Streets of Baltimore - Baltimore Ghosts

Photos and Text by Adam Paul

In relic hunting, it's rather rare to have an artifact that just screams its status as being "Old," but to journeytakers along Old York Road in North Baltimore, the street offers no doubt as to it's historic status. Despite this moniker, Old York does contain more than its share of mysteries, as well as a number of suprises as well.

Of course, the first questions that arise when thinking of Old York Road are: 1) Is it older than York Road, and 2) Did it go all the way to York?

This is where some of the mysteries arise. Firstly, while it is known that Old York Road IS older than the current York Road - Greenmount Corridor, it's not immediately known just to when the old passage dates, though it likely was in existence by the early to mid 1700's.. Secondly, while it is believed that the old passage did make a complete trip to York in Pennsylvania, Old York Road was almost entirely wiped out once the "new" York Road was completed circa 1800. After traling off in Baltimore, "Old York Road" doesn't resume until route 146 near Monkton! Thus, only the fragments on which some development had already occurred remained, with the remainder being obliterated or reverting to nature.

The complications regarding these fragments only deepen, as there is at least one instance in which a section of street named Old York Road actually isn't (or is it?), while another example occurs of a street renamed to something else, that is actually Old York in disguise. In addition, it appears that for a time in the early 20th Century, there was an attempt to try to completely conceal Old York's status from future generations, as a FEW maps label the old traces of the passage as "STAR LANE!"

For starters, this article will deal with be dealing with the Baltimore segments of Old York Road, and may grow to include additional segments as further information becomes available...

"Sir Old of York" proper, in his currently recongized form, begins just North of 30th Street and Greenmount Avenue (this segment named York Road until the early 20th Century), and follows a generally straight course just East of its newer namesake. Aside from a crooked dog leg at 43rd Street (formerly Arlington Avenue), the street deviates little before terminating about 15 blocks later, just North of Cold Spring Lane (though not quite - more on this later).

A journey along the street is more than just a bit surreal. Despite rather sufficient volume, the street only garners a single traffic light at 39th Street to control traffic - a heavily used intersection at 33rd Street carries only a stop sign (and is always backed up at rush hours). The street is also a rare Baltimore example of an arterial TWO-lane, ONE-way street. The right lane is used for parked cars, while the left lane is the flowing lane. Typically, this set up is used only on minor residential streets that do not carry through traffic.

*"Sir Old of York":* *A Brief Tour...*	Just North of 30th Street, opposite Vineyard (Gilmore) Lane, Old York Road quietly begins, almost immediately resuming a Northerly path.
At Chestnut Hill Avenue, the street shows its remarkable variety of Architecture, consisting of a range of Victorian and semi-detached homes.	At Dumbarton Avenue, a small commerical area exists, as the street tends to take on a remarkably Philadephiac look to it!

The quirky street also carries an alleged imposter! Early 20th Century survey maps clearly show the remaining Old York Road terminating to the North at Willow Avenue. However, current day "proper" Old York extends beyond Cold Spring. This section was likely built after the 1930's, as the area developed. However, it is not certain if this extension follows the true course of the original street, or if it deviates, thus the "alleged" status!

Survey Map from the 1870's shows Old York Road cutting off at the North at today's 43rd Street. Note the continuance into Vineyard Lane.	1902 Survey Map indicates then path of Old York Road. The Northern terminus of the street is Willow Avenue, further than that of the 1870's map.
Above Willow Avenue, something is amiss with this street called "Old York Road." The apparent giveaway that it is an imposter "Old York" comes from the sight of vehicles parked ON BOTH SIDES of the street!

To add more chaos to the confusion of Old York, one should be wary that Old York itself is hiding under an alias as well. Between 22nd and "24 1/2" Streets lies another surviving portion of the original street, masquerading under the name of Boone Street.

1897 City Survey map offers this fascinating glimpse at a sparsely built Old York Road segment below 25th Street. Note the Boone Estate near the bottom of the map.	Contemporary aerial image shows the surviving path of Old York Road from just above 24th Street to 22nd Street, leading from the top center of the photo to the bottom right.
This segment of Old York Road survives today, renamed as Boone Street. The section leading from 23rd to 24th has been replaced in part by a park.	Above 24th Street - Loch Raven Road, the street resumes for a short distance before terminating at about the same spot shown on the map at left.

The existence of a segment of Old York below 24th Street winds up encouraging other questions as well. What path did it take between 24th and 30th Streets? Where did it go below 22nd Street? Are there other streets that are actually the Old York Road in disguise? These questions are difficult to answer, considering the limited amount of accuracy and detail (or availability of these maps as well) of maps created before 1850. However, it seems quite possible that the path of Old York Road may have travelled along old Sumwalt's Lane and Gilmore Lane between 24th and 30th Streets, as both offer perfect meetings to the segments East of present day Greenmount. Meanwhile, to the South, the road appears to link up with nearly gone Lamont Street. However, little short of a time machine might actually confirm this and other mysteries that Sir Old of York won't divulge, though hopefully, time and research will tell!

GOT SOME INFO ON SIR YORK OF OLD? CONTACT ME!!!