BCPL History and Genealogy - Rosedale page.
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Baltimore County History > History of Rosedale.
Photograph: George Washington Historical Sign.
Rosedale, a community
northeast of the city of Baltimore, was a farming community from the time of the first
settlers until suburban development began after World War II. US Route 40, which runs
through the community, carried George Washington to New York in 1789 where he was
inaugurated our first president.
The origin of the name Rosedale is not documented with certainty. However, a 1950 fourth
grade class was told to interview family and friends about the history of the Rosedale
community. From that activity came an explanation.
There was a young Englishman who had a farm on Hamilton Avenue just above Philadelphia
Road which was covered with beautiful roses. Since his name was Dale and since the roses
were so lovely, they felt that Rosedale would be an appropriate name.
Photograph: Historical Farming Couple.
The area was settled by many German and Polish
immigrants in the latter part of the nineteenth century. An article written in 1940 on the
occasion of their 59th wedding anniversary tells the story of one long-time farming family
in the area.
Charles Schatzschneider was born in Germany in 1859 and came to Rosedale to do farm labor
at age 13. He and his wife raised 15 children and saw the area grow from a wilderness to
what they saw as a highly developed community with gas and electric lighting, water and
sewerage systems and paved streets. The new electric trains which whizzed past their farm
were a wonder to them.
When they came to the area, great three-masted schooners could sail all the way up Back
River to the heading. Apparently in 1940, you could hardly get through in a rowboat.
The first school, a wooden building with only two rooms, was on the corner of Hamilton
Avenue and Philadelphia Road. In 1950 it was a fire house and hall.
Rosedale grew steadily as a residential suburb beginning in the 1950's. Three quarters of
the housing units existing in 1990 were built between 1950 and 1979.
Source: Rosedale Library
This page is provided by the Baltimore County Public Library, Towson, Maryland USA.
The text version of this page was last revised on
26 August 2008.
The graphics version of this page was last revised on
26 August 2008.
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