18 North Howard Street
P. O. Box 698
Aberdeen, Maryland 21001

A Walking Tour of The City of Aberdeen

The Aberdeen Heritage Tour: Provided as a community service by The Aberdeen Room Archives and Museum, Inc.

Welcome to the City of Aberdeen. We greet those whom we have known for many years and those who are new to the community. It has been over 110 years since a thriving little village was formally incorporated as a town. Now, over a century later, and still going strong, it was officially designated as a City in 1992.

We take pride in our City and in the people who have contributed to its history, helped shape our destiny, and who guided the town through both good and perilous times.

We hope you enjoy your tour of Historic Aberdeen. We invite you or your group to visit the Aberdeen Room Archives and Museum, Inc., which is a treasure trove of local memorabilia. Thank you for coming to Aberdeen our All-America City 1997 and enjoy the day.

A Historic Tour of Hall’s Cross Roads in the City of Aberdeen

(East Aberdeen)

map

HAUDUCOEUR’S MAP, 1799

PROVIDED AS A COMMUNITY SERVICE
BY THE ABERDEEN ROOM ARCHIVES
AND MUSEUM, INC.

WELCOME

Welcome to Hall’s Cross Roads (East Aberdeen). We greet those who we have known for many years and those who are new to the community. It has been over 300 years since our thriving little village was born at these cross roads.

The seed was planted by Captain John Smith. It grew and blossomed at the intersection of the Philadelphia Post Road and the Bush River Neck Road. Hall’s Cross Roads has grown to become the thriving community it is today.

Hall’s Cross Roads (East Aberdeen) started as a mail drop or post office, at a tavern and blacksmith shop in about 1670. Hauducoeur’s Map of 1799 shows a number of buildings at the cross roads. The Martenet’s map of 1878 shows a well defined village.

The Post Road was established in 1666. It extended from the Patapsco River in Baltimore County, to the Susquehanna Ferry river crossing at Havre de Grace, to Perryville, and then north to Philadelphia, and
beyond.

The Bush River Neck Road, established in 1670, connected the port and county seat at (Old) Baltimore on Bush River with the shipping points at Spesutia Island, Swan Creek and Havre de Grace, on the upper Chesapeake Bay.

Just west of Hall’s Cross Roads in 1835, the Philadelphia, Wilmington & Baltimore Railroad was constructed. This brought state of the art transportation to the area and a means for further economic growth. The station was to become a shipping hub, providing food to a growing nation.

By 1854 the community was home to the Odd Fellows at Blenheinm Lodge, the Grove Presbyterian church, and there was education for the youth of the community. The seeds of civic responsibility and comradely have blossomed among its citizens here in the village of Hall’s Cross Roads.

Thank you for coming to Aberdeen, our All-American City 1997. Enjoy your day.

Map

1. Professor Baldwin
2. F. O. Viele
3. Adams Home
4. Charles Osborn, Jr.
5. George Walker
6. Triple House at Church Green
7. Grove Church
8. Grove Manse
9. Shopping Center
10. Fire House No. 2
11. Boys & Girls Club
12. Elementary School - 1942
13. Baldwin Manor
14. First Baptist
15. Grove Cemetery
16. Bible Baptist
17. Monroe Building
18. Catholic Church
19. Women’s Dormitory
20. Duguid Home
21. Union Methodist
22. Swan Creek School
23. Roye-Williams School

Inside brochure you have all picture borders
across top

Strasbaugh Canning Brokerage
Stood at 9 East Bel Air Ave.
Pic

Baker & Morgan Brokerage
East Bel Air Avenue
pic

Charles Osborn, Sr. House
East Bel Air Avenue
pic

Professor Baldwin House
East Bel Air Avenue
pic 1

Frederick Viele Home
East Bel Air Avenue
pic 2

Adams Home
East Bel Air Avenue
pic 3

George Walker Home
East Bel Air Avenue
pic 5

pictures down left column
under Strasbaugh

Grove Presbyterian Cemetery
South Post Road
pic 15

Bible Baptist Church
41 Mitchell Avenue
pic 16

Union Methodist Church
North Post Road
pic 21

Swan Creek School
pic 22

pictures down right column
under George Walker

Triple House
pic 6

Grove Presbyterian Manse
54 East Bel Air Avenue
pic 8

Baldwin House
East Bel Air Avenue
pic 13

First Baptist Aberdeen
East Bel Air Avenue
pic 14

Three times in the 20th Century major traffic diversions across the Amtrak right of way have affected the East Aberdeen area of the city. In 1937 Route 7 was cut off from Post Road when Route 40 was built through Aberdeen. The construction of the Northern Thruway which was completed in the fall of 1969 diverted traffic off East Bel Air Avenue and in 1982 vehicular traffic was diverted to A.P.G. Avenue when the bridge across the railway was built.

This tour may be walked, but because of the distance involved it may be a car trip for most.

Our tour begins on the East Bel Air Avenue side of the pedestrian crossing over the Amtrak right of way which was built in 1982. The cross walk has become a dividing line for the two sections of Bel Air Avenue, East and West. The vacant lots at (# 9 and # 11) are where the canned goods brokerages of Strasbaugh, and Baker & Morgan once stood and across the street is the former site of the Charles Osborn, Sr. House. Magnolia Farms Apartments & Townhouses are now at this location. But enough of the past. Let's concentrate on what is still standing. There are many fine old homes and thriving public & private buildings in this historic area of East Aberdeen.

1. 27 East Bel Air Avenue - Originally the home of Professor Aquilla R. Baldwin. The Professor is remembered as a music teacher and bandleader.

2. 31 East Bel Air Avenue - a cross gable stick frame house, originally the home of Frederick O. Viele, an early lumber and building supply owner.

3. 35 East Bel Air Avenue - a fine example of a 19th century stucco, centered gable house, originally the Adams home. William Adams was an early butcher and grocery retailer in Aberdeen.

4. 41 East Bel Air Avenue - am empire revival house with cross gables, originally the home of Charles Osborn, Jr. He was a canner of corn.

5. 45 East Bel Air Avenue - Originally the George Walker home and later the Strasbaugh home. It also served as the early Catholic Rectory.

6. 23-24-26 Church Green - a Tudor style, shingle, triple house built in 1918 by the U. S. Housing Corporation, unique to this area of town.

7. 50 East Bel Air Avenue - Grove Presbyterian Church, a stone, gothic revival building built in 1912. A gift of the Baldwin, McGaw & Mitchell families to the congregation, dedicated in 1913.

8. 54 East Bel Air Avenue - Grove Presbyterian Church Manse a frame building with a central Italianate domer built in 1926. It was first occupied by the Reverend William Flukey.

9. 101-103-105-107-109 East Bel Air Avenue - Strip Shopping Center providing commercial services to the East Aberdeen community.

10. 104 East Bel Air Avenue - Aberdeen Fire Dept. No. 2 built in the 1940’s to serve East Aberdeen whose population doubled during WW II.

11. 110 East Bel Air Avenue - Boys & Girls Club of Harford County built in 1992 to serve the needs of the youth in the Aberdeen community.

Swan Meadows, with its streets Aberdeen Avenue, Swan Street, Defense Drive, Victory Street, Chesapeake Court and Liberty Street, was built in 1942.

12. Halls Cross Roads Elementary School built in 1942 to provide education to the growing number of school age children in the community.

13. 201 East Bel Air Avenue - Originally the Colonel Joseph R. Baldwin home, built in 1905. It is a graceful neoclassical style mansion.

14. 219 East Bel Air Avenue - First Baptist Church of Aberdeen built in 1954 to house the growing East Aberdeen Baptist congregation.

Our tour will next concentrate on the Post Road, the old north-south mail route. The south end of Post Road across the APG railroad spur formerly housed the Michael family’s Cannery and later Chemical Products Company. This is where the wells are that supply water to Aberdeen.

The Dol-Ray development along Post Road was developed in 1948, with street names Norman, Mitchell, Raymond, Greene and Smith. Later the Lyndhurst subdivision added Darlington, Dixon and Engel streets. Finally the Grove subdivision was added in 1955.

15. Grove Presbyterian Cemetery on the east side of Post Road is the 1854 site of the original meeting place of the church, when it was still the grove of trees that gave the church its name.

16. 41 Mitchell Avenue & Post Road - The Bible Baptist Church was built in 1956 when Reverend Herman Eckelman was pastor of the church.

17. The Monroe Building built in 1956 is the Grove

Magnolia Farms apartments and townhouses were built in 1968, as The Aberdeen Village, on the site of the former C. B. Osborn, Sr. Home.
At the corner of Post Road & East Bel Air Avenue - note the inviting appearance of the main entrance into the Grove Presbyterian Church sanctuary.
On the other side of East Bel Air Avenue we see the sturdy homes built by the U. S. Housing Corporation in 1918 near the end of World War I, with the street names Osborn Road, Church Green, New County Road, Rigdon Road and Post Road.
To the west from Post Road is Roosevelt Avenue. It leads to Baldwin Manor with the street names of presidents Madison, Taft, Lincoln, Wilson and Roosevelt. Also, at one time there was a Grant Avenue, but it was renamed about 1945 and is now Pritchard Avenue.

18. On the corner of Roosevelt Avenue & Wilson Street - stands the original St. Joan of Arc Church building of 1921. The building still serves the community as a church.

19. Baldwin Circle - Originally the World War II Dormitory’s of the 1940’s at the end of Wilson St. These buildings still provide private multifamily housing.

20. 128 Post Road - The Duguid home a classic craftsman style shingled “California bungalow” built in 1919.

We continue on to North Deen. It was built in the 1950’s as a Korean Wartime community, with street names that all contained the word “Deen.”
Washington Park was originally built in the 1940’s as Hamilton Court. It was a post World War II community in the Michael Lane area with streets named Monroe, Hanover and Fenway.
In the 1980’s Spring Valley Trailer Park was added with street names like Valley Bottom, Wood, Riddle & Hawkins Road and Lewis Drive.
The B & J Trailer Park is our next stop on the Post Road with the street names of Aztec & Apache Dr., Apache & Yuma Ave. And Inca St.
The Mullins Road area is where the Mullins Trailer Park, Landfill and Recycling Center are located.

21. 700 Post Road - Union United Methodist Church on the west side of Post Road. It was built in 1919, to replace the 1849 Union Chapel that once stood on Aberdeen Proving Ground.

22. 710 Post Road - Swan Creek School was built in 1922, replacing the 1920 building. A grant from the Julius Rosenwald Fund, for improvement to black schools, financed the project.

23. 201 Oakington Road - Roye-Williams Elementary School was built in 1953, as Havre de Grace Consolidated School for the education of black students in southern Harford County.