Arbutus Patch Answers: Where Are We?
Border between Arbutus and Halethorpe depends on who you ask.
This is a question that has been posed by several Arbutus Patch readers in various ways. One reader wrote:
I'm just a bit curious as to how Rita's is a door or two away from "Sorrento's Of Arbutus" but Rita's is in Halethorpe? East Drive is the main artery of Arbutus and I don't know how it can be considered Halethorpe. The Rita's address for the AVFD fundraiser is listed as Halethorpe. I've lived in Arbutus for 35 years and never thought any portion of East Drive was Halethorpe. As I said, I'm just curious and I am quite possibly wrong about what is Halethorpe and what is Arbutus.
Another reader asked more pointedly,“Why there is a Welcome to Arbutus sign in Halethorpe?”
I’m treading into this against my better judgment. Neither a native nor a professional historian, I’m sure there are people around who are much more knowledgeable about local history. But I spent a little time nosing around and asking questions and near as I can gather, here’s how things went down:
Why is East Drive considered Halethorpe? Because the post office that serves Arbutus is located in Halethorpe. That association has become so deeply ingrained in various postal and telephone databases, and now GPS, that the entire southwest corner of Baltimore County is unfairly painted with the broad brush of Halethorpe.
So where does Arbutus end and Halethorpe begin? Sulphur Spring Road? The I-95 bridge over Oregon Drive?
Arbutus doesn’t exist on an 1877 map of the area that I found at the Arbutus Branch Library. There’s Sulphur Spring Station on Sulphur Spring Road, surrounded by land divided into large tracts. Mrs. Linthicum owned a parcel on Sulphur Spring. The property that became Halethorpe was owned by Dr. and Mrs. W.H.D. Hall and their neighbor Asa Smith.
According to the Baltimore Sun’s estimable Fred Rasmussen, Halethorpe was conceived in 1890 by B&O executive C. R. Varley Myers, who began developing the hilly land with Oregon E. Benson, James Rittenhouse and several others.
“The new community was bounded by the Baltimore & Potomac Railroad (later the Pennsylvania Railroad), Sulphur Spring Road and the mainline tracks of the B&O,” Rasmussen wrote. “Several years later, after Francis Avenue was cut through to Rolling Road, ‘West’ Halethorpe blossomed as a commercial hub with the opening of a grocery store, barbershop, drugstore and cobbler.”
Several familiar streets can be picked out of the 1898 map at the Arbutus Branch Library: Leeds, Linden and Selma Avenue. A row of homes line Linden.
Halethorpe is a comparatively large development of streets between the train tracks and Washington Boulevard. Arbutus is mainly to the west of the tracks, and Halethorpe is mainly to the east.
By 1918, the map looks much different. An electric streetcar line runs down the route that became East Drive. Arbutus has spread much further east of the tracks, and Halethorpe is much more developed as well, including Oak Park and well into Lansdowne.
One thing that is interesting is that the area South of Sulphur Spring Road and West of the train tracks--largely considered Arbutus today--is not labeled on the maps as Arbutus or Halethorpe, but Cowdensville.
Old maps are cool. Spend some time perusing them, as well as other fascinating material on local history, at Arbutus Branch Library.
The "Welcome to Arbutus" sign is located practically in the middle of everything, so that is arguably a reasonable spot. Many people seem to consider the I-95 bridge over Oregon a visual dividing line. Others say Francis Avenue.
Jay Schaefer
7:13 am on Wednesday, June 22, 2011
The answer I got from Baltimore County about 40 years ago was...
Why do you want to know; for school districts, for voting districts, for this district or that district...
Seems gerrymandering has realy confused the thing.
Before my dad passed away he lived at the DePaul House in the Jenkins Complex on Benson Ave at Caton Ave, within the city limits (I believe) but zoned as 21227 Halethorpe. Go figure
Walt Hiteshew
7:50 am on Wednesday, June 22, 2011
The towns are not incorporated. There are no distinct lines of demarcation. We all live in Baltimore County. Beyond that all lines blur.
Doug Austin
10:19 am on Wednesday, June 22, 2011
The corner down in the disputed area is the Benson Avenue bridge and Southwestern Blvd. Anything on the train tracks side and across the bridge is Halethorpe, anything on the Blvd, like Shuffle's Saloon, and the 7-11 on Benson, is Arbutus, regardless of what any map, GPS, or government entity says.
Sharon Ryan Zinkand
11:00 am on Wednesday, June 22, 2011
I live on Selma Ave. On the Arbutus side some would say, but my deed, my Dad, and my grandparents who lived here since 1926 called it Halethorpe. For those who get in a tizzy over it I have coined a new name for our neighborhood. "HaleButus"
David Bohannon
11:29 am on Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Heck, I live on the other side of the river in AACo (Brooklyn Park), and many, many online services will ping my IP and feed me ads for "Halethorpe."
Jamie LeBon
2:24 pm on Wednesday, June 22, 2011
I grew up in Oak Park.Which is a small community located in Halethorpe.Alot of my family and friends alway's considered the train track's (along Southwest Blvd.) as the divider of Halethorpe and Arbutus....
Scott Fisher
6:40 pm on Wednesday, June 22, 2011
I agree with Walt...everyone has at least an idea where southwest Baltimore County is, which is where I now tell my customers we're located. I used to tell customers I was in Halethorpe, right next to Arbutus, and 99% of them would mumble "huh?". Frustrating for the uninformed, but we locals don't really give a hoot. I love "Halebutus" Sharon!
Nikki Marlatt-Young
11:06 pm on Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Learned something new just by reading this article! Thank you for the History Lesson!!
Halethorpe Improvement Association
10:00 pm on Thursday, June 23, 2011
Bruce, your question of neighborhood boundaries is one that has been asked many times, but there seems to be no definite answer. I guess it doesn't really matter since all these neighborhoods have pretty much coalesced since the invention of the Model T. What does matter to me and the Halethorpe Improvement Assoc. members is that the crimes reported by the media occurring in neighborhoods south of Halethorpe, such as Riverview, Lansdowne and Baltimore Highlands, are usually inaccurately attached to Halethorpe. This occurred again in the Arbutus Patch on Monday, June 20th in the Police and Fire Blotter written by reporter, Penny Riordan. As I recall, the Patch covered a story in which these three neighborhoods proudly installed a very prominent brick sign clearly identifying their neighborhoods as such named. Bruce Goldfarb has done a very good job at accurately reporting in his blotters. I commend Bruce on trying to identify the neighborhoods' unofficial boundaries, especially since serving as a "local news outlet". Hopefully, once the Patch becomes clear on these lines, they will stop attaching "Halethorpe" to crimes on Bero Rd., Lakebrook Circle, Twin Circle Way, McDowell Ln., etc. Please stop using goggle maps as your resource of information. This is cheap/easy reporting, and it is very inaccurate and vague. Contact Halethorpe Improvement Association at halethorpe_improvement_assoc@verizon.net if you need assistance in identifying Halethorpe's boundaries.
Sharon Ryan Zinkand
8:37 pm on Sunday, June 26, 2011
So what are you telling us? I agree we can't go by our zip code but our deeds to our homes should be accurate! Mine says North Halethorpe and I am on the wrong side of the tracks by all accounts here!
Patti Sue Nolan
9:53 am on Tuesday, July 5, 2011
By all accounts, no matter whose opinion you listen to or whose lines you use, Arbutus is NOT Catonsville. Arbutus has it's own 4th of July parade with many volunteers who spent months planning and putting on the parade. I open the ARBUTUS Patch this morning to see an article about the Catonsville Parade. I would love to see photos and articles about our town. We are NOT Catonsville.
Lorna D. Rudnikas
8:36 pm on Tuesday, July 5, 2011
I so enjoyed participating (on behalf of the Wilkens Police and Community Relations Organization) in the wonderful July 4th Parade in Arbutus with my daughter Camille – home town atmosphere, grand displays of patriotism, fabulous marching bands, local and from as far away as Tampa, Florida, Georgia and New York. Wow! Of course tears came to my eyes, - they always do. It was so outstanding, so special – like something out of a perfect movie about a special part of America I love so much. Realizing how lucky we are to have so much to celebrate with one of the largest, if not the largest, crowd I have ever witnessed for the Arbutus July 4th Parade was a spectacular moment!!!
Sean Tully
8:48 pm on Tuesday, July 5, 2011
So where does the Baltimore County part of Violetville come in? Is there an offiical "Violetville" on deeds, etc.? Or do deeds say Halethorpe of Arbutus?
Lorna D. Rudnikas
10:31 pm on Tuesday, July 5, 2011
While we are at it - is there any clarification out there on the community of Bloomfield? The larger road in the community is Hall Avenue ( named after Dr. Hall ) and another is Rittenhouse Avenue (after Mr. Rittenhouse.) When my family moved there in 1954 we were told it was Halethorpe.