The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1903-06-20
THE CAVES" UNDER THE HAMMER
one Of the Oldest and Largest Mary
land Estates to be Sold in Tracts
Ranging From Ten to Fifty
Five Acres. etc.


The Caves" estate, the historic home of the
CAROLS, situated near Owings' Mills Balti-
more county, has been subdivided into fifty
one tracts and will be sold at public sale on
wednesday, June oath, as will be seen by refer
today
This estate, says the Baltimore american, has
peen held together for something like two
hundred years. and it is both interesting and
instructive to look back over its history.
originally it contained 2,468 acres and most
OF this great property has remained in the
possession of the heirs Of the original proprie.
tor till within few years. doctor" Charles
Baron OCarroll," as he might properly be
designated, seems to have been the original
proprietor, and to have bequeathed it to his
son Charles, designated as "Barrister" Carroll,
OF Charles Carroll. Barrister," as he wrote
himself down, for it would seem that early in
the 17OOs there were many CAROLS within the
proprietary and each one of any prominence
mad to tack on to his name something to
distinguish him from the common herd.
Inc original proprietor seems to have been the
direct descendant of ely O'Carroll," prince
Of Ireland, SO that, in taking up this large
body of land under the Lord Proprietor of
Maryland, we can easily imagine the idea he
may have had of establishing an Irish barony
IN the pleasant domain of Maryland, where
the land was fertile and foxes in fair supply.
tracts with fanciful names, which it was GUS
IIomary in those days to give to each parcel of
land, we find the original estate made up of
the following: William and Elizabeth's Fan
cSy" Bonds ;Neighborhood," Pleasant
f GIssn IOr Lyons ggesrch Dem and B SG
Caves" By virtue of special warrant. we
are informed, granted out of the Proprietary's
Land Office, the 4th of May, 1878, James Cal
Ger, deputy surveyor of Baltimore county, sur
veyed each of said tracts separately, and, as
THEY were all contiguous, again surveyed them
as d tract containing 2,46S acres, more or
less, b be held of the Manor of Baltimore by
the name of The Caves This return is
made toAhe Proprietary's Land Office, April
10, 1774.''
In the names of two of the tracts Of land
referred to- that of Lyons Den" and 'Coles
Caves" we may see some indication of the
probable source of the title of 1.-The Caves, ''as
the latter tract was considerable portion of
the whole body. But just what the exact
origin of the title was there is no means of
ascertaining. No doubt there were at one time
openings on the property that were sufficient
to suggest the idea Of caves, but the action of
nature or desire to keep the grazing cattle
from accident, probably resulted in their OBJ
liberation, as we can learn of no trace of them
at this day, though we have seen a story in
print that the last Carroll proprietor has said
that 'only Carroll could find them"
By will dated 9Th of April, 1888, Charles
Carroll, Barrister. devised 1.-THE Caves to
Nicholas McCubbin, one of the children of
testator's sister, Mary Clara Carroll, the wife
of Nicholas McCubbin, with the order and d.
rection that the devisee shall endeavor to OBJ
tain an act of Assembly for altering his sur
name to Carroll, which seems to have been
So much for the family history connected
with the estate, and we turn now to the prop.
erty itself, which must shortly lose its ancient
and become "split up" as most
American estates do. 1t does seem almost
pity in these days, when it is becoming the
fashion for millionaires to acquire large tracts
of land for their pleasure or pastime, that an
and compact manor like 1.-THE
Caves" could not be kept intact for some useful
purpose, instead of being cut up into plebian
plots of few paltry acres as seems to be the
coming fate of this domain. 1t seems reason
ably certain that in the course of few days
these broad boundaries will, under the ruth
less hand and hammer of the auctioneer, con-
tract into the everyday modern country seat
or suburban farm, where either the shrewd
hard working farmer, or the city man with
tastes, and the means to crafty them,
will raise our early vegetables or rear the mod
ern villa. All may then sit in the seat of the
descendants of the Irish prince, ELY O'Car-
roll" and practice that benefcent form of
'home rule" such as seems to make the val
legs about this delightful neighborhood IA
dashing fox hunters.
Before bringing this article to a close we
may refer to one or two of the special charac-
teristics of this property. Such, for instance
as some of the most remarkable springs in the
State, which gush out thousands of gallons of
clear, sparkling water an hour, forming some
of the beautiful streams that supply the city
of Baltimore with the important fluid. These
great springs were never known to fall and in
fact, rarely seem to fluctuatein quantity, while
the many virtues of the water would, if all the
tales we're told, seem to be the cause of the
for which the neiehharhnnd is noted f
can produce. Space prevents our going fur
Their into this subject, and leaves us only room
to refer briefly to the ''Old Carroll Mansion"
as it is called, with its ancient contrivances
and primitive carpenterwork. The few COM
Portable tenant-houses scattered over the estate
with here and there suggestive barn, and the
other outbuildings which are important in the
eyes of the farmer.