Catonsville

In 1877, Catonsville was presented as an energetic and emerging suburb of Baltimore, eight miles to the east or a one-day carriage ride away. The town centered on the Frederick Turnpike, part of the road system connected to the National Road in Cumberland. Like many pike towns, most properties and buildings stood directly along the road, making the Turnpike the hub of economic and social activity. More affluent residents, who used Catonsville as a retreat from Baltimore’s summer heat, built estates a short distance from the Turnpike with lawns, gardens, and lavish Victorian-style homes. Before the Civil War, Remus Adams, a free man of color, owned a blacksmith shop on the National Road on the site that is now Catonsville Elementary School.

Catonsville, Maryland · United States