Old Harford Road

Old Harford Road follows a curving path along relatively high land bordering streams that feed the upper Chesapeake Bay, including Chinquapin Run. This suggests its likely origin as an Indian trail that subsequently was adopted by settlers to convey farm products from northeastern Baltimore County, Harford County, and southern Pennsylvania to the port of Baltimore in the late 18th century. The name "Old Harford Road" appears on area maps dating to at least 1850 (see, for example, map display in the Meeting Room of the Baltimore County Public Library in Towson, Maryland). In particular, the 1850 J. C. Sidney map notes that the Ninth District of Baltimore County spent $1124 to "top-dress" part of Old Harford Road with gravel stone in 1901. Comparable or greater amounts were also spent the same year on Hillen Road, Arlington Avenue, Hamilton Avenue, and Roland Avenue. By 1927, aerial views of eastern Baltimore County (see below) suggest that all parts of today's Old Harford Road had been paved. In 1921, on the part of Old Harford Road that by that time had come to be known as Glen Arm Road, what generally is accepted to be the nation's first train-actuated railroad crossing signal was installed at the crossing of the Maryland and Pennsylvania Railroad in the community of Glen Arm. The signal device was designed and installed by the short line railroad's noteworthy Superintendent of Signals, Charles Adler Jr. The approach of a train activated a double stop sign that turned toward the road twenty seconds before the arrival of a train. Adler later designed early traffic-actuated traffic lights for the City of Baltimore, and also invented the system of flashing warning lights used on aircraft. The State Roads Commission at the time was examining existing roadways to serve as connecting routes and/or partial alternatives to today's Belair Road (U.S. Route 1) that links Baltimore City with the city of Bel Air, Maryland. Ultimately, the right-of-way of the former Harford Turnpike from Parkville north to Benson (just south of Bel Air) was selected as the primary alternative; this route was designated Maryland 147, a designation that continues today. Structural development along Old Harford Road through the years largely has mirrored that experienced along other major roads in the region. From the late 18th century through much of the following one, "development" consisted primarily of the well-appointed homes of merchants and other wealthy individuals who conducted business in Baltimore. For example, the estates of both Revolutionary War hero General Samuel Smith, and Baltimore benefactor Johns Hopkins were located on that part of today's Harford Road near Hillen Road. Interspersed between these and other, lesser estates were the truck farms that supplied fruit, vegetables, and dairy products to Baltimore City. The term "truck" referred to the fact that the farm products quickly had to be moved to avoid spoilage. The next major surge in development occurred in the two decades following World War II. During this period, much of the remainder of today's Old Harford Road experienced the post-war building boom in the form of moderately-priced ranch and two story homes (see images below). A limited amount of modern "in-fill" construction continues today north of Joppa Road in Carney (e.g., the "Old Harford Ridge" subdivision near Proctor Lane). Post-war suburban development brought substantial traffic increases to Old Harford Road, especially in the Parkville-Carney area. The completion of Parkville High School in 1958 and the Perring Plaza Shopping Center in 1962, in particular, spurred commercial development along Old Harford near its intersection with today's Putty Hill Avenue. Major improvements (including widening, resurfacing and construction of curbs/sewers) along Old Harford occurred over various segments in the following years: 1971 (north of Joppa Road), 1972 (north of Taylor Avenue), 1975 (north of Proctor Lane), 1979 (intersection with Joppa Road), 1981 (near Summit Avenue), 1984 (Northern Parkway to Alvarado Square), 1990 (Satyr Hill Road to Joppa Road), and 2000–2001 (Taylor Avenue to Putty Hill Avenue). Construction of an overpass at the Baltimore Beltway (Interstate 695) in 1961 resulted in relocation of the roadway about west of the original right-of-way. This reconstruction also eliminated an existing "y" intersection with Satyr Hill Road. The relationship of present-day Old Harford Road with neighboring streets and highways is depicted in the sectional SHA map shown below. The SHA recently completed widening of Interstate 695 Baltimore Beltway between Perring Parkway and Harford Road. This project included replacement of the original (1961) Old Harford Road - Interstate 695 overpass. Old Harford Road remained open during the reconstruction. The east half of the new overpass opened to traffic on June 1, 2016; the project was completed in June 2017. The enlarged overpass was made 85 feet longer and 4 feet higher than the existing span to accommodate auxiliary lanes and possible future expansion of the Beltway. The three lanes of traffic on Old Harford Road include through lanes in each direction and a third for left turns onto Satyr Hill Road. The bridge also provides shoulders for bicycles and ADA-compliant sidewalks on both sides; several views of the new overpass appear below. On November 21, 2014, during the early stages of the construction project, the original Old Harford Road overpass was struck by a backhoe being carried by a westbound flatbed truck on the Beltway. The incident caused no injuries but required temporary closing of both the Beltway and Old Harford Road so that damage to the bridge could be inspected. ==Mass transit==

At present, no scheduled, public transportation exists along Old Harford Road. However, for more than 30 years, two branches of the Maryland Transit Administration's Route 19 bus line operated along parts of Old Harford Road. The 19A line, introduced in 1973, originated at the Carney Park-and-Ride lot at the intersection of Harford Road (Maryland Route 147) and Joppa Road. This line replaced a route originated by the former McMahon Transportation Service Company. Like its predecessor, the line followed Old Harford Road from Cub Hill Road south to Moore Avenue/Oakleigh Road, before continuing to downtown Baltimore via Taylor Avenue, Burke Avenue, Stevenson Lane, and Charles Street. The express-type service included single morning and evening trips. The line was renamed Route 105 in 2000 before being discontinued due to low ridership in 2005. Another branch of Route 19, referred to as the "Joppa Heights" line, operated along Old Harford Road between Taylor Avenue and Satyr Hill Road. It was introduced in early 1976 and enjoyed moderate ridership in its earlier years, providing service between the Joppa Road/Perring Plaza shopping areas and downtown Baltimore several times a day. This route, however, also suffered declining ridership in more recent years, and was discontinued in 2009. ==Points of interest==

Sites of historical note on Old Harford Road are listed below (south to north); the first four and the Pine Grove School are on the Baltimore County, Maryland Landmarks List: • The 19th century Krause lime kiln (near Summit Avenue; image below). The stone arch kiln burned wood to generate heat for the pulverization of limestone into lime. This process took two to three days, and lime obtained from the kiln was used to reduce soil acidity of area vegetable farms. The kiln was restored by the county in 1979 and is now part of Krause Memorial Park. noted that the site's neighboring survey markers located in Kent and Queen Anne's counties on Maryland's Eastern Shore could no longer be found. Those markers, on Swan Point and Kent Island, respectively, also had been established in the 1840s. By 1896, however, as a result of rising sea levels and the long-term subsidence of tidewater land, the Eastern Shore sites had become submerged. • The Shanklin-Carroll-Longbottom homestead (just south of Waldor Drive). The land grant of which the home is a part dates to 1695. In 1845, of the original tract known as "Bear Neck" was purchased by John Wesley Shanklin. Shanklin enlarged the original home, believed to have been built in the early 19th century, and operated a general store. The structure is now used for other communication purposes. The tower and its surrounding grounds also serve as an ecological and atmospheric research facility of the Maryland Department of Natural Resources in cooperation with the U.S. Forest Service. • The 1860 Pine Grove School (at Cub Hill Road). This one-room school house at the southeast corner of Old Harford and Cub Hill Roads was sold in 1939, and is now a private residence. Places of worship, schools, fire and police stations, and businesses on Old Harford Road, listed from south to north, appear below; parenthetical numbers are addresses on Old Harford Road • Hamilton Branch of the Enoch Pratt Free Library (at intersection with Harford Road and Glenmore Avenue) • Calvary Tabernacle (6010). The current structure, completed in 1983, replaced an 1874 structure (see images below) built on land donated by Robert Moore at "Five-mile Hill" in Baltimore County. The building originally served as a mission of St. Thomas Church, Baltimore City; it later become Saint Andrew's Chapel and Episcopal Church. The Saint Andrew congregation was absorbed by the Church of the Messiah when that congregation moved to its present nearby location on Harford Road in 1922. The 1874 structure then served as the Fourth Church of Christ, Scientist, Baltimore. The building subsequently was leased to Baltimore City for use as a primary school, and later still to the local Democratic Club and other organizations before becoming the Calvary Tabernacle. • The Parkville station (#10) of the Baltimore County Fire Department (southwest corner with Putty Hill Avenue); completed in October 1954, the station occupied a brand-new facility adjacent to the Parkville police department in September 2005; the fire bell in front of building was formerly used at the original Parkville fire station on Harford Road (Note: When the 1954 combined Parkville fire and police facility was constructed in 1954, Putty Hill Avenue (then known as Putty Hill Road) ended at Old Harford Road; an existing dead-end street known as "Miller Avenue" was removed by Putty Hill's extension west of Old Harford Road around 1960) • Putty Hill Shopping Center (southeast corner with Putty Hill Avenue) • Morningside House (8800 (at Lakewood Drive)); nursing facility opened in 1991 on site of former commercial green houses • Harford Hills Elementary School (8902 (near Joppa Road)) • Atonement Lutheran Church and school (9121 (south of Proctor Lane)) • Pine Grove Middle School (9200 (at Proctor Lane)) • Saint Isaac Jogues Roman Catholic Church (9215 (north of Proctor Lane)); church building opened in 1970 • Loch Raven Presbyterian Church (9318 (north of Summit Avenue)); church building opened in September 1991 on grounds of former 19th-century farmhouse • Water storage tower, City of Baltimore Department of Public Works (1/4 mile north of Cub Hill Road) ==Maps and images (images arranged by location, from south to north)==

Image:Map MD Sidney1850 fromUnivMDlib wide view CROP label.gif|Large section of the 1850 J. C. Sidney "Map of Baltimore County," showing area from Baltimore City northeast to the Little Gunpowder River (Harford County line). Annotations illustrate the relationship of mid-nineteenth century Old Harford Road to present-day Harford, Old Harford, Satyr Hill, Cromwell Bridge, and Glen Arm Roads. With the exception of "Old Harford Road" label highlighted in white, road and place-name annotations are present-day. Close-up sections of the same map, arranged from southwest to northeast and with slightly different annotations, appear in the next three images. Image:Map MD Sidney1850 OldHarfordRd south LABELEDcrop.GIF|Close-up section of 1850 Sidney "Map of Baltimore County," showing parts of northeast Baltimore City and Baltimore County to illustrate that present-day Satyr Hill Road is part of the original Old Harford Road. Various color shadings depict election districts as they existed at the time. Image:Map MD Sidney1850 OldHarfordRd middle LABELEDcrop.GIF|Close-up section of 1850 Sidney "Map of Baltimore County" (area immediately northeast of previous section), showing part of northeast Baltimore County to illustrate that today's Satyr Hill Road and that part of Cromwell Bridge Road north of Satyr Hill comprise part of the original Old Harford Road. Note that Cromwell Bridge Road did not yet exist southwest of its intersection with today's Satyr Hill Road. Image:Map MD Sidney1850 OldHarfordRd north LABELEDcrop.GIF|Close-up section of 1850 Sidney "Map of Baltimore County" (area immediately northeast of previous section), showing part of northeast Baltimore County to illustrate that present-day Glen Arm Road is part of the original Old Harford Road. The community of Glen Arm grew near the intersection of Old Harford Road with (today's) Long Green Pike. Image:Map MD Griffith1794 Old Harford Rd ANNOATED NEW.jpg|Annotated base map (Griffith 1794) showing location of Old Harford Rd relative to other existing thoroughfares|Section of 1794 Griffith "Map of Maryland," schematically showing routing of parts of today's Harford and Old Harford Roads from Baltimore City north-northeast into Harford County, Maryland. ("Map of the state of Maryland" by Dennis Griffith. Philadelphia: J. Vallance, publisher, 1795) Image:Map MD Finley (Anthony) 1824 Old Harford Rd ANNOTATED.jpg|Annotated base map (Finley 1824) showing location of Old Harford Rd relative to other existing thoroughfares|Section of 1824 Anthony Finley "Map of Maryland," schematically showing routing of today's Harford and Old Harford Roads from Baltimore City north-northeast to Coopstown, Harford County (vicinity of today's Jarrettsville, Maryland). ("Map of the state of Maryland" by Anthony Finley, 1824) Image:Map MD Cowperthwait (Thomas) & Co. 1856 mdde018 fromUnivMDlib Old Harford Rd ANNOTATED_NEW.jpg|Annotated base map (Cowperthwait, 1856) showing location of Old Harford Rd relative to other existing thoroughfares|Section of 1856 Thomas Cowperthwait and Company "Map of Maryland and Delaware," schematically showing routing of today's Harford and Old Harford Roads and adjunct routes from Baltimore City north-northeast to McCall's Ferry, Pennsylvania (on the Susquehanna River near Airville, York County). ("Map of the states of Maryland and Delaware" by Thomas Cowperthwait and Company, 1856) Image:Map MD Letts (Thomas; London, England) 1883 OldHarfordRd ANNOTATED_NEW.jpg|Annotated Letts (1883) map of Maryland-Pennsylvania showing Old Harford Road|Section of 1883 Thomas Letts "Map of the Eastern United States," showing Old Harford Road extending northeast from Baltimore, Maryland across the Susquehanna River at McCall's Ferry, Pennsylvania to Lancaster, Pennsylvania Image:Map_Balto_topo_1939_Old_Harford_&_Cub_Hill_Rds_IMG_5941.jpg|Detail of 1939 Maryland Geological Survey map of Baltimore County, Maryland, showing that the part of today's Cub Hill Road between today's Cromwell Bridge Road and Old Harford Road was, at that time, known as Old Harford Road Image:Map Baltimore SHA 1988 Old HarfordRd LABELED.gif|Recent highway map of northeast Baltimore City (yellow) and Baltimore County (white), showing present-day Old Harford Road. County-maintained highways, blue; state-maintained highways, black and yellow. (Sheet map, Baltimore County, Maryland State Highway Administration) Image:Old_Harford_Road_BGE21848CROP8x10SMALLMODmed.jpg|6000-block of Old Harford Road at Harford Road / Glenmore Ave, looking north, showing World War I - era bungalow construction and Hamilton Elementary School (1927) in middle distance; Apr. 1950 Image:Old_Harford_Road_Fourth_Church_of_Christ,_Scientist_(6100_Old_Harford_Road;_previously_St._Andrew's_Chapel;_later_Calvary_Tabernacle).jpg|Fourth Church of Christ, Scientist, formerly St. Andrew's Chapel and Episcopal Church, 6010 Old Harford Road, looking northwest, c. 1925. The 1874 structure was razed in 1983 for construction of the larger Calvary Tabernacle worship facility now on the site. Image:OldHarford_Church.jpg|Calvary Tabernacle (formerly, Saint Andrew's Chapel and Episcopal Church and also the Fourth Church of Christ, Scientist, Baltimore), at 6010 Old Harford Road; looking northwest in 1982. Image:Old Harford Road 6707 (address) c1920-built home ̠From the Fleagle family blog "The house in Hamilton, Baltimore, Maryland" CROP.jpg|Typical home built during the "first wave" (c. 1910-1920) of suburban development along Old Harford Road in the Hamilton area of Baltimore; c. 1920 view looking northeast (courtesy of Matt Fleagle) Image:OldHarford_Chesleyc.jpg|Old Harford Road at Chesley Avenue, Baltimore City, MD, looking north toward intersection with Moore Avenue in 1985, showing post-World War II semi-detached homes built c. 1953 Image:Bge30842 kingsrdg 1956sep14bCROP8x10cropmod.jpg|Old Harford Road at King's Ridge Road, Parkville, Baltimore County, MD, looking south, showing partial widening of Old Harford Road during construction of King's Ridge subdivision; Sep. 1956 Image:Old Harford Rd & I-695 Beltway overpass N end looking N SFC 2017 Dec 28 Screen Shot 2021-11-14 at 9.34.36 PM.png|Old Harford Road at new (2017) I-695 Baltimore Beltway overpass, north end looking north Image:OldHarford_Lakewoodb.jpg|Old Harford Road near Lakewood Road, Carney, Baltimore County, MD, looking north toward intersection with Joppa Road in 1991, showing individual ranch-style homes built c. 1955 Image:OldHarford_LimeKilnb.jpg|19th Century lime kiln, Old Harford Road near Summit Ave, Cub Hill, Baltimore County, MD Image:OldHarford_ShanklinHouseb.jpg|Cub Hill House, Old Harford Road near Summit Ave, Cub Hill, Baltimore County, MD Image:US_Coast_Survey_1855_Upper_Chesapeake_Bay_Finlay_site_ANNOTATED.jpg|Annotated section of 1855 U.S. Coast Survey map of the upper Chesapeake Bay, Maryland, showing location of Finlay Farm ("Finlay") triangulation point on property of the Cub Hill House on Old Harford Road, Cub Hill, Maryland Image:OldHarford_FireTowerb.jpg|Former forest fire lookout tower and Western Union microwave network relay facility, Old Harford Road, Cub Hill, Baltimore County, MD, Nov. 1982 Image:1927_Aerial_view_Old_Harford_Rd_&_Taylor_Ave_area_Screen_Shot_2023-06-07_at_5.24.54_PM.png|1927 aerial view of part of eastern Baltimore City and County, Maryland, showing the Old Harford Rd / Taylor Ave area; road names labeled in white (Image from the U. S. Agricultural Stabilization and Conservation Service, via the Maryland Geologic Survey and Johns Hopkins University - Sheridan Library) Image:1927_Aerial_view_Old_Harford_Rd_&_Satyr_Hill-Joppa_Rd_area_Screen_Shot_2023-06-07_at_5.23.35_PM.png|1927 aerial view of part of eastern Baltimore County, Maryland, showing the Old Harford / Joppa / Satyr Hill Rd area; road names labeled in white (Image from the U. S. Agricultural Stabilization and Conservation Service, via the Maryland Geologic Survey and Johns Hopkins University - Sheridan Library) ==In popular culture==

• In the mid- to late 1970s, the route of the storied "Maryland Marathon" distance-run included Old Harford Road between Putty Hill Avenue to Satyr Hill Road. During those years the marathon course ran from Baltimore Memorial Stadium to Loch Raven Reservoir, and Old Harford Road was used to cross the Baltimore Beltway. In 1985, Old Harford Road between Harford Road and East Northern Parkway served as part of the route of the 16th annual Baltimore March of Dimes "Walk-A-Thon." The Walk-A-Thon raised money for the March of Dimes foundation, and a volunteer rest station was set up in front of Hamilton Elementary School at 6101 Old Harford Road. • Laura Lippman, in her 1999 book, In Big Trouble, A Tess Monaghan Novel, mentions Old Harford Road on page 180, along with Old Frederick and Old York Roads, stating that while these routes "... weren't the fastest routes to their namesakes, they were always more interesting than the interstates ..." • In An Imperfect Process (previous title: Twist of Fate), a 2003 book by historical and contemporary romance author Mary Jo Putney, protagonist lawyer Val Covington leaves the corporate world to establish private practice in a former church on Old Harford Road in Hamilton. Val falls in love with the building's landlord, and they together try to save the life of an innocent man on death row. • In world-champion bicycle racer Marla Streb's 2006 book, ''Bicycling Magazine's Century Training Program: 100 Days to 100 Miles'', Old Harford Road is mentioned several times regarding rides and observations made near her parents' home. ==Major intersections==

Major intersections with commercial and/or institutional development along Old Harford Road include (listed south to north): • Harford Road • Northern Parkway • Taylor Avenue • Putty Hill Avenue • Satyr Hill Road (just north of I-695 Baltimore Beltway overpass) • Joppa Road • Cub Hill Road ==See also==