The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1903-08-15
TOWSON, Md, SATURDAY AUGUST 10 1908

missioner Of Records, with power to
appoint a clerk, which he did. Dur
ing part of his administration Mr..
Wollen was clerk and later Mr.. Oliver
c. Warfeld filled that position. Still
later and by an act of the Legislature
passed March 26, 1865, Mr.. Oliver c.
War6eld alone was appointed Com
missioner of Records.
An interesting and startling episode
in the history of the court house oc-
CURED about midnight of May 9TH,
1867. Private parties were in the
habit of depositing money and valua-
bles with the Treasurer for safe keep
ing. The knowledge of this fact
seems to have gotten abroad and came
into the possession of a parcel of free
hooters. On the night in question
fearful storm was raging The citi-
zens of Towson were peacefully slunr
berIng in their comfortable hQIpqeess
and the wind howled with all the
fury of an embryo cyclone. While
the clocks were Ginning the midnight
hour three masked men effected an
entrance into the court house. They
bound and gagged the watchman in
the office of the County Treasurer
and made off with booty valued at
$4,000, after blowing open the safe
with a charge of powder.
While the town has been under the
jurisdiction of the County Commis-
sioners, yet it once had the distinc-
ton of being corporation for the
short period of two successive years.
A peculiar phase of political condi-
tlons caused the overthrow of the
powers and resulted in the town once
more reverting to its primitive condi-
ton. On December ID, 1869, meet
ing was held at the court house to
consider the advisability of petition
ing the Legislature for incorporation.
A committee was appointed to look
into the matter and at a second meet
ing held the next day reported favor
ably. 1t was at first decided to have
the boundaries a mile square, with
the court house as the centre. This
was amended SO as to fix the juno
ton of the York and Du1any's Valley
turnpikes as centre. By the pro-
visions Of the charter board of five
commissioners was to govern the
town, to be elected on April 4th,
1870, and thereafter annually en- the
first Monday in April. The election
of 1870 was noteworthy, because it
was the first to occur in Maryland
after the adoption of the Fifteenth
Amendment, which gave the colored
citizens the right to vote. The reg
istration officer at Towson had some
doubts as to whether, under the laws
of the State, he had the right to open
the books for the registration of
voters, except at the stated times in
September and October. Acting
under the advice of the Judges of the
to register the newly-enfranchised
voters. The names of thirty-seven
were enrolled, all of whom are be-
lieved to have voted on April 4th,
these being the first of their race to
vote in Maryland since 1902, up to
which time free negroes had the right
to suffrage. Election day dawned
bright and auspiciously and the ex-
citement in and around Towson was
intense. The nominees on both sides
were representative men and capable
of the functions to be entrusted to
them. When the ballots were count.
ed it was found the Republicans had
elected their candidates by good ma
jorities. On April 18th the commits.
sioners met to organize and entered
upon their duties. The new form OF
government was apparently not to the
liking of the influential politicians,
and when the Legislature of 1872
convened the corporation, after two
years of existence, was abolished by a
sweeping political act.
In no way has the town made great
er progress than in its mail facilities.
In its early history we find that after
repeated difficulties in obtaining the
requisite service on the mail route
from Baltimore, the Postmaster Gen
eral, on August 25th, 1854, made
permanent engagement with William
L. Miller to carry the mail in omni
buses, leaving the Baltimore Office
in the morning and returning in
the afternoon of each day, except
Sunday. This arrangement continu-
ed until August 2oth, 1868, when the
York Road Railway was opened and
when we had better mail service.
Today the town has not only new
Postofice Building, where twenty
six mails are received and depart
each weekday, but the citizens are
served by letter-carriers, who make
three deliveries daily, Sunday ex-
cepted.
Towson has modern buildings of
which any pretentious city might be
proud. Besides the court house and
three hotels there is Masonic Tenn
pie, two Odd Fellows Halls, Grange
Hall, a National Bank, the Lee
Building, the Shealey Building, the
Piper Building, the Law Building,
two Public School buildings and eight
churches Methodist Episcopal, Prot
estant Episcopal, Methodist Protes-
tant, Baptist, Roman Catholic, two
colored Methodist Protestant and one
colored Baptist. 1t also boasts OF
three of the representative weekly
newspapers of the State. A water
works, located in the suburbs, sup
plies the citizens with pure water
and also furnishes the plugs located
along the avenues with water in case
of fire. An efficient fire department
is located in the Shealey Building,
supplied with large chemical en-
gine, hose carriage, hook and ladder
truck, etc. The avenues are lighted
at night with electricity, as are also
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