65° and Partly Cloudy
Image
Welcome to Towson
We invite you to walk the streets of one of America’s best towns and let us introduce ourselves. Our history is deep, with beginnings that may stretch back a thousand years at the intersection of two trails traveled by indigenous people. Now they are busy roads traveled by thousands of cars a day.
Around that intersection, Towson ― the county seat of Baltimore County ― has now grown into a small city. Two nationally known institutes of learning, Towson University and Goucher College, bookend the business district, and nationally known fictional characters (Jack Ryan of Tom Clancy novels and Elaine of Seinfeld fame) proudly claim Towson as their hometown.
Towson also has a history of invention and innovation. We are the birthplace of both handheld power tools (Black & Decker) and occupational therapy (Sheppard Pratt Hospital). The Baltimore County library system, headquartered in Towson, has an international reputation for innovation in library services.
We could go on and on, but we will stop here and encourage you to read (and walk) on. Start your tour at the Towson Tavern Site.
Towson Tavern Site
START YOUR TOUR HERE. As a crossroads center and later as a courthouse town, Towson has been a gathering spot for over 200 years. During that time there have been several inns and hotels in the town, and for most of that long period there was a tavern and hotel on this particular spot.
Wayside Cross
The Wayside Cross was part of a larger movement to build wayside crosses to memorialize those who fought in WWI (The Great War as it was known then).
York & Joppa Roads
The intersection began as trails for Native Americans, especially the Susquehannoughs, who raided and hunted south and east of Towson.
Shealey Family Cemetery
Designated a Baltimore County Landmark in 2006, this burial ground is the final resting place of the Towson, Schmuck and Shealey families who helped found the area now known as Towson.
Black & Decker
Samuel Duncan Black and Alonzo Galloway Decker of Baltimore originally established the company in 1909 as the Black and Decker Manufacturing Company.
Historic East Towson
Founded by freed slaves from the Hampton Estate, East Towson grew to become a vibrant, largely African American community.
MA & PA Overpass
These abutments supported the York Road plate girder bridge of the defunct Maryland and Pennsylvania Railroad.
Towson Library
Founded in 1936 by the Woman's Club of Towson, the Towson Library began as a volunteer organization operating out of the home of the first librarian, Mary Osborne Odell.
Towson Armory
The Towson Academy, better known as the Towson Armory, was built in 1933 on the former site of the Smedley House, a popular hotel frequented by Baltimore families around the turn of the century.
Baltimore County Courthouse
Separation of Baltimore City and County effective July 4, 1851. Towsontown was chosen as County Seat.
Olympic Park
Towson has a remarkable record for excellence in the Olympic games, headlined by our very own Michael Phelps. At the [...]
The Schmuck House
The Schmuck House is thought to have been constructed circa 1785 by one of Towson’s founding families, making it one of the oldest structures still standing in Towson.
Prospect Hill Cemetery
Located on what was originally part of the Hampton estate of Charles Ridgely, this land was part of the related Chew family estate, Epsom.
Lynching of Howard Cooper
On July 13, 1885, a white mob lynched Howard Cooper, a 15-year old Black child, here at the former Baltimore County Jail.
Sheppard Pratt
More News from Timonium
- Local TV Partners For New IPA
- The School Buses Are Waiting For You
