Lower Gwynns Falls Park in Baltimore, Maryland — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
Early Industries
Photographed by Christopher Busta-Peck, March 18, 2008
1. Early Industries Marker
Industries have flourished here in the lower Gwynns Falls Valley since the early 1700s, when the Baltimore Iron Works Co. turned iron into nails and anchors and Dr. Charles Carroll's gristmills ground wheat into flour. The Wilkens Curled Hair Factory, which had as many as 1,000 employees, processed animal hair for use in mattresses and upholstery - and, like many other industries, dumped its waste into the waterways. Wilkens built housing for some of his workers and provided land for the avenue that bears his name today.
in every direction a once noble landscape is in the process of being engulfed by the relentless city
William Marye, 1921.
[Captions:]
The Wilkens Curled Hair Factory, today the site of the Westside Shopping Center, remained in business from 1845 until the 1920s.
The Union Stockyards (left), located south of Wilkens Avenue near the railroads from 1891 to 1967, brought "every hoof under one roof" in was was claimed to be the largest stockyard east of Chicago.
Erected by Gwynns Falls Trail Council.
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Industry & Commerce. In addition, it is included
this page online
Location. 39° 16.64′ N, 76° 39.739′ W. Marker is in Baltimore, Maryland. It is in Lower Gwynns Falls Park. It is on Hurley Avenue 0 miles north of Wilkens Avenue (U.S. 1), on the right when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 540 Hurley Ave, Baltimore MD 21223, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Central Maryland. It is also in the American Mid-Atlantic and in the Chesapeake Bay Region. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region, North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once one of the original Thirteen Colonies and also the Antebellum South.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: World War II Memorial (a few steps from this marker); Gwynns Falls Park at Wilkens Avenue (within shouting distance of this marker); Mt. Olivet Cemetery (approx. 0.2 miles away); Rowhouses: a Baltimore Tradition (approx. 0.3 miles away); Gwynns Falls Valley (approx. 0.3 miles away); Ellicott Flour Mills (approx. 0.3 miles away); Gwynns Falls Park at Frederick Avenue (approx. 0.4 miles away); Carrollton Viaduct (approx. 0.4 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Baltimore.
Also see . . . Gwynns Falls Trail Council. (Submitted on March 19, 2008, by Christopher Busta-Peck of Shaker Heights, Ohio.)
Photographed by Christopher Busta-Peck, March 18, 2008
2. Marker and the Gwynns Falls
Photographed by Christopher Busta-Peck, March 18, 2008
3. Park, with Gwynns Falls and Frederick Road bridge in the background
Photographed by Christopher Busta-Peck, March 18, 2008
4. Bridge and Gwynns Falls
Credits. This page was last revised on March 3, 2025. It was originally submitted on March 19, 2008, by Christopher Busta-Peck of Shaker Heights, Ohio. This page has been viewed 2,345 times since then and 27 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on March 19, 2008, by Christopher Busta-Peck of Shaker Heights, Ohio.
