History Glen Burnie, Maryland

courthouse, glen burnie

among earliest glen burnie schools first avenue elementary, built in 1899. oldest area church st. alban s episcopal, built in 1904, many of bricks dating marley chapel, maryland parish 1730s. crain highway, 1 of glen burnie s main thoroughfares (named after state senator robert crain), opened in 1927 , ritchie highway (maryland route 2, named ex-governor albert c. ritchie) followed in 1939. ritchie highway carried baltimore-area traffic headed annapolis , chesapeake bay bridge until alternate bypass road, interstate 97, opened in 1980s.

until 1950 baltimore , annapolis railroad provided passenger , freight service through glen burnie annapolis baltimore; passenger service ended in february 1950 due increased competition buses , private automobiles, freight service continued until hurricane agnes did damage trestle crossing severn river in annapolis trestle condemned use trains army corps of engineers in late 1960s. (the trestle remained haven fishermen , crabbers until dismantled.) north glen burnie served baltimore light rail system s cromwell/glen burnie station.

schools , churches built in ensuing decades, , construction completed on harundale mall, first enclosed shopping center east of mississippi river, in 1958. 1 of first shopping centers called mall , developed james w. rouse of rouse company (which developed nearby columbia, maryland). mall developed in joint effort local real estate developer, charles steffey. original planned location not on ritchie highway on crain highway (the main arterial glen burnie). charlie steffey , jim rouse negotiated unsuccessfully city fathers of glen burnie, offering regenerate (then failing) center of town revolutionary concept. sticking point intersection of crain highway , quarterfield road (the proposed location) habitually flooded in nominal rainstorms, point of cars being doors in river ensued.

the city fathers decided advantage of having mall there overshadowed cost of fixing storm water situation , declined. result, glen burnie mall followed in 1962. marley station, large shopping center, opened in february 1987. maryland motor vehicle administration office building employs many people in town. in 1970s, developers tried make glen burnie more urban building , funding new projects, projects empire towers in 1974, or crain towers in 1990, addition of anne arundel community college branch in town center. in 1965, north arundel hospital opened community hospital, overflowed patients, university of maryland medical system bought hospital in 2000 , renovated accommodate more patients , equipment.