It should come as little suprise
that the hunting of relics is certainly not limited to within the city
limits. Despite common knowledge that Baltimore City has for years
been the largest (and among the oldest) population centers in the region,
there are other areas surrounding Baltimore that have also been firmly
established for years.
Still, it can come as a complete surprise
when one can stumble upon historic relics in an area where one would have
expected a complete and total modernization of the infrastructure, particularly
considering the better financial resources of many suburban areas when
compared to Baltimore City.
Such was the case on a recent trip to
the Northern Suburb of Towson, while working along Kenilworth Drive, when
I stumbled across an immaculate Line Materials Company "Spherolite" still
intact just west of the Baltimore County Detention Center.
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The light that started my
Uptown discoveries was this gorgeous specimen overlooking the rear Parking
lot of the Carver Center for Arts and Technology in Towson. Lights
like this were once found in droves throughout the area.
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| A later return to photograph the specimen
(actually on the grounds of the Carver Arts and Technology Center) would
yield even more fruits to my labor. Upon leaving, I came to the traffic
light at Kenilworth and Bosley, only to observe not one but TWO more spherolites
neatly guarding the recently built (in that it was built long after these
lights were discontinued) Towson Fire House on the East Side of Bosley.
Exactly how these ended up here is a mystery, but they very well may have
been rescued when the majority of the Carver Center's fixtures were converted
to Sodium Lamps. |
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Perhaps the only place where
two Spherolites can be still observed in the same view comes at the corner
of Kenilworth Drive and Bosley Avenue in Towson, where the modern Towson
Fire House plays hosts to two specimens, each with different diffusers.
Perhaps there is a streetlight fan in the Towson area who sought to ensure
their survival! |
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| Only months later did I discover yet
another "Uptown Spherolite" in Towson, this time on the other end of the
Carver property where it dumps into York Road and Fairmount Avenue.
This one sits on a well rusted pole, so its days may be numbered.
Still, it brings the number of known Spherolite survivors from the Towson
area to 4, with the bugging gut feeling that there may certainly be more
to be found. The only question: is where!?!?! |
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Spherolite discoveries continue
in the "burbs" as this forlorn specimen soldiers on only feet from York
Road. Note the poor condition of the pole. The remarkable survival
of these lights begs the question: "Are there others?"
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