The oldest section of Lutherville dates back to 1852, when it was founded by two
Lutheran ministers as a planned community, anchored by a Lutheran seminary and church. The land was originally part of the vast
Hampton Estate of Charles Ridgely, from whom it was purchased in 1851. The two ministers,
Benjamin Kurtz and
John Morris, named the community after the 16th-century German reformer
Martin Luther. Notable structures, in addition to the old college building and the many Victorian homes, include: • St. Paul's Lutheran Church, started in 1856 by John Morris. The present stone sanctuary was built in 1898. • St. John's Methodist Church, built in 1869. • Church of the Holy Comforter, an Episcopal church built in 1888. •
Oak Grove, the house of Lutherville founder John Morris, built in 1852 on Morris Avenue. Filmmaker
John Waters lived in the Oak Grove house with his family as a teenager in the 1960s. Some of Waters' earliest filmmaking efforts took place at the house. •
Octagon house on Kurtz Avenue, built of concrete in 1855 by another Lutheran minister who also served as the town's postmaster. ==Notable people==