About the Gywnns Fall Community

The History of The Gwynns Falls Community

-Gary Pearson

The Gwynn’s Falls community in Baltimore has a rich, layered history intertwined with natural geography, industry, urban planning, and recreation. The Gwynn’s Falls neighborhood lies west of Lower Gwynns Falls Park and The Gwynns Falls Trail—a roughly 15–22 mile mixed-use path for biking, walking, and hiking. Our neighborhood is situated between Irvington and the park boundary.

Before 1977, the neighborhood was known as Carroll Station, named for a Pennsylvania Railroad station formerly located along the existing MARC line. Carroll Station, along with many others, became a casualty of the widespread transition away from public rail and was decommissioned in the mid to late 1900s. Over time, the neighborhood of Carroll Station began to be known for its small river, Gwynns Falls.

Long before this community was known as Gwynns Falls, it was home to the Village of Carrollton. Land here was primarily owned by Emily Caton MacTavish. She was the granddaughter of Charles Carroll of Carrollton, the last surviving signer of the Declaration of Independence, and the daughter of Richard Caton for whom Catonsville is named.

Emily was a famous philanthropist who donated generously to Baltimore's charitable institutions. She was especially concerned for the poor and tried to improve their lives through her gifts of land and money.

Emily's legacy is still visible in Gwynns Falls today. Stafford St. is named for her sister, Elizabeth Stafford-Jerningham. Wellesley St. is named for another sister, Marianne Wellesley.

In the late 19th century the railway that passes the northwestern corner of the neighborhood (just west of McDonald's on Frederick Ave.) was constructed. That is when our neighborhood began to be known as Carroll Station although the Carrollton name was also still used up until World War 1. Carroll Station was used until 1977 when it was replaced by our current name of Gwynns Falls.

By the last half of the 19th century and early 20th century Carroll Station was mostly inhabited by German-Americans. In 1910 a resident of Strickland St. ran an ad in The Sun newspaper that read, "German man, 38, married, wants position as Gardener and do general work."

Germans in Baltimore sometimes faced discrimination. Some newspaper ads looking for workers added, "No German need apply." The association of the neighborhood with Germans continued until the 1930's.

The eastern portion of the neighborhood, including today's Lower Gwynns Falls Park, was known as Hurley's Woods, named after its one time owner, Michael Hurley. A fascinating history could be written about Hurley's Woods and all of the events that happened in it that are mentioned in newspaper accounts.

In the 1890's an "English Gypsy" who was accused of defrauding residents of Harford County was found by police in Hurley's Woods and arrested. Hurley's Woods was used for everything from romantic liasons by couples seeking privacy to Sunday School picnics to fugitives from the law. It was unusual for its day in that it was used by both Black and White residents. It was especially popular with youth all over West Baltimore.

The trees in Hurley's Woods were cut in 1908. There are Baltimore newspaper accounts as late as the 1940's quoting then older men fondly remembering their youthful adventures in Hurley's Woods.

No history of Gwynns Falls would be complete without mentioning the Frederick Road Park, an amusement park. It was in operation in the early 1920's just east of Longwood St. It was known for the Double Dipper Rollercoaster and the Dodge'em, a bumper car attraction of sorts. Dances were held in the Palace of Jazz with music provided by such groups as Gaul's Prize Orchestra and Robbins Super Six.

Sadly, what are known today as Jim Crow laws were in effect in Maryland and used to discriminate against Black Marylanders. The Frederick Road Park, like all public attractions in Maryland, was only for Whites. Black Baltimoreans would have only been in Frederick Road Park as employees. Jim Crow laws became legally unenforceable by the mid-1960's.

A new police station for SW Baltimore was constructed in 1958 on Font Hill Ave. in Gwynns Falls. Present for the breaking ground ceremony was Mayor Thomas D'Alesandro, Jr., the father of Nancy Pelosi who formerly served as the Speaker of the House of Representatives. The SW Police Station is the most well-known landmark in Gwynns Falls.

Black Baltimoreans began to move into Gwynns Falls in the 1980's. Today Gwynns Falls is a harmonious community of Black, White and Latino residents. We are working together through our Gwynns Falls Community Association to help make our neighborhood a great place to live for all residents.

The latest giant step forward for Gwynns Falls happened in 2024 with the opening of a state-of-the-art playground in Mighty Park on Stafford and Wellesley Streets. Chris Schulze contributed hundreds of hours over the course of a decade to bring this vision to reality. Mighty Park is owned by the Gwynns Falls Neighborhood Association.