The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1908-08-29
Once a Prosperous Manufacturing

Town Now a Deserted Village.-In this
| day of high rents, crowded homes and conges
ted quarters Baltimoreans Will be surprised te
| whole village, composed of nearly 100 cottages
practically uninhabited, says the Baltimore SsE
| of last Sunday Many of these houses can be
rented for a song. while some of them could be
| had as homes for the mere asking.
The town is called Beckleysville and is located
| midway between Hampstead, on the western
Maryland Railroad, and Partition, on the North
| ern Central The history of the town Is the MS
| tory of its founder--Daniel Beckley-wnose
death some years ago sounded the death kneli OF
the village. In many respects he was one of the
most remarkable men this State ever produced.
and shrewd business man. who in casting about
in search of place to invest MS smali capi!sai,
when quite young man in the nftles, oecldeo
to stake his fortune in the paper industry. He
built small mill along Georges creek-a branch
of the Gunpowder-nestledb between high hills
and rugged rocks.
such an extent that he could not fill his orders,
so his mill was enlarged. AS his wealth accu-
mulated he bought up large tracts OF land sur
structed cottages as homes for his employees.
Notwithstanding he was obliged to haul the
raw material seven miles to his mill and the
finished product the same distance for shipment
to his consignees, for number OF years Mr..
Beckley was more than able to hold his own,
meant an increase in his landholdings and in the
size of the village, which began TO be known
everywhere as Beckley's village.
that the population was over 300 and the Post
Office Department established an office there
and named the place Beckleysville, by which
name it has been known ever since.
In 1875 Mr.. Beckley found that number OF
other paper mills had been established along or
near the railroads and that he was hardly able
rivals. Revolving the matter in his mind, he
decided to build railroad of his own, connec-
ting the Western Maryland and the Northern
Central, which would pass by his mill.
He put the proposition before q number of
other capitalists and they subscribed freely of
the stock. Among the number was George Hare,
who owned a large wooden mill in the neighbor-
hood, but was known principally as the father OF
% children-15 by his first wife and 10 by the
second.
The survey for the road was soon made and
hundreds of laborers, mostly foreigners, were
put to work constructing the roadDed; Inc
course was over an extremely rugged and hilly
country wnfcn necessitutea tstiofi gfuaassg ssaad
blasting.
After working on the road for several years
and noting the slow progress, several of the
stockholders decided that it would require
much larger amount of capital to construct the
road than was at first anticipated and it would
be losing venture. So firm were they in their
conviction that they offered their stock to Mr.;
Beckley far below par and he bought nearly all
of it.
Undaunted, and with an abiding faith in the
MI @ Y ad 69e Sa
a million dollars. when he awoke to the fact that
the road was only half constructed, while the
necessary bridges would involve large expen-
diture and his working capital had been ex-
hausted. After making several unsuccessful
efforts to interest capitalists in his plan. he was
obliged to dismiss his men and bid good-by to
the greater part of his fortune.
About 10 miles of the road had been built and
it stands today mute example OF misdirected
capital, or, perhaps as an evidence of the lack of
more men of the business acumen and progress
siveness of Mr.. Beckley's type. Maps of Mary
land show a railroad extending to Shamburg-a
has often been facetiously remarked that this is
the end of the world-the jumping of place.
I9 aod 70 All as h,rned Whe tbsre we're
rumors of the fire being of an incendiary origin
the owner Immediately rebuilt the building on q
ern machinery and every labor-saving device
known to the business, believing that this would
put him on an equal footing with his competi-
tors His Judgment was thoroughly indicated
and in a short while he was safe on the road to
another fortune.
The town fourished. 1t was built at the inter
section of five county roads and was the mecca
for the country folk for miles around. There
was to be found the village store with its sup
plies of all sorts; the tavern where the thirsty
headquarters of many drummers of the old
DAYS: the forge, with its ringing anvil and flying
sparks, and the school house with its hundreds
Time and the affairs of men have changed all
this. The village store has long since been con-
dry before the Anti-Saloon League was ever
heard of the forge is used as roost for cooling
pigeons, while all but one of the rooms of the
While the surrounding country is very fertile
and the farmers for the most part are very pros
porous. the town depended largely for its susie
habitants for their labors in the mill.
About Is years ago Mr.. Beckley died. when the
mill was running full blast. Before his death
900 or more inhabitants of the little village were
happy and contented, surrounded by peace and
plenty. Though their grief over the demise of
SeH Taa f hsd
Most of them felt there would only be change
of management and the wheels of the mill would
Before the estate was settled in the Orphans
Court the mill was again burned. Itwas mag
nifcent structure, costing, aside from the equip
liarities was his contempt for insurance COM
panies, so that the burning of the mill mate
rally lessened the estate. None OF the heirs
felt like undertaking the rebuilding.
The inhabitants of the little town sat daily
of natient waiting and when their SMALL savings
had been exhausted, the people looked askance
at one another, indicating that something must
Gathering their belongings, which consisted
principally of household things, many OF them
made ARRANGEMENTS to move to other factory
towns in Pennsylvania and Maryland.
II was sad leave-taking. Many of them had
been born and reared IN me toWn, ana e II was vas
land of their birth, where SO many happy days
had been spent.
and become acquainted and satisfied, wrote to
their friends they mad left behind glowing &C
counts of the new life and its possibilities. The
few remaining persons in the town then made
hasty preparations to leave ana IN snort time
the town was vacated =.
No signs were placed on the many vacant
dwellings stating that they were for rent, for
who would rent them The only possible means
of livelihood for the people had been destroyed,
as the farmers in the neighbOrhOOd did their
own work, with the help of their wives and
children.
less that the large tract of land owned by the
Beckley estate, including 400 acres or FERTILE
land the home property-the dwelling house
alone costing $20,000-50 small houses and sew
eral barns, were recently bought by farmer
who owned adjoining property for less imam
$4,000.
The price was so small that it was contested in
the courts, but the purchase was declared legal
and the sale was ratified as fair.
In a short time the purchaser had disposed OF
much of the property, leaving him nearly all the
village and greater part OF the farm; ne
the huge smokestack of the burned mill, which
were sold to William Tracy, who constructed a
store of them at Foreston.
The farm has been cultivated to advantage,
but the houses are untenanted: more desert
ed village would be hard to find.
Sales of Towson PROPERTY. V. Slade,
auctioneer, sold on the premises on Tuesday,
for Mr.. W. Gill Smith, attorney named IN q
mortgage from William X. Burns and wife to
Marcie A. McComas, a comfortable frame cot
tage. nearly new, lot 60 by 156 feet, situated on
the west side of Bosley avenue, in Towson
purchased by Mr.. Fred. D. Dollenberg, Jr., fol
$4,000.
at the same time and place Thomas J. Hun
ter, auctioneer, sold for Mr.. q. Howard Isaac,