Historic Buildings in Savage
The Baldwin House Mansion
(9110 Washington Street) was built between 1859 and 1878 by the Baldwin family as a summer home.
Carroll Baldwin Memorial Hall
A lovely old Richardsonian Romanesque building constructed of stone from the nearby Patuxent River, Carroll Baldwin Hall was built in the early 1920's as a memorial to Carroll Baldwin, former president of the Savage Manufacturing Company. William Henry Baldwin and family owned the Mill from 1859 to 1911. Established “for the welfare and happiness of the whole community,” the Hall continues to serve as the community’s gathering and entertainment center. For many years it hosted movie screenings and staged performances in the upper level and housed a bowling alley in the basement. From 1966 to 1991 it served as the Savage Branch of the Howard County library system.
Carroll Baldwin Hall has undergone extensive renovations to ensure this treasure will continue to serve as a focal point of the community into the future. Under the leadership of the Carroll Baldwin Memorial Institute, it hosts community events and is available for private parties, weddings, and meetings. For rental information, see the Carroll Baldwin Hall website or call 410-294-3561.
Commodore Joshua Barney House
The Commodore Joshua Barney House is located at 7912 Savage Guilford Road. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978, the house was likely built about 1760 and is significant as the residence for some years of Commodore Joshua Barney, who was a hero of the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812. Situated on almost 7 acres of landscaped grounds, the house served in recent years as a bed and breakfast.
► Commodore Joshua Barney House on the Maryland Historic Trust website
Free Mason's Solomon Lodge #121
The Free Mason's Solomon Lodge #121 is located at 101 Fair Street. The Italianate-style brick building was constructed as a Masonic Hall in 1897 to provide a social focal point for the community where it could hold dinners and gatherings. Solomon’s Lodge #121, which was chartered in November 1865, rented space on the second floor for a Masonic Temple Room for many years until they purchased it around 1950.
► Free Mason's Solomon Lodge #121 website
Savage Mill
The oldest parts of the "The Mill" date from about 1820. Historians have recorded that the Mill once had an iron foundry that made many kinds of specialized machinery for use in textile manufacturing. The company produced canvas used for a variety of purposes, including the sails of clipper ships that sailed out of Baltimore Harbor, covered wagons, Civil War tents, silent movie screens, and products used by soldiers in World Wars I and II. Cotton was shipped cheaply from Southern ports and initially hauled overland by mule and oxen teams to Savage Mill; later, a railroad spur from the Washington branch of the B&O Railroad was constructed to serve the business. The operation of the Mill was greatly expanded in 1880 with the installation of steam power. The Mill was also the site of one of the first hydroelectric generating plants in 1918.
The Mill ceased operation in 1947, and although it was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974, the buildings fell into disrepair until a renovation program began in 1984 that established Savage Mill as a major permanent marketplace. With its new role as a festive showcase for quality arts, crafts, antiques, and specialty items, Savage Mill is more than a "shopping mill." It's a leisurely place to explore, enjoy, and appreciate the history of a quiet mill town on the banks of the Little Patuxent River.
► Savage Mill website
Millworkers’ Houses
Constructed in and around 1878, the various brick duplexes that line Baltimore Street between Foundry and Commercial streets are an example of how early American industrialists planned company towns to serve as an adjunct to the factory. They are on the National Register of Historic Places.
Savage Mill Company Store
The Savage Mill Company Store (8520 Commercial Street), built in the Romanesque Revival style, provided goods and services, including a post office, for the mill workers, who were paid in scrip currency (picker’s checks) printed by the company. It was an integral part of the planned services that contributed to making Savage a model community. It served as a meeting place for the Methodists in Savage until 1888, and presently houses apartments.
Savage Mill Manor House
Built in the French Empire Style by Frank Shipley in 1894, the Savage Mill Manor House (8502 Fair Street) was occupied by the superintendent (manager) of the Mill. Also known as the Holte-Grafton House, it served as a boarding house for young girls during the Santa Heim period of the town’s history. Now privately owned and operated and completely renovated, it hosts weddings, parties and special events. For rental information, call 301-725-4220.
► Savage Mill Manor House website
