LUTHERVILLE HISTORIC LECTURE SERIES
150th ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION

October 16, 2002 - Baltimore County and How It Developed by Eric Rockel and co-author of Baltimore County History. This will trace the development of Baltimore County with the settlement and migration patterns. Emphasis will be placed on the impact of the introduction of toll roads, highways, and particularly the railroad. It will look at the railroad commuter villages that sprang-up, such as Lutherville.

October 23, 2002 - John Gottlieb Morris, the Man with the Lutherville Vision by Michael J. Kurtz, author of John Gottlieb Morris; Man of God, Man of Science. Dr. Morris is the founder of Lutherville. It was his vision to build a seminary for young ladies surrounded by a bucolic village of summer cottages. He lived through a time of profound social, economic and cultural change and he had a hand in the founding of practically every cultural and scientific institution in Maryland and beyond, including the Peabody Library, Md. Historical Society, Md. Science Center, Smithsonian Institution, Gettysberg College and Seminary.

October 30, 2002 – Workers of the Ridgely Plantation and Ironworks by Lynne Dakin Hastings, curator of the Hampton National Historical Landmark. The Ridgely family owned most the land that is now Lutherville and surroundings. The Ridgely Iron Works was a major industrial development very near Lutherville. Particular attention will be paid to the life and work of the African Slaves in the pre-emancipation period and the later African-American laborers and servants.

November 13, 2002 - The African-American Residents of Lutherville by Louis S. Diggs author of Since the Beginning: African American Communities in Towson, and Lutherville. There has been a cluster of African-American residents in Lutherville that pre-dates the founding of Lutherville. Generation after generation has taken up residences near their parents, carrying on family lines even to today. The history and contribution of these families will be explored.

November 20, 2002 - The Northern Central Railroad by Robert L. Williams, co-author of Green Spring Accommodation; 130 years of Railway History in the Green Spring Valley. The coming of the railroad made it possible for persons to live outside of Baltimore City and still work there. This led to the development of railroad villages along the rail line, such as Lutherville. Thereafter the village and the railroad were inseparably tied together, even down to today. To know the history of Lutherville, you must know the history of the Northern Central.