Parkton in Baltimore County, Maryland — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
Virginia Hall
Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, August 23, 2018
1. Virginia Hall Marker
Highly effective undercover agent during WWII. Declared by Gestapo the most dangerous Allied spy. Grew up at Box Horn Farm nearby. Hunting accident forced partial amputation of leg, barring her from a career in the U.S. Foreign Service. She played a significant role in the Allied victory in France while serving in extended covert activities. In 1945 she received the Distinguished Service Cross for extraordinary heroism in connection with military operations against the enemy.
Erected 2018 by Maryland Historical Trust & Maryland State Highway Administration.
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Military • Patriots & Patriotism • War, World II • Women. In addition, it is included in the Maryland Historical Trust series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1945.
Location. 39° 39.649′ N, 76° 39.109′ W. Marker is in Parkton, Maryland, in Baltimore County. Marker is on York Road (Maryland Route 45) north of Stablers Church Road, on the right when traveling north. Marker is located
via America Comes Alive, unknown
2. Virginia Hall
this page online
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 4 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Parkton, MD Track Chart (approx. 1.2 miles away); Bentley Springs (approx. 1.4 miles away); Flag (approx. 2˝ miles away); Torrey C. Brown Rail Trail (approx. 2.9 miles away); White Hall (approx. 2.9 miles away); 509 Electrical Light Display Block Signal (approx. 3 miles away); Freeland (approx. 3˝ miles away); Fosters "Masemore" Mill (approx. 3.9 miles away).
Also see . . .
1. Baltimore County marker dedicated to World War II spy honors real-life 'wonder woman'. Baltimore Sun website entry:
Lisa Kraus of the State Highway Administration, Virginia Hall's niece Lorna Catling, and great-niece Linda Catling, at the dedication of a historical marker along York Road for Hall, a Baltimore native and WWII-era spy. “The Limping Lady” — a nickname she received after losing part of her leg in a hunting accident — was revered by the Allies but hated by the Gestapo. Hall coordinated agents, sent covert messages to Allied operatives, helped establish safe houses and became such a thorn in the side of the German leadership that she was labeled “the most dangerous of all Allied spies.” She worked with the State Department, the French Ambulance Service, the British Special Operations Executive, and the OSS, and in 1945 was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross
Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, June 23, 2019
3. Virginia Hall Marker (tall view; looking north along York Road)
2. Virginia Hall (1906-1982), World War II Spy for the Allies. America Comes Alive website entry:
After the war, President Truman wanted to make public the award she was to be given, but Hall refused. She wanted to remain in her line of work. She did not want her identity revealed. Instead, in a private ceremony at the OSS office on September 27, 1945, Virginia Hall was given the Distinguished Service Cross award, making her the only American woman and the first civilian to be awarded this honor during World War II. After the war, the OSS disbanded but its operations were folded into a new agency, the Central Intelligence Agency. Hall worked at the CIA offices until mandatory retirement at age 60. (Submitted on August 23, 2018, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)
3. Nazi Most Wanted Allied Spy - Virginia Hall. Don Carina website entry:
In early 1944, she worked in disguise as an old woman farmhand. Her missions included training French Resistance battalions, organizing sabotage operations, supplying intelligence on the German Army, radio operator and courier, locating drop zones for the RAF, and eventually working with a Jedburgh team to sabotage German military movements
Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, June 23, 2019
4. Virginia Hall Marker (wide view; looking north along York Road)
Credits. This page was last revised on December 14, 2022. It was originally submitted on August 20, 2018, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 1,792 times since then and 280 times this year. Last updated on May 31, 2022, by Carl Gordon Moore Jr. of North East, Maryland. Photos: 1. submitted on August 23, 2018, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. 2. submitted on April 21, 2022, by Larry Gertner of New York, New York. 3, 4. submitted on August 23, 2018, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. • J. Makali Bruton was the editor who published this page.
