Elkridge is a census-designated place (CDP) in Howard County, Maryland, United States. The population was 22,042 at the 2000 census. Founded early in the 18th century, Elkridge is located at the confluence of three counties, the other two being Anne Arundel and Baltimore counties.
It is bordered on the north by Catonsville, on the east by Linthicum and Baltimore-Washington International Airport, on the south by
Dorsey, and on the west by various small communities between it and Columbia.
History
Elkridge qualifies as the oldest settlement in its present county, when Howard was a part of Anne Arundel County. Its location on the Patapsco
River was a key element in its growth. The settlement existed even before the Maryland General Assembly elected a law to erect a thirty acre, forty-lot town at Elkridge
Landing to be called "Jansen Town" in 1733. Initially, the settlement was developed as a place where planters, who each had a
wharf along the River, could bring their tobacco crop to be loaded on English trading ships. Later, Elkridge Landing was built as
the seaport dock for the community. In 1825, Jansen Town burned, taking out all of the oldest buildings at the Landing and 9 out
of 10 houses in the village.
Elkridge also has historic churches, including Melville Church on Furnace Ave. Its original building was the first Methodist
church built (late 1700s) and was visited on the circuit rides of Francis Asbury. Saint Augustine Church, on Old Washington
Blvd., was originally built in 1845.
Elkridge had a rich history of industries including pig-iron forging, basket weaving, paper, cotton and grist milling, as well
as employment from the B&O Railroad. The Thomas Viaduct, located over Levering Avenue at the entrance to the Patapsco State Park, is the oldest
stone curved bridge in the world. Built in 1833, its architect was Benjamin Latrobe, Jr. The B&O first used horse-drawn
coaches in relays, hence Relay Station was added. The Viaduct also carried the Tom
Thumb and the first telegraph message from Washington, D.C., stating: "what has
God wrought?" was wired across.
Elkridge did not escape the Civil War. Union troops guarded the Viaduct and the
thoroughfare to Baltimore City by camping on Lawyers Hill, a community of summer
estates built over the years by residents such as Caleb Dorsey ("Belmont"), Baltimore City Supreme Bench Judge George Washington
Dobbin (the "Lawn"), Thomas Donaldson ("Edgewood"), John Latrobe ("Fairy-Knowe"), and the Penniman family home ("Wayside"). Some
of these families had slaves. Their estate cottages were built along the very top of the Lawyers Hill, including along Old
Lawyers Hill Road, which at one corner stands the Elkridge Assembly Rooms. This community hall, built in 1871, was a neutral
meeting place for entertainments for Northern and Southern sympathizers of the neighborhood and owned by them as stockholders.
Neighbors did not betray neighbors and each protected others property from advancing troops. The historic Lawyers Hill homes
remain in the National Historic Trust.
Geography
Elkridge is located at 39°12′7″N, 76°45′1″W (39.202057,
-76.750157)1.
Elkridge was named for a geographic ridge line, the area and length extending as far west as Doughoregan Manor and as far south as Oakland Mills. According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 20.4 km² (7.9 mi²), all land. except the Patapsco River, tributaries
and streams.
Demographics
As of the census2 of 2000, there were 22,042 people, 8,324 households, and 5,793 families residing
in the CDP. The population density was 1,081.4/km² (2,799.9/mi²). There were 8,719
housing units at an average density of 427.8/km² (1,107.5/mi²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 80.58% White, 9.59% African American, 0.21% Native American, 6.47% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.95% from other races, and 2.16% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.22% of the population.
There were 8,324 households out of which 42.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.6% were married couples living together, 10.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.4% were
non-families. 22.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 4.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or
older. The average household size was 2.64 and the average family size was 3.16.
In the CDP the population was spread out with 29.2% under the age of 18, 6.0% from 18 to 24, 44.4% from 25 to 44, 15.3% from
45 to 64, and 5.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females there were 95.5 males.
For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.9 males.
The median income for a household in the CDP was $65,835, and the median income for a family was $71,923. Males had a median
income of $47,329 versus $35,802 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was
$27,629. About 2.0% of families and 2.7% of the population were below the poverty
line, including 2.9% of those under age 18 and 5.5% of those age 65 or over.
Notable Residents - Past and Present
- Arvydas Sabonis
- Dr. Douglas M. "Fresh" Roland III, Founder - Center for MP Research
- Leonard Marion Bahr, portrait painter
- Florence Riefle Bahr, artist and activist, State of MD 1999 "Woman of the
Year."
- George Washington Dobbin, Supreme Bench Judge of Baltimore City.
- Caleb and Priscilla Dorsey, original builders of
"Belmont."
- Dr. George Dobbin Brown, grandson of G.W. Dobbin.
- John H.B. Latrobe, attorney for the B&O, writer, artist, and builder of "Fairy-Knowe,"
son of the White House architect Benjamin H. Latrobe, Sr., and brother of Benjamin H.
Latrobe, Jr. - the architect of the Thomas Viaduct.
- Saint John Neumann, pastor of Saint Augustine Church 1849-1851
- Jonathan Ward, actor (Charles in Charge, MAC and Me)
Sources
- Elkridge Heritage Society (1983).
Lawyers Hill Heritage: Elkridge - 3 Wars and the Peace.
- (Winter 1994) "Sidelight on the Baltimore Riot," Maryland Historic Magazine
Quarterly,. Mus. and Library of MHS, pg. 441.
- Cramm, Joetta M. (1987). A Pictorial History of
Howard County, pg. 441.
External links
Coordinates:
39.202057° N 76.750157°
W
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