Catonsville in Baltimore County, Maryland — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)

Baltimore Regional Trail

A House Divided

Photographed by William Pfingsten, 08-19-2007

1. Baltimore Regional Trail A House Divided Marker

Inscription. During the Civil War, Baltimore and its environs exemplified the divided loyalties of Maryland’s residents. The city had commercial ties to the South as well as the North, and its secessionist sympathies erupted in violence on April 19, 1861, when pro-Confederate mobs attacked Massachusetts troops en route to Washington, D.C. Because of Baltimore’s strategic importance, President Abraham Lincoln acted swiftly, stationing Federal troops in the city and jailing civilians suspected of disloyalty. Some area residents joined the Confederate army, but many others supported the Union. After the Emancipation Proclamation permitted African-American enlistment in 1863, U.S. Colored Troops regiments were recruited and trained in Baltimore and the vicinity. Naval vessels, such as USS Constellation, supported the Union war effort on the Chesapeake Bay and the high seas, countering the flow of contraband goods to the Confederacy. In 1863, during Confederate Gen. Jubal A. Early’s attack on the Washington defenses, Maj. Harry Gilmor’s cavalry threatened Baltimore, burned nearby bridges, and raided supplies. Throughout the war, the city

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served as a hospital and prisoner-of-war assembly center. Political prisoners were detained at Fort McHenry, home of the “Star-Spangled Banner.” Despite the city’s divided loyalties, Baltimore remained a Union stronghold until the end of the war.

Please drive carefully as you enjoy the Baltimore Regional Civil War Trail and other Civil War Trail sites throughout Maryland.

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: War, US Civil. In addition, it is included in the Maryland Civil War Trails series list. A significant historical month for this entry is April 1833.

Location. 39° 16.208′ N, 76° 44.442′ W. Marker is in Catonsville, Maryland, in Baltimore County. It can be reached from the intersection of Frederick Road (Maryland Route 144) and Osborne Avenue, on the right when traveling west. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Catonsville MD 21228, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in the Baltimore Metro Region

and in Central Maryland.

It is also in the American Mid-Atlantic,

in the Chesapeake Bay Region,

and on the Eastern Seaboard. Globally,

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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: Catonsville Nine (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Castle Thunder (about 400 feet away); The Wye Oak (approx. ¼ mile away); Rolling Road (approx. ¼ mile away); The Streetcar Era in Catonsville (approx. 0.4 miles away); Catonsville (approx. 0.4 miles away); a different marker also named Catonsville (approx. 0.4 miles away); The Catonsville Short Line Railroad (approx. 0.4 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Catonsville.

More about this marker. A marker with the same wording is located just across the county line in Ellicott City, Howard County, MD.

Credits. This page was last revised on August 6, 2021. It was originally submitted on August 19, 2007, by Bill Pfingsten of Bel Air, Maryland. This page has been viewed 2,104 times since then and 24 times this year. Last updated on January 18, 2014, by Pete Skillman of Wilmington, Delaware. Photo 1. submitted on August 19, 2007, by Bill Pfingsten of Bel Air, Maryland.