![]() ![]() Michael's Church was administered by the Redemptorist Fathers who first came to Baltimore in 1840 when an agreement was reached between the Most Reverend Samuel Eccleston, Archbishop of Baltimore, and the Redemptorist Order that they assume charge of the German Catholics of the Arch-Episcopal City and of the whole diocese, by employing a number of German priests who were competent missionaries.īy 1870, these German- speaking Catholics petitioned the Archbishop of Baltimore, the Most Reverend James Roosevelt Bayley, for a church in their neighborhood. Michael's Church and school located on Lombard and Wolfe Streets. At first, these German-speaking Catholics walked a mile and a half from their homes, or rode the Green Line horse car that ran on Toone Street as far as Conkling Street, to St. Many Germans resided in Highlandtown, the majority of whom were Roman Catholics. Church’s Were a Cornerstone of Highlandtown Woods, corn fields, dairies and truck farms surrounded the village. So, for years, Highlandtown remained a country village of detached brick and frame houses with picket-fenced front yards. Beyond the bridge, the avenue was a small road. Eastern Avenue was paved with cobblestones as far as the wooden bridge over Harris Creek. In the late 1870's and early 1880's, few streets ran east of Patterson Park. When Baltimore City annexed the area in 1918, the spelling was changed to avoid confusion. The Committee finally decided on Highland Town for the central portion of the community, from which one could see the surrounding countryside for miles around. These dignified merchants called a meeting at Weissner's for the purpose of selecting a new, definite name for the community. Milkmen also found Snake Hill to be good pasture ground. The village had already attracted two classes of businessmen, butchers and brewers: the butchers because they needed a thinly-populated area for their trade, and the brewers because of the potential for adequate space for the beer gardens that were popular and usually respectable gathering places for the whole family. Snake Hill Becomes Highlandtownīy 1870, the citizens objected to the original name of the community, Snake Hill. On December 30, 1873, the Highlandtown Fire Department was organized as a hook and ladder company called "The Rescue." A cornerstone was laid on Main Street (now 400 North Conkling) in September 1875, and a 24' x 75' building was erected. Henry Miller was appointed the community's first policeman about 1875, and a member of the Elgert family was named the first magistrate. Lighting The Avenueĭuring these early days, a night watchman named Rapp would light the few street lamps each evening and patrol the streets, notifying residents that all was well. ![]() Theodore Maasch, butcher, and Adam Elgert, saloon-keeper, also opened businesses. In addition, the three Schluderberg brothers - Conrad, William and George - bought land for a butcher shop. In 1899, the plant was purchased and closed by the Maryland Brewing Company, a trust which had bought 17 local breweries.Īnother local industry was the Mickey Dorsey and Son Acid Factory, which later became Geyner's Lime Kiln. Later, Weissner added a bowling alley, a dancing pavilion and flying horses. ![]() The brewery employed nine employees, and at the southern end was a beer garden, saloon and picnic ground. Weissner's Fort Marshall Brewery at Highland and Eastern Avenues, which began producing beer in 1869. Early Local IndustryĪmong the earliest industries to move into the little village was George F. He later built a frame house and still later a three- story brick dwelling. His original house was an odd attraction, being the cabin of an old boat hauled to the site and roughly renovated into living quarters. ![]() Pleasant Avenue after his own birthplace in County South, Ireland.įor years, the neighborhood's only resident, McGuinness, lived on the northwest corner of Baylis and Bank Streets. McGuinness planted trees and laid out streets, naming one Mt. The History of Highlandtown as a separate and distinct neighborhood really began in 1866, when Fort Marshall - located on what was then called Snake Hill - was abandoned by the Union troops.Ī young Irish immigrant named Thomas McGuinness, under the direction of the Philadelphia Land Company, which owned the property, started the development of the area as a residential neighborhood. ![]()
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