From Patrick McGrady*
Special to The Dagger
I have written a lot about government recently, and so I thought for a couple of weeks I would write about Aberdeen. There’s an awful lot of history in Aberdeen, and I hope to share some of the little I know with you.
Driving down W. Bel Air Avenue and crossing over the train tracks, I’m sure you have thought like me– the Aberdeen downtown is rather odd. There appears to be a hodgepodge of architecture and just over the train tracks at 302 W. Bel Air Avenue is that neat old church seems to be falling apart
There’s a lot of history in that old church, and that’s why my family has taken on the project to revive it. Surely it has seen better days, but so has the City of Aberdeen. In order to create a thriving downtown, it is going to take people and businesses that believe in what Aberdeen can be to take ownership and invest in projects.
History:
The Methodist Church (the organization, not the building) has a long history in and around Aberdeen.
The first Methodist Church in Aberdeen was founded by Robert Strawbridge in 1769 when his congregation built the log-cabin Bush Forest Chapel on Stepney Road. By 1925 (and from the third building on that site) the congregation had moved to Aberdeen. After the congregation left, Mr. A.H. Wilson disassembled the church and put it back together on Bel Air Avenue– where it currently is used as the Wilson-Oliver Insurance Agency building.
Above Photos from: http://www.falmanac.com/2007/04/bush-forest-chapel.html
In 1852, the plan for the Town of Aberdeen was laid out by Edmund Law Rogers (neat history here– more to follow on him in the coming weeks). He established a plot for the Methodist Church on Broadway (today’s Route 40) near where the old Aberdeen High School (then Aberdeen Elementary School, currently a County-owned government building) is currently located. The cemetery for this church was today’s Festival Park.
In 1865, the American Civil War ended but there were still many clashes among brothers, sisters, and church communities. These differences had led to an earlier split in the Methodist Church on the national level in 1842 and in 1866, a small church called Soule’s Chapel was built at at 302 W. Bel Air Avenue. Later, this church was renamed as the Aberdeen Methodist Episcopal Church, South.
Courtesy: Aberdeen Room
Aberdeen was growing, and in 1892, Aberdeen incorporated as a Town. With the fast-growing B&O line and the Aberdeen canneries developing their businesses, the congregation of the Grace ME Church, South grew too large for their building. In 1899, they built a huge addition and a parsonage, seen here:
Courtesy: Aberdeen Room
Larger photo: https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/djIOspO_kLPc1vqTaB6VF1wR9WAgyLWb9AfcUc3dJiw?feat=directlink
The new church included many stained glass windows with vibrant, bright color and life. Some examples can be seen here:
Photos from Ruth Peters:
https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/KwYZLeWb96CqmwYhOlmsdpzRwzC5dWKTm5JIc1mBgKQ?feat=directlink
https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/OP62LBa8wsyUPoC-OVXnaZzRwzC5dWKTm5JIc1mBgKQ?feat=directlink
https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/ske-HQo9rM5f9ECjBnbd7JzRwzC5dWKTm5JIc1mBgKQ?feat=directlink
Later on, a humongous organ made by Johnson and Son Company out of Massachusetts was installed. The model number on the organ indicates that it was built in 1874 but not installed in this Church until 1825. We are still trying to figure out where it was installed the first time. The organ is 25 feet high and has multiple ladders inside to work on it. Here’s a shot from the outside of the organ and another shot of the pipes inside.
https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/6j24Fuf-uRIb3m0IPnxwXpYosF4mbvkTseJOnpmhXrY?feat=directlink
The Methodist Church worked out their issues nationally in 1939 and locally in 1942. The Aberdeen Church worshipped together at the Aberdeen M.E. Church (at Parke Street and W. Bel Air) and in 1968 after another merger nationally, the name became Grace United Methodist Church.
When the ME Church, South left the building in 1942, the next congregation to meet there was St. Paul’s Lutheran Church (currently located on Mount Royal Avenue and Route 22). They worshipped at 302 W. Bel Air from 1943 until 1965.
After St. Paul’s, Evangel Assembly of God moved in in 1967 and worshipped there until 1991 when they moved into their newly constructed Church on Paradise Road north of I-95.
Many, many Aberdeen families have been baptised, married, taken communion, and otherwise worshipped in this historic Aberdeen Church for almost 150 years.
Our plans:
My family closed the deal on purchasing the property in May of this year, and we have been working to renovate the church to the best of our ability. Lots of people have stopped in to see the repairs we are making, and every person has been surprised at the beauty of the windows.
The building was in disrepair for a long time, although it is structurally sound. The church roof leaked which caused rusting in the ornate tin ceiling in the 1899 sanctuary. The humongous leaded-glass windows have started to separate from their frames. The basement (like every basement in lower Aberdeen) floods. The organ air pump works, but there are leaks that we need to flesh out.
But my family is devoted to bringing this building back to life so that hymns will again be heard within its walls and to help kickstart investment in downtown Aberdeen. With smart planning and hard work, Aberdeen can develop a downtown where folks want to visit, shop, and invest.
I wanted to share with the public some of the details of this project and I hope you will keep an eye on churchaberdeen.com for updates. We work there often, and we love to show the project to people, so stop by on your next trip through Aberdeen.
The Church today:
Credit: Most of this information came from Ruth Peters. Ruth has been valuable as an information resource for this project. She has given me permission to use this information. Send me an email or call if you would like to get in touch with her. PLM5002@gmail.com or 410.357.1234.
*Disclosure: Patrick McGrady has recently announced his intentions of running for mayor of Aberdeen in the city’s upcoming municipal election.
Dear Mr. McGrady,
While I admire your rehab project at the church, and have often thought wistfully how cool it would be to own, I wonder how rehabilitating this structure would lead to a revitalization of downtown. I am also concerned how you personal stake in this business project might bias your decisions should you be elected. Likewise, I don’t really see the comparison to the downtown area. There are many quality buildings which are vacant; not due to disrepair but to a lack of businesses and consumers. I think this speaks to a larger point of how will you, if elected mayor, create jobs. What industries would you attract? What businesses would you attract? How specifically would you propose, “Aberdeen can develop a downtown where folks want to visit, shop, and invest”? How will this church, “help kickstart investment in downtown Aberdeen”? What do you mean by, “smart planning and hard work”? Why is it that you believe that Aberdeen is not currently a place where “folks want to shop, visit and invest”? I and your other potential constituents would await your thoughtful response.
Sincerely,
Ryan Burbey
Honestly, a “thriving downtown” is extremely lofty expectations.
Mr. Burbey, You seem to have so much enthusiasm for negativity. Why? Do you have better or more creative responses to many or any of the issues that Mr.McGrady is addressing? You blame and accuse and denigrate any ideas that differ from yours and that is not helpful. The city is in dire need of new and different ideas. The prop. taxes are to high. The h2o bills are too high. The rules and regs that the town chooses to enforce are outdated and un-productive. There are many empty buildings in and around the city of Aberdeen. What can be done to change that?
I am not running for office. Is it negative to ask for specific details rather than buzz words and vacuous promises?
@Ryan Burbrey – So if a person is active in capitalistic investment pursuits and they have an economic interest in their community it disqualifies them for public office?
No. However, when they recently have purchased a property in an area that they are talking about reinvigorating and at the same time want to lower property taxes, it seems to me there exists a bias.
@Ryan you are a dick. So what if there is a bias? You certainly have a great deal of biases don’t you? Integrity is all about discerning one’s bias with one’s fiduciary duty. Something I doubt a progressive zealot like you is capable of doing.
You are seeing man who is blind.
I have seen Mr. Burbey ask some legitimate and thoughtful questions on a number of threads. I have yet to see Mr. McGrady provide any reasonable responses. As voters, asking question of candidates is a legitimate and responsible activity. We should not elect people who can not clearly answer questions that give us a clear picture of the candidates actual ideas and plans. Renovating a property in Aberdeen is a positive endeavor but does not necessarily qualify a renovator to deal with the many issues that affect the citizenry of Aberdeen.
No, my name is Ryan not Richard. I find it interesting that you again resort to name calling and political hate speak. Why am I less because my beliefs are different than yours? Also, you still hide behind a pseudonym.
“To be one’s self, and unafraid whether right or wrong, is more admirable than the easy cowardice of surrender to conformity.” Irving Wallace
Gee….Didn’t we have a business owner from that part of town before? I am sure people don’t remember the things that were done to our city. Why does buying or managing a business qualify a person for public office. Gotta love the name calling. I am sure your mom’s would be proud of you. Mr Burbey raises some good issues and people want to call him names. We need to make the city better and not progress our personal agenda’s. Lets try to stick to the issues.
Ryan, Whether I agree with you or not, or share your vision and enthusiasm, there should be no place on this site for the disgraceful language used by Porter. He does not have it in him to apologize so if you would allow me to do it for him? Everyone on this site knows that only people who have no reasoned argument and hide behind a pseudonym can get away with using that language.
Whether or not I agree with you I respect that you are doing something other than just spouting inanities here on Dagger Press.
Thanks. However, no apology is necessary. I am a big boy and words can’t hurt me. Thank you for supporting thoughtful discourse.
a good start would be to get rid of the cheesy sign painted out front, looks liek the local kids had fun with the spray paint…
I agree.
within the radius of the church are a number of active churches. What makes you think you can bring business back to aberdeen with rebuilding a church. Why not just say YOU WANNA MAKE MONEY FROM THE SELL OF THE PROPERTY.
I don’t understand. If Aberdeen already has too many churches, then the McGrady family will LOSE money rehabilitating the church. But assuming they do find a buyer or tenant and are able to turn a profit for their efforts, it will be because a particular church group will want to use what the McGradys have rebuilt. So the McGradys are better off, the church group is better off, and the community at large is better off for having rediscovered a bit of its history.
So who loses when everybody wins?
There are creators, builders, nurturers, protectors and then there are critics. I have received criticism for DOING things throughout my life, and have always been plagued by people who ascribe selfish reasons for the things I want to do and aspire to.
It is still an honorable thing even in this jaded society that we live in to want to do something as opposed to sitting on the side and critiquing the work of others.
“It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it.” – Aristotle
“Teaching is the greatest act of optimism.” – COLLEEN WILCOX
“The only way in which a human being can make some approach to knowing the whole of a subject, is by hearing what can be said about it by persons of every variety of opinion, and studying all modes in which it can be looked at by every character of mind.”
– John Stuart Mill
“Follow the path of the unsafe, independent thinker. Expose your ideas to the danger of controversy. Speak your mind and fear less the label of crackpot than the stigma of conformity.”
-Thomas J. Watson
Wow… you have out-quoted me on this topic. Tell me – do you have any constructive ideas to aid with the concept of growing Aberdeen?
And to think I wasted my time buying groceries while you were here fixated on this topic.
I think a good first step would be to provide incentives or guaranteed loans to promote public servants like teachers, police officers, city workers, etc. to buy houses in Aberdeen, thus generating more income via property taxes and providing funds necessary for revitalization and repair. Dave, do you even live in Aberdeen?
@Ryan Burbey – Let’s further insulate government employees from economic reality by creating incentives like property tax breaks, income tax credits and guaranteed loans for people who derive their income from taxes so they can live in Aberdeen.
We should just create a separate privileged government worker protected class of Maryland citizenry.
The comments or the issues that seem to be questioning this point, the rennovation of a church in downtown Aberdeen, people asked what was being done to both buildings. The history of the church impacts many Aberdeen families, and many residents in town.
Mr. Burbey, the article is about the church history, and rennovation progress. The Aberdeen room provides history of buildings and families, too. Where do you see in Mr. McGrady’s article mention of this building being part of his campaign for mayor? Ms. Ruth Peters has done a lot of historical research on this building and her research is interesting and factual. As you are a teacher, do you share all parts of your life with all of your students? I assume that Mr. McGrady doens’t either.
(Now is the time for the dig at Pres.Obama,he does share all parts of his life/governing/presidency business on his vacation and golf dates).
The fact is that Mr. McGrady is running for mayor and that he has ideas expressed on his web site on how he would focus attention on Aberdeen and the increase in business and reduction of taxes and h20/sewer fees, among other issues. This article addresses the church and it’s history and current status.
Hey, I said I think the renovation is great. I believe in rehabbing old buildings and not building new ones. The bottom line is that when you are running for office on the platform of lower property taxes and you write an article about how you are rehabilitating a large property within the area you are proposing to rejuvenate, thus increasing the value of your personal property, it raises the question, “Is there a conflict of Interest here?” Who will gain more from property tax breaks, the average citizen of Aberdeen or Mr McGrady?
I don’t see the conflict of interest. All candidates for public office are taxpayers in one way or another, so by that reasoning, no public official could ever advocate lower taxes without an implied conflict…
Timing is the issue.
The value of the church is listed as $375,000. Since this is more than double the median home price in Aberdeen that means that just based on this Mr. McGrady would benefit double that of the average Aberdeen property tax payer on any percentage based decrease in taxes. That is without even considering the many renters who would reap no benefit and would undoubtedly pay more if garbage were privatized.
Also, I read the history. It was interesting.
I currently live in WV and my brother forwarded the newspaper info to me. It nearly made me cry to see the old church being loved and cared for a brought back to life. God is still watching over everything. Bless you all!
I have a suggestion that would most likely make the liberal Mr. Burbey and the conservative McGrady’s happy, and help revitalize downtown.
First of all I commend the McGrady’s on restoring and preserving a part of Aberdeen’s history. I disagree that the restoration will kick start a “downtown revitalization.” Let’s be honest, Aberdeen’s demographics can not support a downtown such as Havre de Grace.
But what Aberdeen’s demographics can support is a satellite District Court so…. Mr. McGrady should offer the building as a site to Mr. Cassilly – convert the altar area to the Judge’s bench and the congregation seating can become the gallery. The house next door and other vacant downtown buildings would make perfect attorney’s and bail bond offices. It might even entice Social Services to come back to town so that those in need can get services provided by tax payers without going to Bel Air.
See this way the McGrady’s have a great tenant for their building and Mr. Burbey will know that our tax dollars are being used in our community to level the playing field between the haves and the have nots. It will also put people downtown to eat in the existing establishments and support other existing downtown businesses. Who knows Parole and Probation may even need more space downtown.
Mr. McGrady,
Thanks for the article. It’s hard to find people who look into the history of Aberdeen, at least online anyways.