contained a Read's drugstore, the Hen Franklin variety store, Acm<' and A.&P. supermarkets, Arnold"s .\'l en's and Wome n's Shops. a furniture and bedding storage warehouse used by the Car-Mor Company, and a business office of the Chesapeake and Potomac Tell"phone Company beneath the drugstore.

Deputy Chief F. Lee Cockey, of the 13altimorc county Fire Department, said the blaze a pparently originated in the middle of the shopping center in the Car-Mor Compa ny warehouse be neath the Arnold stores, the n spread up and outward to env~ lop the e ntir~ block within an hour.

Flames leaped 100 feet :;k,·ward at the heigh t of the blaze . flying embers dropped OYer a wide area. but no oth~r fires were started .

All avai lable traffi(· polic-e in the county were rushed to th~ Essex area to cope with the traffic narl that developed. They dosed Eastern boulevard from .\lace avenue on the west to Marlyn avenue on t he east to tra ffic until yesterday afternoon.

The c urious driving to the area to see the ruins added to the heavy traffic going to the water-front resorts and at times vehicles were backed up two abreast for more than a mile wes tward.

. Six Baltimore county policemen, a ided by four auxiliary policemen, were detailed to guard the ruins today. ~


(-c ~~r~,-~----------------------------------------4~

ESSEX.

Methodist Church founded 1913

· URI G JUJ\'E 1913. the people of E ssex decided they wanted a ~I <·tlwdi st Church. They rented a ten t and a vacant lot and a

thr·ee weeks' r evival was held. Twelve persons were received as members of the New Organization , and from these was elected the firs t Board of Trustees : J. C. Tutchton, Samuel T. Briggs, Frank F. Foulke , John A. Zimm erman . .John A. Hughes, John R. Cam p· bell and Charles R. Reidt, S r.

T lu ee lots were donated to this worthy cause b y the Essex Realt y Cu. on the corner of Eas tern and Taylor Avenues. With $25.00 in the treasury, donated by five of the Tru stees, and fa ith in God , work on the Church was begun. The cornerstone was laid August 3, 1913. Dr. J. S t. Clair Neal, the District S uperintendent , had cha rge of the servi C'PS and on S unday afternoon, J an· uary 18. 1914. a completed church was dedicated to the service of God. T he dedication sermon was preachPd by Rev. Don S. Colt , Pastor of Mad ison Sq uare Methodist C hurch, Baltimore, Md.

The period from Ju ly 1932 cou ld correctly be called the greatest period of advancement and achievement of this C hurch. With the support and fine cooperation of the members and all Church organizations, fine progress has been made.

In 1941, the pa rsonage was built next to the church. It was fin anced b y donations and free-will offerings. During the 40's, the liLLie church began to fast outgrow the ~acilities on Easte rn A venue and its offic ials began to dtscuss the advis ability of enlarging the church . At about this same time. Eastern A venue was commen; ia lized and dual lanes were C'onstruc ted. A d ecis· ion was then made to sell the three lots belonging to the churC'h and purchase a new site at Maryland Ave· nue and Wood ward Drive. T he parsonage was moved from Eastern Aven ue to its present location, on the

1 ortheast corner of Maryland A venue opposite the church. It was much less expensive to move the old hu ild ing than to construc t a new one.

The ceremony of break ing ground for the new church bui lding took place on Sunday afternoon, February 3, 1946 a t 3:00 P .M.

T he service was opened by the reading of the 121st Psalm by the pastor, Rev. Warren E. Reese, which was followed by the sin ging of the hymn "The C hurch' s O ne Foundation" .

The fir st shovelful of earth was lifted b y Mrs. Frank Foulke , the oldest member of the congregation. She was followed by Mr. and Mrs. John Bollack, the next .oldest in point of membership. T he fourth shovelful of earth was lifted by Mr. William Tutchton, repre· senting the Tutchton family, a group which played a prominent part in the early church his tory.

This day will live long in the memories of those "~hfJ haYe worked these many years to give the people ot E::::::ex a church edi fice that will not onlY be a thin u of beauty but a fac tor in the life of the .communit)~

Essex Methodist Church-1913

In February 1946, while awaiting the construction of the new building, the church began holdina its services ' h ~ m w at was form erly used by the government as a Rat ion Board. During one of Mr. Reese's firs t sermons in the Ra tion Board location, he told the congregation he_ understood many people had lost the ir religion in th1s very room during its form er use and hoped now they would also find their religion there.

The cornerstone fur the new church was laid on Easle r S unday, April 21, 1946. Dr. Fr ed C. Reynolds, the Distric t S uperintend ent, was the speaker for the oc_casiun. At last the congregation had made its pilgrrmage through the wilderness and into the promised land. On November 3, 1946, the basement of the new church was used for wors hip services for the fir s t time.

On July 18, 1948, the new sanc tuary was p ut to use and Dr. Charles Phillips, Dist. Supt. , conduc ted the Consecration Ser vice on August 1, 1948.

Rev. Arthur L. Hunter , was appointed to the church in February 1962. Many improvements were made through his guidance. At his s uggestion, a sta ined glass chancel window was installed and or gan chimes were purchased. During the 11 o'clock service on Dece mber 9, 1962, the window was dedicated in honor of former pastor Warren E. Reese. The chimes were dedicated in honor of Mrs . Reese, who had worked faithfully with her husband the many years they ser ved Essex Methodist Church.

On the 50th Anniversary, the ch urch membership was 1,125 and 875 were enrolled in the Sunday SchooL

Essex Me thodist Church - 1969


STEMMER HOUSE From .!JOOth Anniversury Book of Baltimore County 165 9-1959

"""""""",...... .. 1726 and 1730. Jl•hn

England of the Princ ipio Cu. of CeciJ Coun t). an a sol' iation of British Iron·.\laste rs. mer·

chants and capitalists, gave Captain Augusti ne Wash· inj...rton (fatlwr uf George Washington) an interest in the Principio Co. in return for the right to operate the Washington Iron Ore !\lines in Stafford Count y, Virginia.

In 1734, a Colonel Sheredine erected a furnace on the Kings bury Lands at the head of Bac k River . This was IJUrchased by the Principio Co. around 1744. A mansion was built on Race Road, probably by the Princ ip io Co. for Mr. Wash ington , to be usN! as a stop-over house.

Dr. C harles Carroll of Annapo lis sold his Lanea· shire Furnac-e and 8.200 acres of ground to the Principio Co. in 1751. The jl;round was lo1·ated bPtween .\Iarsh River, Back River and .\Iiddle River and the purl'hase was s igned hy Lawrence Washington. son of Capt. Augustine Washington anti half-brother of George Washington.

Lawrence Washington died in 1752. willing his brother, Augustine II. his stock interest and estate in the Principio, Accokeek, Kingsbury, Lancashire and North East [ ron Works in Viq.rinia and :VIaryland. Augus t inc II and his half-brother, George Washing·

At right: ut>rinl photo courtf"~Y of Wul•h Lumber <.:o., looking •outh. Golden Rin~ Roatl is in lowf'r ri,-cht hand c-orn«-r showin~t traffic going throul(h Pe nna, R.R. unde rpass inco Ste mmers Run Ro ad . Walsh Lumber Co. is J>ictured a t top lefl. T he ul.o«•u.st Grov~'' Ore !\line was located Y.. mil~ north of the railroud sta tion (roughly in the lower l('ft C"Orne-r o f p ic-turf'). !\line was operated b~tween the yurs 1845· 1885.

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ton. were aetive in the mining business, and it is claimed they used this house many times on their inspect ion tours of the iron furnaces on Back River.

ln 1780; the .\Iaryland General Assembly ·e ized and confiseated all British property in the State, in· eluding tha t of the Principio Co. The confiscation act declared " tha t a certain Mr. Washington. a subject nf Vi rginia, is en titled one-twelfth (1/12) part thereof, .. ".

The StatP so ld a 750 acre tract known as ·'Buck's Range" to Job Garre tson. In 1793 . .\1r. Garretson sold this acreage to Capt. Ullrich B. Stammer.

Stemmers Run took its name from Capt. S tammer or Strmmer, and the house became known as the Stemmer House. Capt. S temmer was called "The :VIerchant Prince" although it was never proved he was at·tually a pirate who had, on IHTasion, sailed with Blac·kberu·d. Stem mers Run. at that time, was a navi~· ablP river. and it is believed Capt. Stemmer used it to hide his ship from the au thoriti es.

The house and ground remained in the Stemmer family until 1850 when it was sold to Robert Howard. an iron mast er who worked the iron forges.

The house fell into disrepair in the early 1900's and was purC'hased in 1929 by Mrs. Austin IcLana· han. who had it dismant led, brick-by-brick. and re· built on Caves Road in Owings .\!ills. •

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First Special Police Officer VIRGINIA HORMESS

By Carrie Wood Lawton "Stanley Dealer"

Y FATHER, J amt> W. Wood, wa born in 1847, a nd was the fir t special

police officer in this ection of Balt imore County. He was appointed about 1898-1899 and continuf'd until his death in 1919. His terr itory covered White Marsh, Cowenton, Chasc1, Bengies, Middle River, Essex, Rosedale and Colden Ring to Hollywood Park, where he was s tationed nearl y every day in th e summer.

hlrs. l\l illie Wood hlr. J a m es Wood

We lived a t Chase and Bengies and my father drove a horse and bu ggy to Middle River or to J osenhan's where he s ta bled it until time to return home. The s treet cars took him and his prisoners to the jail. If it was a long trip, he so metimes stayed overnight at the home of Harry Tutchton.

Any arrest he made was taken to Magistrate Gibson of Chase, Md. (fath er of Battalion Chief Wa lter Gibson of the Essex Fire Dept. recently deceased) or to the Canton Poli<:e Station. If anyone was sentenced to a longer term, he had to deliver them to the jail at Towsontown, as it was then called .

In 1903, he went to make an arrest of a woman who was having a problem over some pro perty upon whic h a school was built. he asked if she might go to the stable to feed her horses before she left and my father agreed . On her return, she had ta ken a revolver from a market wagon and opened fire. Three bullets struc k my father, but he managed to grasp her hand and the rest were fired in the air . One bullet landed in the shoulder pad of his coat, one near the colarbone and one near the hip. The one near the collarbone traveled down ~orne. but it ,,·as removed and the other was still lodged in hi~ hip

until he passed away. He did not ftre back at her and still drove her to the street cars until someone else relieved him.

He and his fi rs t wife were married in the old Orems Church. They had ftve cltildren before she passed away. He remarr ied and had four more childre n. This wife also passed away. Later he married my mother who had ten children, she lived in Essex on Taylor Avenue for 37 years and was called Ma Wood by the old timers. Two of his second wife's children are still li ving and eight of my mot her's.

There are 29 grandchildren living and 46 great-grandchildren. Two sons served in World War I and 8 grandsons in World War II , with one great-grandson now serving in the Marines.

ln my fa ther's earlier days, he wore the old Keystone Cop type uniform, but later wore pla in clothes. He was 72 at the time of his death. •

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Above- Glenn L. Martin ~Iiddle Rive r Plant un der con str uc tion, ~\lay 1929. R ig ht -Aerial vie"'• as completion n ears, Augustl929. Below- PM-1 F lying Boat at !\tort ins 193 0.

' :.:. -~. '-.~

. .,, ~ ''-:,:·;-' .,. ~'::.~:/ . -~~~~&~ .. - ....... .

ESSEX-1

The Heritage _ and Middle R c community in -60th Annit:epo all pause for fleet the hen· and look fo ra: and glorious :

Through these our past, wit h p er. times a s they happe~Ce~ create the commun i:_ great thought in m ind but our herit age to t


9-1969

fil. t pride that :ety of Essex ;oins with the brat ion of its

May we ment t() re of our past

a greater

e find glimpses of recounting of the in the s tru:rooie to

-.is toda~·· B earing presen# o.:loda_ ... u

Above-"Cigar & News Stand" Eastern Ave. and Riverside Drive in 1923. Left-Josenhans corner in the year of 1925. Be low- Vigilant Fire Truck at 518 Eastern Blvd. in 1 914.

Left-Ere cted before the Revolutionary War at Mace and Franklin Avenues this su rveyors stone of 'Hines P urc hase' still st an ds. Below- First genera l store built in Essex, corner Mace and E astern Aves. by Henry Guttenberger, 1910.


60TH Am · i WBRSARY ESSEX- "909-1969

a ... l<i The Heril(••• and Middle .. commu~tityi 60th ..4nni all ptuue fo, fl-eet the h er and look fo and glorious

•t pride that "'Y of Euex

- joiiUI1CJith th4! • rati.onof it•

ror • .llay we ._.ment ltJ ,.,~

- of our prut to 0 veater

ThrouKh th~•~ 1N' find glimp.tel of our p<ut, acith p#'rl ..J r~ounting of th~ time• a. tlu!y ltapJl- ..-1 ia tM .flruqle to create the commun &a 11 u roda.Y. B earin« great thought in ml dw ~ett< _,.•/toJ.a . ..-U but our herita#e ro ~.


Out· F ir st Churc h - 1 867·

with them. So it was that Elders Louis Freund and Joh n Rosengarn, on December 19, 1866. secured a loan and purchased for $800 the abandoned Howard 's Chureh and the two ac res of land on which it stood . T he building was refitted for heat ing;, and a fter other essential repairs, the fi rs t wors hip services were cond ucted on j anu ary 21, 1867.

Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church fro m their Centenial Book 1867- 1967

OUR PAST - Prior to the Civi l War Pastor William Zeiler was called period , the pre ent Middle River in 1892 a nd brought to fruitation area was an industrial eenter , several of the dreams of the or ig-linkcd to the operation of the Lo- ina! elders. Du ring his minis tr y cust Grove Iron Furnace, located on of twelve years. a Womens' Guild Race Road. Earl y re(·ords show tha t was organized (1892). and the or ig;-a Mr. Howard , part owner of the ina! Howard's Churc h was r azed to sme lters, had a s mall C'hun·h built make room on the same s ite for the on company property where em- con truc tion of a new church ployees and thei r families could building. ix acres of land adjaeen t worship as they chose. to the c hurch site and cemetery

O ur records indicate t hat family was purchased. T he new churc h meetings took place as early as was dedicated on Octobf:'r 25, 1896 1865 be tween those who were to as " Evangelical Zions Church". found our congregation. In Oc- the name whieh still appears on the tobcr 1865, a constitution was cornerstone. adopted . es ta blishing the " Free Beginning in 1910, regular Eng-and Independent Evangelical How- !ish services were conduc ted on ard Congregation... Sunday afternoons in add ition to

By-laws wc:-re adopted in late the traditional worship in Germa n. September 1866 and the uame of The Churc h School grew in s ize the congregation was changed to until a ne w c hurch Hall was con-" The United Germa n Lutheran and st ructed in 1925. In October of Refor med Churc h". A tlw con- 1923, the church was electrified , gregation blossomed , they sought a and the inte rior of the sanc tuary placl' of wors hi1) whic h could grow was re fu rbished in 1925. The

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Church was enlarged in 1927, and a new Bartholdy pipe organ was installed. On June 6. 1930, the name of the church was ch anged to "'Zion Eva ngeli cal Lu t hera n Church".

In 1956 the Parish Hall was enlarged to house the growing Church School, wh ich had expanded to include classes through Senior Hi gh age.

During the late SO's, dialogue was already in progress between the Evangelical & Reformed Church and the Congregational Chris tian Church, toward effect ing a denominational union. With the finalization of this merger , the congregation became a mem ber of the new denomination, T he United Church of Christ.

By 1964 rebuild ing of the church had been completed to include increased foundation to sup port brick outer walls. Repair and moderate redesign of the steeple facing materially add to the appearance of the building. ew fron t a nd s ide steps and new doors provide added advantage in bo th design a nd safety. Com prehensive interior improveme nts also have been made throughout both the churc h and parish hall.

Our church building, though standing on the same site as did the tiny Howard' s Church, is new in terms of its physical capabilities. Our congregation, though firmly rooted in the tradition of the Reformation, is growing and energetic. And so it must be as we approach the growing c hallenges of a community which still continues to change, even one-hundred yea rs beyond the beginning of this story.

O ur Chur ch Today


When Essex Was Young I h ave rnany interesting and enj oyable rnernories of rny childhood in Essex.

When my family moved to Upperlanding Avenue in 1914. Herb Brawner, who lived on Savannah Avenue, came to meet the family with the greeting " Hello, my name's Herb. What's yours?" Herb became my fi rst boyfriend and later we were partners in selling peanuts and popcorn at Hollywood Park.

There were six children in my family and when the last was about to be born I, being the eldest, walked from U pperlanding A venue to Dr. Mace's home on Ridge Road, approximately 3 miles. When I got there, the Doctor was out but Mrs. Ylace asked me to wait. After the Doctor returned, he drove me home in his Stanley teamer and , shortly thereafter, the baby was born. The Doctor's fee for delivery was $10.00 and Mrs. Flaherty from Canton came and took t·are of my mother and the fam ily for 1.00 per day.

I remember one Halloween Move Day some friend and I took a new flag pole which hadn' t as yet been put up and placed it across Eastern Avenue. stopping the horses and wagons. The next day , we were made to carry it back. Miss Gist, principal of Essex School, said "Joseph, go and get me 5 or 6 switches". I got th e switches but was careful to knick them so they would break when we got our whippings . If I hadn ' t, the other boys would have beat me up on the way home.

During the winter, Back River would be frozen over from November to March. The children would skate to Back River Bridge, put a bed sheet behind them and the wind would blow them down to the bay and they would skate back. One of our favorite places for sledding was down Mace Avenue from Upperlanding A venue to Eastern Avenue. ~1r. Tutchton and Mr. S ea white. owners of Paradise farm and eawhite·s farm. would take the kids for rides un sleds

pulled b)' horses. During the summer, I would work

on the farms. In 1918, when I was 13, I worked for Mr. T utc hton digging beets, picking tomatoes and string beans. Yly pay for picking the beans was 7c a bushel. One day, on my way home from school, Mr. Tutchton stopped me and told me to go into the field and get all the turnips and rutabagas I wanted because they wouldn' t pay him anything at the market for them. So I went to my grandfather's, got feed bags and carried them home that way.

On the Seawhite Farm, I dug Sweet Potatoes and picked Apples for which I was paid one bushel of Sweet Potatoes and all the Apples I wanted. When the tomatoes were picked and loaded, I would go to market with Frank Seawhite. We usually s topped at Vandermast's to water the horses. Frank wou ld get a beer , I got a soda and our sandwiches were free.

I attended Our Lady of Mt. Carmel C hurch and was confirmed in 1917. On S undays, I would walk home with my grandfather. We would stop at Sauer 's Store on the corner of Deep Creek Avenue (now Marlyn Avenue) and Eastern for a 3c ice cream cone.

I attended Essex School. Miss Bransard Gist came from Chase School in 1914 to teach at the old Essex School. In 1915, we moved to the portable school on Dorsey Avenue. My grandparents were the janitors and each room of the school had a coal fire. If anything went wrong with the fires, Miss Gist would say "J oseph, go and see if you can fix th e fire". If it was bad, I would get my grandfather who lived on Woodward Drive.

When I was in the eighth grade, the class consis ted of 7 girls and me. Miss Morgan, who taught the 3rd and 4th grades, became ill and ~1iss Gist sajd " Joseph, you go and teach Miss Morgan's class. 1 don' t want to show any part iality among the girls." I taught for ix weeks and when the fir t month was over , I got a check for S40.00-20 days

by] oseph Oronson

substitute teacher's pay at $2.00 per day. I went home and told my mother I was "a millionaire and a teacher!"

I graduated from the Essex purl able school on Woodward Drive and Dorsey Avenue in 1919. Along with the 7 girls and 1 boy from the eighth grade, Nelson Guttermuth, a 7th grader, was allowed to graduate a year ahead because his family was moving to Belair Road . The graduation exercises were held in the Essex Methodist Church and as a graduation present, I received a watch from my grandmother which cost $1.49-a large sum at that time.

After graduation, I went to work at 0 ' eill & Co. at the glove counter as a stockboy for 7.00 fur a 6-day week. On the fir t day it rained and the floorwalker gave me the job of checking umbrellas- all tips were mine. l made about $4.00 that day and every evening f would ask the Good Lord to let it rain again.

During the time Herb Brawner and 1 sold peanuts and popcorn at Hollywood Park , we would ride the s treet car to Jeppi Bros. on Sharp Street and purchase 90 lb. bags of peanuts for 90c. The conductor would let us r ide on the back platform on the way bac k. \J e would pack the peanuts at Bob ~londay·s -across from Hollywood Park and there was more in our 5e bags than you get in a 39c bag today. W <:

made a profit of $25.00 to $30.00 a week selling peanuts, pop(·orn and honey molasses taffy. When the business became too big, we had to hire boys for 20c on the do llar.

When l was 30, I married Edith Porter whose fath er , William Porter. was a carpenter in Middle River. Grandpop Porter owned Rocky Point Farm. William King ran a jitney bus to Rocky Point for 5c, where the people t·ould go swimming for free. I'll always remember the watermelon parties \H'

had at Rocky Point. Yes, I do have many interesting

and enjoyable memories of when Essex and I grew up.


ROBERT PURVIANCE

JR.

OCR EARC H of old maps and deeds. one name hag kept re peat· ing it elf, not only in this sect ion but also in Baltimore. The name is Robert Purviance. Jr. . pronounced Pun-vi'-enct'.

We fi rst cam e across this name on an 1850 Geological ' urvey l\1ap which indicated Robert Purviance . Jr. had a res idPnc·c on Cedar Poin t in the Back River -eek section . He also owned propt>rly. according to this map. in th e vicinity of the old Post Office on Orems Road and also on the other s ide of Bac·k Hiver, approximately where Stansbury Manor is now located.

In tracing the name. we found the Purvian<·es were Hugenots who fled France a fter tlw Edict of . antes in 1685. Some of the family fled to Donegal, Ireland. ln 1733, a Robert Purviance was born in Castle Finn , Donegal. He married Frances Young in 1754 and came to America, settling fir t in. ew J er ey. Robert came to ~l a ryland in 1756, where he opened a co mmercial house jointly with his brother Samuel. The brothers became wealthy business men and ban kers. They were active in both religion and politics. Sa muel was Chairman of th e Whig Party. Chairma n of the Committee of Cor· respondence. Chairman of the Committee of Safety and Trus tef' of the County Almshouse. During the

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\! ar of the Revolution, they were among the bi:rg:est outfit te rs a nd suppl iC'rs of LaFayellt>'s bcdrag:~led arm y when it passed through Balli · more . They contributed I 0,000 pounds (st irling:) to pur('hase salt to prev<' nt it from falling into the hands of monopolist . thC'rcby prevent ing spec ulation which wou lcl have imposC'd on the people and thf' infant government. After the war, Rubert was named First ' aval Ofl'i<·er of the Port of Baltimore by GC'orge Washint.r1on and was la tter appointed Collector fur the ' tate .

ln 1763, Robert was a member of the committee whi<'h s tarted the First Presbyterian Church of Baltimore and was one of the ruling elders. The first meetinghouse was a lof!; build ing located on Fayette & Gay Streets. La ter a church was built on Fayette & l\ortb • Lrects. They also contributed money to the First Presbyterian Cemetery located on Fayt'tte and Gret'n Streets. The Purvian<'e lot and tombstone are loc·atcd just inside the gate, on tlw left side, directly opposite that of Edgar Allan Poe. Robert, a long with oth er members of his family, is buried there. Cnl'ortunately, amud was captured by Ind ians in 1788 wh il<' in O hio. Since he was never h eard of ag:ain. it is presumC'd the Ind ians killed him.

Robert was the father of eleven

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686-3444

children. among whom wa .James. a hero of tht' V:' ar of 1812 and the father of Commodore Hu~h Youn~ Purviance who was. himself. a hero of tht> Civil War.

Robert's dau ghter, Jane , married David Stt>wart and was the mother of enator David tewart and the grandmother of Charlf's ~l orton Stewart.

.J ohn was. perhaps, the bestknown of Robert' s c-hildren. H E' was a lawyer and later a .Judge. Judge John Purvianc-e, who was called "the honest lawyer'' had three children: Margaret .: George D. who was a minister of the Fourth Presbyterian Church: and Robert, J r. who, like his father, was a lawyer. It is this Robert , Jr. in whom we are most interested.

Robert Purviance, Jr. , known as " the Younger , the Bachelor' ' , be· gan purchas ing ground during the 1830's and 1840's in the sections now known as E sex and Bac k River . eck. Some of the sections he purchased. and of which we have photosta ti <· copies of the deeds, were: Hazard, Hindsey's (or Hin es') Purchase, Paradise, S tansburys Claim, tansburys Inheritance, Bals ton (originally Ballestones) and Biddison's ec k {or Biddersons ~et·k). The first three, i.e., Hazard , Hindsey's Purchase and Paradi e, are what we know as Essex. The others ar e located in the Back River Neck section. His reasons for ac· quiring this property are, at present, unknown to us, as are his reasons for selling. And sell he did. According to an 1877 Survey Ylap, Robert Purviance, Jr. no longer owned any ground in this section, nor did any heirs he might have had .

Commodore Hugh Young Purviance was the last living male and the family name ceased when he died in 1882. However, s·ome de· scendants, through the femal e side of the family, are still living in Ylar yland. •


SHORT HISTORY OF

OREMS METHODIST

CHURCH Taken/rom

"Consecration Book of Orems Church.,

ITER THE sett lement of

1~""''-"·"""Jamcstown in 1606 and that ~~~~of Maryland in 1634 at t. :Vlary's. where the Potomac meets the Chesapeake Bay, the onl y means of transportation was by water. Tllt'refore , Capta in John Smith explored the tributarie of the Chesapeake, as did the settlers who came over with Lord Balti · more. As the river . which we now eall Middle River , was one of the tribut aries of the Chesapeake, it was natural that small settlements sprang up on its banks.

It was to the settlers of these communities that Francis Asbury was appointed by John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, in 1771.

Later, Francis Asbury became the first Methodist Bishop in Amcr· ica, and in his Journal, or Diary. we find tha t he counted some of the residents of this community among his mos t particular fri ends.

In 1794, this Middle River Chapel was called Oroms Church after a trustee whose name was Oroms. Tradition has it that the deed to this Middle River Chapel was made out to John Wesley from Lord Baltimore, and th is deed was really in existence.

In 1859 the present church was sta rted, but the deed to this property was not made until July 17, 1860, when :vir. amuel Wilkinson (Wilkerson) and wife deeded a plot of ground to the appointed trustee of Orems Church.

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The teward' Book for the Baltimore Circuit frum 1794 to 1838 lists appointments givrn at th e Quarterly Conference. eptember 20, 1794 and we found in the 28 appoint· ments that Orcms had paid money in pounds and s hillings. Or ems was represented at every quarterl y meeting of the Baltimore Circuit until 1806 when it became a part of the Great Falls Circuit. In 1914 or 1915, Great r a ll s C ircuit was subdivid ed and Orcms became a part of the Chase Circuit.

When we wen• part of Great Falls Circuit , our !Jarsunage was at Hiss Church in Parkville. After we became a part of the Chase Circuit , the parsonage was in Chase, Md. This parsonage burned and for some time a parsonage was rented for the minister. In 1937 and 1938, we helped in building the new parsonage for Chase Circuit on Ebenezer Road. In 1940. when Glenn L. Martin Aircraft Co. began to expand for wartime production and built homes for its workers , th e congregation under Rev. Charles

ORE~IS

METHODIST

CHURCH

1969

Suback, decided to withdraw from the Chase Circuit and become a new station.

:vlrs. Joseph H. Jenkins graciously offered 2113 Orcms Road for a !Jarsonage in memory of her husband. An appropriate marker was placed in the study. Ground was broken on June 30, 1940 with a religious ceremony, and in the fall , Rev. Suback and his family moved in. In June 1941, Rev. Charles

uback was made Orems first Pas tor. full time. In June 1942, Rev. Yluller became Pastor of Orems. It was under his leadership the new church was built in 1949.

It was difficult to collect enough money for a new church from all these new people who were entering and leaving the community in a rapid turnover of population. However. with donations from several sources, a mortgage on very libe ral terms from the Board of Church Extension, and contributions from the congregation, a plan was developed and worked out whereby the present church was built as it now stands.

The future of Orems Methodist Church should be excellent. We wish we could see what it will be, but we all d esire that our church will always be a House of Prayers for ali people. For it is on this principle that the new Orems Church was built. Those who, in 1949, made this church possible , are happy to have had a part in the building of the Kingdom, a building that s ha ll go far into the future to the glory of God and the blessing of man. ~


NEWMAN'S

HI GHS STORE. Fresh Cut Lunch Meat

Open 7 days a week from 8 A.M. to 10:45 P.M.

207 EASTERN AVENUE

ESSEXJ l ewe ers 449 EASTERN AVENUE

ESSEX, MARYLAND MU. 7-5363

THE FAMILY PLACE TO GO

HISTORICAL HIGHLIGHTS

ll.he congregation was or· ganized on May 21st., 1<}13, by the late Rev. C. F. W.

Hartlage. Three lots were given to the congregation on condi tion that a church building be erected within a year. On Sept. 28th, at 4 P.:\'1. , the cornerstone for the church was laid by Rev. Hartlage. Rev. F . Mueller preached the sermon. The church was dedicated on May 4th, 1914. Rev. · Snapp and Rev. F. Mueller spoke on this occasion.

An addition was built to the base· ment of the church in 1927.

Pastor Tecklenberg was in· stalled J une 30, 1929.

The parsonage was erected in 1930 at a cost of $6,000.00.

The congregat ion received fin· ancial aid from the American Luth· eran Church until the year 1934, when it resolved to become inde· pendent and self·supporting.

The pari sh hall was erected in the year 1937 at a cost of $14,54 7.00.

All indebtedness on parsonage and parish hall was paid the year 1943.

Immediately the congregation made plans to ga ther funds for the erection of a new church. A build· ing committee was appointed and the firm of link and Moehle , ar· chitects. was engaged to submit plans for a new c hurch.

On June 28th, 1949, ground was broken, and the work of building the new church was begun, the contract for sa me having been prev· iously awarded to the Lawrence Construction Co. By a strange coin· cidence, this happened to be the 20th anniversary of the installa· lion of Pastor Tecklenberg in St. Johns.

On September 11th, the corner · stone was laid with pastor A. R. Horn preaching the sermon.

On March 26th, 1950, the com· pleted church was dedicated to the glory of God.

The Sunday school was organ· ized Feb. 2nd, 1913, at 9:30A.M., at the home of Mr. John Schu ster on Dorsey and Taylor Avenues. The first officers were: Mr. Herman Storath, Supt. ; Mr. John Hughes, Sec .. and Treas.: Miss Rhoda Wort· man, Librarian and Mrs. John Schuster , organist. The attendance at the first session numbered 16, with an offering of 75c. By permis· sion of .the school authorities , the Sunday school met in the old school building on Eastern and Taylor Avenues until the church was com· pleted in 1914. By 1937, it had grown to such an extent that the li ttle church was no longer able to house them: this necessitated the erection of the parish hall. The present enrollment is 560. ~


0

8 3: z 0 :r u § .. ;::

§ 0 ,.. ~ THE PARADISE FAR..\1 was rented ~

by Ja mes C. Tutchton and his wife, ~ Sarah, a bout 1860-61 from Jacob g

t; Taylor, the owner. ] ames and Sarah o: L-----------:::"":"':~::::-:':~-:::-:-~:-;:~~::-----------J Tutchton had three children, Harry PARADISE FARJ\_l_H_o_u_s_E _____ ____ ..........,

F. who married Jane G. Stevenson: Franklin Avenue: The Volunteer Mar y E. who married Chris tian Fire Dept. - 500 block Eastern Ave-Lawrence and Effie who married nue and the portable schools on George Johnson. Dorsey Avenue.

Harry and Jane were married in The Tutchton family continued to 1887 and continued to live on the live on part of the fa rm until the farm with the parents. The twelve death of Harry F. Tutchton in 1918. children born to the m between 1889 The rest of the family was no longer and 1913 were: Effie, Lottie, Harry, interested in farming. Iva, James, Nathan, William, J. Several of the avenues in Essex Charles, Lillian, John, Marion and were named for the Taylor family-Helen. Taylor Avenue; Franklin Avenu e:

About 1910, the Taylor Land Co. Charles Street and Margar e t started to develop Essex. The Par- Avenue. adise Farms location was Mace Transportation was by street car Avenue; Stemmers Run Road on from Middle River to Holliday and the North and from Beck Street to Baltimore Streets for 15c: ie, Sc the waterfront. from Middle River to Back River ;

There was some timber on the Sc from Back River to Lombard and property and the Taylor Land Co. Haven Streets and Sc from Lorn-had a sawmill located at Eastern bard to Holliday and Baltimore and Taylor Avenues. The timber Stre~ts . • was cut and sawed into lumber at the sawmill and used in the framework of some of the homes they were building.

In the years 1911-12, the Taylor Land Co. donated lots for the Essex Methodist Church, then at Eastern and Taylor Avenues; St. Johns Lutheran Church - George St. and

Compliments of

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436 Eastern Blvd. MU. 7-5600

686-3313

TOM BENNETI'S

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832 EASTERN AVENUE (CORNER MARLYN AVE.)

ESSEX, MARYLAND 21221

ALBERT MILKE

IN BUSINESS SINCE 1922

at the Some location

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HARDWARE • PAINTS PLUMBING

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528-30 EASTERN BLVD. ESSEX, M D. 21221

686-3344

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705 MACE AVENUE ESSEX, MARYLAND

MARY WIMMEL

866-8014 866-8021

Bosch Distributors JANITOR • PAPER • SU PPUES

Distributors of G.E. Lomps

8001 PHILADELPHIA ROAD Baltimore, Moryland 21237

CONNELLY

FUNERAL HOME

300 MACE AVENUE

ESSEX, MD. 21 22 1

687-7100

Rom a Spaghetti

House and Cocktail Lounge

Specializing in ITA LIA N FOOD

PI ZZA • LASAGNE • RAVIOLI

PACKAGE GOODS

Complete Carry Out Service MUrdock 6-11 06

1017 Eastern Blvd. Essex, Md. 21221


:: .... :, __

----COIFFLRE'S ._ptTiali::in{!. in lligh StrLing 145-A BACK RIVER NECK ROAD

BALTIMORE, MD. 21221

PHONE 687-7733

Pizza John~ PIZZA • SPAGHETTI • RAVIOLI

COFFEE • SOFT DRINKS

131 Y, Back River Neck Rd. ESSEX

Green's Lit{uors __ _ 214 BACK RIVER NECK RD.

Open Sunday BEER • WINE • LIQUOR

KEG BEER TAP EQUIPM ENT

Complements

j. c. s.

ACE HEATING

OIL COMPANY

MU. 6-1325 MU. 7-2166

PromR.t Service

FUEL OIL • KEROSENE • GASOLINE MOTOR OIL

Oil Burner Sales and Services Floor Furnaces • Cleaning Solvent

1401 E. HOMBERG AVENUE ESSEX, MD. 21221

J. W. SCHADEL. Prop.

- ~ --

0 L ll "R E [ E I P T S" FRIED CR ULLERS

Mix together 2 pounu:; flo ur a nd 1 '12 tablt::spoons baking powder . Dissol vt> 6 oz. sugar in a half pint of milk. a dd 4 eggs, 4 oz. melted

butter. salt anti uut mel!. Pour the liquid mixture into the center of the flour and mix to

gether. Roll do ugh and cu t with a double c uller- fry right away and sugar when done.

COFFEE CUCUMBER SALAD A heaperl <·up of ground <·offee makes 2 qu arts.

Slice c uc umber and onions thinly cover with vinegar and add salt and pep per to taste.

VIENNA ROLLS Di ' Sol Vt' 1 oz. yeas t in 1 quart lukewarm milk - add 4 lbs . flour

mix a nd le t set 3 hours . Then add l oz. salt and 1 tablespoon s ugar with e nough extra

flou r to make a s t iff dough - le t rise for 4 hours. Work dough by pressing fiat and folding over. Roll dough thin,

c ut in -t. inch widths a nd then in tria ngles. ta rting with broad end, roll up to the point. Place on fla t s heet , brush with wa ter and le t ri se for abou t lfl hour - bak e about 10 minutes.

CORMNG BRINE Dissolve 3V-l oz. salt petre in 3 gals. water on s tove - stir in Vol

pin t molasses or s ugar and 5 puunds a lt. Bring to a boil and s kim. Put in a t least 2 keg . (Brine will keep a bou t 2 months in cool weather. )

Keep beef in l s t ke~r un til half-corned 1 hen tra ns fe r it to the other ke~. Make s ure beef is ke pt under brine by placing a stone on the lid to weight it dow n.

Beef must be corned a t least a week before us ing it.

GRAPE ICE STRAWBERRY ICE .VIash l c up Concord Grapes with I lb . s ugar , add l qt. wate r and the j uice of I lemon- strain and freeze.

Cover 2 quarts ripe s tra wberries with 2 lbs . s ugar until a thick red syrup is formed - stra in and add 3 p ints wate r -stir and freeze.

SUGAR COOKIES Cream together I lb. s ugar a nd l lb. butte r , add l dozen eggs ,

1 ta blespoon baking powder , and flavor of your choice. T hen add enou l);h flour to make a soft dough (about 3 to 3Yz

pounds)-lc t s tand 10 minutes. RoU out dough on floured ta ble, brus h with egg a nd s prinkle

with suga·r or chopped almonds. Bake until a light brown.

MU. 7·4884 MU. 7-4885

FLEMING & SHEELEY IN C ORPORATED

PAINTS

WALLPAPER

FLOOR & \VALL COVERING

101 MARGARET AVENUE

ESSEX, MARYLAND 21221

PHONE: MU. 6-5258

NORMAN'S PACKAGE LIQUORS, INC.

BEER • WINES LIQUORS AUTO TAG A ND TITlE SERVICE

MONEY ORDERS • NOTARY PUBLIC

1716 Eastern Blvd. Essex, Md. 21221

687-9654 686-9896

Plaza Lounge MARTIN BLVD. ond MIDDLE RIVER RD.

PHil POWEll, Prop. BALTIMORE, MO. 21220


0 L D "R E £: E I P T S" CARROT WI~E

Take' 'A J.leck C'armb. ,.crape and c-ut up fine. Cook until tenot>r. Let stand 11\'Prni)!ht-HJUPf'ZC nu t juit-e. add 3 lb8. brown su::rar. :2 sli1·t's toasted ry1· bread. I cak«' of yeast.

Let stand fur 2 weeks. !Strain and le t stand for 2 more weeks. then bottle.

PEACH BRANDY Real peach brandy is distilled from the juice of the fruit. Take l lb. peaches, 2 lbs. sugar. I gal. wate r, 1 Yz cakes yeast. Allow to stand for 2 weeks. strain and add V.. cake yeast. Let stand for 8 more days and st rain befort> using.

DANDELION WINE Pour 4 qts. boiling wa ter over 3 qts. dandelions (yelluws only). Let stand overnight. strain and add 4 lbs. s ugar. V.. eake yeast. 2 oranges and 1 lemon (cut in pieces). Pu t all in a crock and let ferment 9 to 12 days .. train a nd put in clean jugs.

GRAPE WINE Ta ke 2 basket of grapes. pick. wash and mash them. Pour 2

gal. boiling water nvcr til t: grapes and IPt stand for 4 or 5 days, s tir ring one !' earh day. Strain and add 4 lbs. s ugar fo r each gallon <lf ju ice.

Place in a barrel or jugs un til it is dor~t• working. "train and bou le.

BEET WINE Cut tops off 15 large bt'ets. sc rub the m with a brus h and cover tht' m with 5 q ts. water. bring tu boil and le t cook down to 4 q ts. Remove beets, !'t rain and add 3 lbs. sugar, boil fo r 20 minutPs longer and then le t cool. W h<'n c-old, return the beets to the water. Plaee l s lire stale bread s pread wi th lh cake yeast in a crock, !Jour beet water over and lr t s tand fur 3 days. S train and return to crock fo r 3 more days. Strain, put in bottles and leave corks loost'.

SHERRY WINE Bring I gal. water to a boil, le t cool and add 2Yz lbs. s ugar. t1 r

until dissolved and add 1 lb. yellow corn meal, 1 pint blue label corn yrup, 1 lb. seeded ra is ins, and 1 cake yeast (dis· solved in a little warm water).

Place in croc k. cover with a c lo th, s tir from bottom twi(·e a wt'ek. Let s tand 3 weeks , th f'n s train , bottle and color with ca romel.

HOMINY WINE Combin e 2 lbs. hominy, I lb. ra isins, 4 lbs. sugar. 4 lemons and 4 oranges (cut up), I gal. a nd I qt. water and l qt. boiling water. Let set for 16 days. s tra in and bottle.

Walsh & COMPANY, INC.

ESTABLISHED 1933

LUMBER BUILDING MATERIAL

705 STEMMERS RUN RD. BALTIMORE, MD. 21221

PHONE: 682-3366

MARLYN PharmaclJ

Reg. No. 2108

"Your Family Drug Store"

901 EASTERN BOULEVARD ESSEX, BALTIMORE, MD. 21 221

MU. 7-1616

LAZARUS PRESCRIPTION PHARMACY

REG No. 1'226

EASTERN & MACE AVES. ESSEX, MD. 21221

686-7333 leon J. lozorus, Ph.G.

MU. 6-5195

~mond's ___ _ OUTFITTERS OF MEN and BOYS

Quality Clothing and Service

505 EASTERN AVENUE

MU. 7-0282

CommunitiJ JEWELERS

C REDIT JEWE LERS

The Home of Fine Diamonds & Watches

403 EASTERN BLVD.

ESSEX, MD. 21221

HOFFMAN'S Loun9e MUSIC & DANCING

To Baltimore's Best Bands

Wed., Fri., Sat. & Sun.

Featuring "Our Own Swinging"

Charades

Have you seen our Hall?

For - Bull Roast, Crab

Feasts, Receptions,

Special Parties

- We Cater-

Rates & Dates - 687-76 56

TURKEY POINT ROAD

AT ROCKAWAY BEACH


:::=:::: : -- =- -=·.:..:y :; ; eSSEX

406 EASTERN AVENUE

Phone: 687-81 1 3

PHONE: MU. 7-11 31

Boots BEAUTY SALON REAR OF 70 1 MACE AVE.

ESSEX, MARYLAND

If Your Hair Isn 't Becoming To You, You Should Be Coming To Us.

Charles Bootery Shoes for the Entire Family

447 EASTERN AVENUE

IN ESSEX OVER

25 YEARS

B & B LIQUOR STORE ANNA BETKEY, Prop.

517 EASTERN AVENUE (OPPOSITE FIRE DEPT.)

BA LTIMORE, MD. 21221 Since June 7, 1945 686-7849

MORE THAN

TWO DECADES

Serving the

Community's

Transportation

Needs -EW CARS

USED CARS

TRUCKS

PARTS

SElWICE

R EI'\TAL

L EASING

Charlie Irish CHEVROLET, Inc.

7900 EASTERN AVE. Opposite Eastpoint

QUILTING

QUILTING Mrs. Virginia Borsos holds quilt made by her mother, Mrs. Anna Mary

Walt er , in 1930-l , for the benefit of the Football Team. The c itizens of Essex purchased space in the stars for their names to be embroidered. The center design is a football in which all the players names a re embroidered. After the quilt was completed, it was raffled off and won by AI Edwards who recently gave it back to Mrs. Borsos.

The Heritage Society is in the process of making a similar quilt which , when completed, will be prominently displayed. The cost to have names embroidered is 2Sc- per name.

For more information concerning the Quilt please write Mrs. Virginia BorsPs. Chairman- Quilting- 302 Lorrain e Ave., Essex, Md. 21221.

THE ESSEX

RECREATION & PARKS

COUNCIL

President .... . ........ . .. . Frederick Moroz

Vice President ............... Bessie Moroz

Secretary ....... . ........ . . Pat Swiger

Treasurer .... . .......... . ... Mary Kidd

Public Relations . .. . ....... Horace McCarter

Director ... . ............ . .. . J erry Crowell

Secretary ................. Kate Arrants


THE EASTERN BEACON, Wednesday, March 11 , 1964

FIERCE INDIANS ONCE RULED ESSEX-MIDDLE RIVER AREA

BY CHARLES JO ES

Much is heard o£ the Indians of the Wild West, but little has been written about the Indians of the East Coast, particularly the EssexMiddle River area. Nevertheless , we have to take a back seat to no one in that respect, for the EssexMiddle River area was once ruled by a fierce tribe of Indians, the Susquehannoughs.

When Captain John Smith, famed explorer and founder of the colony of Jamestown, sailed the Chesapeake Bay in 1608 including Back and Middle Rivers-or as he called them "Smals Poynt" and " Willowbyes" rivers -he was much impressed by the savages he encountered.

Capt. Smith described them as "Such greate and well proportioned men as are seldome seene, for they seemed like giants to the English , yea, and unto their neighbours." The explorer went on to say that they were "The strangest peo pie of all those countries" and to describe them as being of a simple and confiding temper and saying they could scarcely be res trained from prostrating themselves in adorat ion of the white s trangers.

The Susquehanno ughs could muster 700 frightening men, and according to Capt. Smith, they were one of the fiercest and most warlike nations on the Atlantic coast an d kept all the tribes within th eir reach in a s tate of almost continual alarm . Their villages were pallisaded to resist the incursions of their most bitter and determined enemies , the Iroquois or Massawomekes.

Smith says that when a hostile expedition had been decided on by the chief and the leading warriors, it was made known to the tribe, who celebrated by a solemn dance in which the warriors, decked with paint and feathers, chanted their past or prospective exploits and imita ted in pantomine the killing of their foes.

When they set out on their expedition, they marched by night in s ingle file , slipping from shadow to shadow and scarcely breaking a twig. Then they burst upon the villages of their foes with war-whoops. · Those who survived their slaughter · were taken as prisoners and reserved for death by slow tortures. And. according to Capt. Smith, they were past masters at the art.

But disease- some think to have been Smallpox -finally did to the

usquehannoughs what their enemies could not do- practically wiped them out. By 1763- more than 150 years since Capt. Smith had first discovered them - there were only 20 members of the tribe left and they li ved in a few squalid cabins in the region around the Maryland P ennsylvania border and made their living by begging and the sale of baskets and homemade brooms.

About that time, an Indian war with another tribe was in progress and some people suspected the remaining Susquehannoughs of being in league with the warring reds kins. A gang attacked their village and killed 6 of them. The 14 survivors were taken to Lancast~r. Penna, by the sherrif and shut up in the jail yard for protection . But they were followed by the gang of settlers who broke into the jail and murdered every las t one of them.

T hus ended the saga of the Susquehannoughs, a group of redskinned toughs who would have made the Apaches or the Commanches look Eke pikers.

And remember, the Susquehannoughs traveled by foot. Ju st imagine what might have happened if they had gotten their hands on some horses. And had disease not wiped them out, we might hav e teepees up and down Eastern Blvd. rightnow. .(f?

Cards & Gifts for all occasions

424 EASTERN BLVD. MU. 7-3250 Ida M. Mroz, prop.

MU. 7-4125 MU. 7-4126

HOFFMASTER'S INC. Office Supplies

S MARGARET AVENUE ESSEX, BALTIMORE, MARYLAND 21221

*AWARD* Designers, Inc.

838 EASTERN BLVD. ESSEX, 21221

Specializing in -

Trophies • Ploques • Medols • Ribbons

Bowling Supplies

ENGRAVING DONE ON PREMISES

:~~~lNG 682-4321 FREE DELIVERY

Philip W. Green ~njurance

..A-fr!ncg

All FORMS OF INSURANCE

602 EASTERN BLVD.

ESSEX, MD. 21221

686-3030

"Over 40 years Insurance Service"


of Vinn ESSEX, MD.

'HE CHLRCH OF GOD in Essex is one of the branche.; that was established by form er

~~~worshippers of the Baltimore Church of God. eYeral of these former worshippers had moved to

Essex and there was a desire to start a work in the community.

Those who, a t this time, resided in Essex were Brother and Sister Ester, Brother and Sister Lewis, Brother and Sister Bacon, Brother and Sister Sturtz and Sister Reynolds.

In 1930, Gospel Tent meetings were held a t the corner of Virginia and Taylor Avenue in Essex. After the tent meetings, the work in Essex was on its own. :\iot having any building to worship in , a Sunday School was s tarted in Mrs. Horn's home under the direction of Mr. and Mrs. Hass of Baltimore, on Februar y 17, 1931. The name " The Church of God Community Sunday School" was adopted.

On April 21, 1931, Mr. Norman J. Hass, chairman of the Trustee Board, deposited $25.00 down on the property upon which the church and the parsonage are now situated.

The foundation for the building was poured on June 14, 1931. The building was erected by brethren fro m Baltimore and Essex.

On March 14, 1933, the first full time pastor was called to ov ersee the progress of the work . He was Brother Walter L. Ott, who, with his wife, took over the pas torate under the general supervision of Brother E. E. Shaw, pastor of the Church of God in Baltimore.

The work continued to grow and Brother Ott stayed with the congregation until his resignation eleven years la ter on March 31 , 1944.

For a few months, the work, without a pastor, faced many tes ts and trials. But thanks be to God who giveth us the victory . ..

On Augus t 23, 1944, a business meeting was called and the congregation adopted the Firs t Constitution

and By-Laws for the incorporation of the Essex Church under the laws of the State of Maryland and the name of the Church was changed from 'The Church of God Community Sunday School' to the 'First Church of God of Essex' .

On September 28, 1944, the congregation at Essex voted to call Brother Harold Ba1·ber , then pas toring at Roanoke, Virginia, to take over the P as torate here at Essex, M.d. Brother Barber accepted the eall to the Essex Church and, with his wife and daughter and son, took over his duties on October 29, 1944. An All Day Unity Meeting held at Ilda, Viq,rinia took place on T hanksgiving Day of 1944. This was the beginning of some of the most thrilling and blessed meetings that many in the Essex Congregation had ever had opportunity in which to be. Thus , every holiday for the next five years or so was to see the Saints gather together at either Manassas, Fredericksburg, Ilda or Waynesboro in Virginia or at Montrose, Hagerstown , Edgemere or Essex in Maryland. The first All Day Unity Meeting held at Essex was on F ebruary 22, 1945.

After nearly nineteen years, Brother Harold Barber resigned the Pastorate of the Essex Church in September 1963 and left for Tampa, Florida. During his years of pastoring the Essex Church, the congregation contributed many thousands of dollars to the Missionary work in Cuba and in Africa.

April 12, 1964, Raymond C. Davis of Iaeger , West Virginia, held a week 's meeting at Essex. As a result of this meetin g. the congregation called him as their third pastor and he moved to Essex, bringing his first sermon as pastor on May 17, which was Mother 's Day of 1964.

First Church

of God

Essex 1 9 68

M&M MU. 6-4832

BUS LINES "Charter Service Our Specialty"

SAFE COURTEOUS SERVICE

JOHN E. McKELVEY

" 17 YEARS IN ESSEX"


FRIEN DS O F T H E HERITAGE SOCIETY

;vir. and :'l lr::. Jos . C . _\ clench. Mrs. Ed ith \\ ood Betkey Co l. a nd .\Ir::.. C. J..: . Blum :\tlr. a nd .\Irs. :\. J . Blum John W. Borkow!'ki. Jr. Lee S. Borsos l\Ir. and \Trs. Eugene Bridges Richard Bridges Mrs. Emma Bryant Mr. and ~Trs . Roland Corey Edward Crusse Mrs. Lottie Dasch Te na Deck Myr tle Dudrow Mrs. Shirley Eben Madalin e .\1. Eva ns :Vl rs. William L. Fleshman C hristena Gacdke Harry Gacdke Charles Golds ton Ruth Gold ton Mr. and Mrs. Edward Hensler Iva Wood Page

EGAR __ Sales1 Inc.

NOVEL TIES • GIFTS PAPER GOODS

PARTY FAVORS WHEEL MERCHANDISE 9102 BELAIR ROAD

PHONE 665-6796 Represented by Elmer Kopicky

Home phone: 668-6813

Best wishes from

FOOD FAIR STORES, Inc.

Tru-Rn ·ER

DDIOCR-\TIC C L U B . I l\C.

P·.-:s . n1• - \\ illbm H. P.-t.-r-. :irrl.

\Ir. and \ Irs . Robert HPns lPr .\lr!'. Ro!>l' Hess :\Ir. Fred ] !'nson Mrs. Evelyn Krs Mrs. J osephine Lanl! Mrs . Carrie Wood Lawton Mr. Grant Lewis Mr. .J ohn Mac Phe rson Horace and Esther :vrcCarter Miss Jane t :Vlart in Miss ancy .\lart in :Vlrs . Ruth Wood \lartin Mr. and \Irs . Anthony Mata ro7.za Middle borough Inn Mr . Marie ash Mrs. Marie D. izer \1r. ancl !\Irs . Chas. Porter , S r. .\1rs . Cora L. P orter .\Ir. and :\Irs . Harry Porte r, S r. :vir. and Mr . Ja mes Port er :VI iss Sarah Lynn Porter Ylr. and Mrs. William Port<'r

Compliments

of

A F RIEND

Jp JENDER PUBLICITY CO.

Complete Printing S erv ice

201-Y2 S. Marilyn Ave. Baltimore, Md . 21 221

687-73 70

.\Ir. and .\Irs . Neil Rizzo Rosal ie P. Sadle r Mrs. Sadie Sauter Mrs . Anna Scott Mrs. Roberta Wood Sears Mr. Roy Steinke Mrs. \1arg;aret Tabele ny Mrs. Frances P. T otaro Mr. and ::Vlrs. James Tutchton Mr. athan Tutchton Mr. and .\Irs. Wm. Tutchton \ Jr. and \ Irs . J. L. Cnger William J. Wagnt>r Mr!> . Bessie \VeidingC'r Lee 0. Williams Mr. and .\1rs . H. A. Williams Kay Wolfe

orbcrt . \ . ilson l\lrs .. Eiizabeth Woud Mrs. Lottie Y. Wood Mr. and Mrs. Jam es W. Wood Call ie Young Adelia Wood Ade lsberger

Compliments

of

MARS

SUPER MARKETS


-\ .Hrt! "- t'r Li::-t in;r Ta~ H .. r lldl,!<" :--ol·iety of Essex and \lidd lt" River wou ld like to t'~pres~ our thank~ tu those rnt"m bt>rs uf uur Business Com· munity whu~e suppnrt has made this publiC"atiun possible.

Ace Heating Oil Aero Motors

Albert Milke & Sons, Inc. Award Designers, Inc.

B. & B. Liquors B. J. Beauty Solon

Bayside Sporting Goods Bosch Distributors Boots Beauty Solon

Brunswick Crown Lones B. Bugotch Stores. Inc.

Charles Bootery Charlie Irish

Club Bar Community Jewelers

Country Ridge Coiffure' s Connelly Funeral Home E & M Discount Liquors Eastern Pet Shop, Inc.

Egor Soles. Inc. Essex Cord & Gift Shop

Essex Dinner Essex Drug Store Essex Jewelers

Essex Ladies Democratic Club Fleming & Sheeley

Food Fair Stores, Inc. Geresbeck's Foodlond

Gino's Hamburgers Green's Liquors

Hoffman's Lounge Henry J. Betz & Son Jender Publicity Co.

Jo's Grocery Keon Cleaners

Lazarus Pharmacy Marlyn Pharmacy

Mars Super Market Mary's Style Center

M & M Bus Lines Notional Brewery

Norman R. Neimiller Newman's Highs Store

Norman's Package Liquors, Inc. Paul's TV

Peter's Restaurant Philip W. Green Insurance

Pizza John's Plaza Lounge Popular Club

Professional Pharmacy of Essex Raymond's Clothing

Ramo Spaghetti House Rosa Mae Beauty Salon

Tri River Democratic Club, Inc. Virginia Hormess .Valsh & Company

First Shoe Repair Shop by Mrs. Anna Persia Betkey

Rocco Persia opened his first s hoe repair shop in 1920 on the lot at the rear of Margaret and Maryland Avenues. The house at 13 Margaret Avenue was built in 1922, and the shop was then located in the front of the housf'.

The house at 517 Eastern Blvd. was built in 1928 and the shop was built on the side of th e house with the entrance on Margaret Avenue.

The shoe repair shop was closed and the store was reopened as a pac kage goods s tore in June 1945· by Elm f'r and Anna (Persia) Betkey.

Another daughte r of Rocco Persia, Frances Hutton Marek. was emplo yed in 1926 by :\Jiss Anna ::Vlu grove who was the Land Agent for the Essex Land Co. In 1931. Mrs . Marek was Assistant Post· master under :\1r . Joseph Banz.

Mgr. Roy Gnagey

\JB ~BAR

Music on Weekends

525 EASTERN BLVD. ESSEX

PHONE: 686-9811

Compliments of

LADIES ESSEX

DEMOCRATIC CLUB INCORPORATED

and Lounge

Serving The Finest Foods For Over 30 Years

• 3 DINING ROOMS

• COCKTAIL BAR & LOUNGE

-Banquet facilities -

OPEN 11 A.M .

686-6600

CLOSE MONDAYS

1528 EASTERN AVE. Corner Stemmers Run Rd.

10 minutes from end of Beltway & Rt. 40

IN ESSEX


..

OTtle National Brewing Co. of Ballo. , Md . at Ballo .• Md. Also Phoen•• • M•am• • Oetro•t baltimoreorless.com (scan courtesy of Bobbie Rich Bell)

he B. Bugatch Stores, Inc. salutes the Essex-Middle River Heritage Society and their officers for their valiant efforts in researching the history of this community and surroundings.

Our store founded in 1914 by my father has also made history, and we who are proud of our own history and heritage gladly link with the Essex-Middle River Heritage Society in urging each and every one to help in their research efforts.

510 EASTERN BLVD .. ( ESSEX ) BA LT IMO RE. MD. 21221 PHONE: 6 87·190 0

S TORES INC. BALTIMORE"S SMARTE S T FASHION S I N FURNITURE AND CLOT HING


Documents

Essex Heritage 1909-1969