Chase, Maryland
Encyclopedia
Chase is an unincorporated community in eastern Baltimore County
, Maryland
, United States
.
, Middle River
, Dundee Creek, Saltpeter Creek, and Chesapeake Bay
. Nearby places include Middle River, Bowleys Quarters, Essex, and Aberdeen Proving Grounds.
, Chase became populated by freed African American
slaves, who established farms and residences along Eastern Avenue Extended
. Founded later in the nineteenth century, the community of Bengies was similarly established as a rural African American
community west of Chase along Eastern Avenue Extended
. Eventually the two communities grew together and became known as Bengies-Chase, or simply Chase. From its inception until the mid-twentieth century, the primary employers were the Baltimore Railroad and local farms. Chase remained a primarily African American rural community until the mid-twentieth century, when Chase began to be used as a suburb of Baltimore City.
During World War II
, Chase received a population boost following the opening of the Glenn L. Martin Company
aircraft plant in Middle River.
On May 12, 1959, Capital Airlines Flight 75
crashed in Chase en route from La Guardia Airport to Atlanta Airport
.
From 1949 to 1969, the US Army used Carroll Island (a large island near Chase), and Graces Quarters (a large peninsula between the Dundee Creek and Gunpowder River) to test and dispose of chemical weapons, including: VX (nerve agent)
, sarin
, mustard gas, incapacitating agents, and other lethal agents. These areas were considered to be a part of Aberdeen Proving Grounds and were the only part of Aberdeen Proving Grounds within Baltimore County. The chemicals at these sites were dumped in open pits, with no precautions taken against groundwater contamination and few records kept of exactly what was dumped where. In the 1980s, groundwater testing revealed contamination, and on February 21, 1990, the area was listed as one of Superfund
's "most serious uncontrolled or abandoned hazardous waste sites." Some cleanup was completed in the 1990s but most remains unfinished. These sites remain off-limits to the public and undeveloped due to extreme contamination.
In the 1970s, WGU-20
, a longwave
radio station, was established by the Defense Civil Preparedness Agency (now the Federal Emergency Management Agency
(FEMA)) near the Graces Quarters chemical weapons site. The purpose of the station was to alert the entire Eastern seaboard
in the event of an enemy attack.
In the 1980s, Chase became a part of the zip code 21220 after a new, larger post office was built in Middle River to serve the entire area. The old zip code (21027) and post office remain for the purpose of P.O. boxes.
On January 4, 1987, Amtrak
Train 94 crashed into a Conrail freight locomotive in Chase. The Conrail engineer had been smoking marijuana, which caused him to miss numerous warning signals. Fourteen passengers were killed, making this Amtrak
's deadliest crash ever at the time. The crash became national news and led to new safety regulations and drug testing in the railroad industry. The crash also caught the attention of President Ronald Reagan
, who honored some of the local people of Chase for helping passengers who escaped shaken but unharmed from the trains.
For more see Chase, Maryland rail wreck
.
On March 7, 2000, Joseph Palczynski
murdered three people in an apartment complex in nearby Bowleys Quarters. The next day he murdered a fourth victim in Chase. Palczynski was raised in Chase, and being an outdoorsman was very familiar with the wooded areas surrounding the community. Thus, from March 7 to March 17 he sent the entire area into lock-down by hiding in the woods, evading police. He was finally killed by police on March 21 after a standoff in Dundalk.
Since the 1990s, efforts have been underway to revitalize Chase similar to those taking place in Essex and Middle River. These efforts have included the razing of half of the Tidewater Village (now Whispering Woods) apartment complex in the late-1990s, the opening of the MD 43
extension in 2006, and the addition of sidewalks along Eastern Avenue
in 2007.
Baltimore County, Maryland
Baltimore County is a county located in the northern part of the US state of Maryland. In 2010, its population was 805,029. It is part of the Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan Area. Its county seat is Towson. The name of the county was derived from the barony of the Proprietor of the Maryland...
, Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
Geography
Chase is located at 39°21′48"N 76°22′16"W (39.3634413, -76.3710704). Chase is located on the waterfront of the Gunpowder RiverGunpowder River
The Gunpowder River is a tidal inlet on the western side of Chesapeake Bay in Maryland, United States. It is formed by the joining of two freshwater rivers, Gunpowder Falls and Little Gunpowder Falls.-Gunpowder Falls:The Big Gunpowder, long, begins in the extreme southern part of Pennsylvania's...
, Middle River
Middle River
-Places:United States*Middle River, Maryland*Middle River, Minnesota*Middle River, TexasCanada*Middle River, British Columbia, formerly Middle River Village, a settlement in the Omineca Country of the Central Interior of British Columbia, Canada-Rivers:...
, Dundee Creek, Saltpeter Creek, and Chesapeake Bay
Chesapeake Bay
The Chesapeake Bay is the largest estuary in the United States. It lies off the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by Maryland and Virginia. The Chesapeake Bay's drainage basin covers in the District of Columbia and parts of six states: New York, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, and West...
. Nearby places include Middle River, Bowleys Quarters, Essex, and Aberdeen Proving Grounds.
History
The community now known as Chase was originally founded as "Chase's Station" in 1850 as a stop for the Baltimore Railroad. Following the Civil WarAmerican Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
, Chase became populated by freed African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
slaves, who established farms and residences along Eastern Avenue Extended
Maryland Route 150
Maryland Route 150 is a state highway in the U.S. state of Maryland. Known for most of its length as either Eastern Avenue or Eastern Boulevard, the state highway runs from U.S. Route 40 in Baltimore east to Graces Quarters Road in Chase in eastern Baltimore County. MD 150 connects Baltimore...
. Founded later in the nineteenth century, the community of Bengies was similarly established as a rural African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
community west of Chase along Eastern Avenue Extended
Maryland Route 150
Maryland Route 150 is a state highway in the U.S. state of Maryland. Known for most of its length as either Eastern Avenue or Eastern Boulevard, the state highway runs from U.S. Route 40 in Baltimore east to Graces Quarters Road in Chase in eastern Baltimore County. MD 150 connects Baltimore...
. Eventually the two communities grew together and became known as Bengies-Chase, or simply Chase. From its inception until the mid-twentieth century, the primary employers were the Baltimore Railroad and local farms. Chase remained a primarily African American rural community until the mid-twentieth century, when Chase began to be used as a suburb of Baltimore City.
During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Chase received a population boost following the opening of the Glenn L. Martin Company
Glenn L. Martin Company
The Glenn L. Martin Company was an American aircraft and aerospace manufacturing company that was founded by the aviation pioneer Glenn L. Martin. The Martin Company produced many important aircraft for the defense of the United States and its allies, especially during World War II and the Cold War...
aircraft plant in Middle River.
On May 12, 1959, Capital Airlines Flight 75
Capital Airlines Flight 75
Capital Airlines Flight 75 was a domestic scheduled Capital Airlines flight operating between La Guardia Airport and Atlanta Airport. A Vickers Viscount flying the route crashed in Chase, Maryland, on May 12, 1959, with the loss of all onboard...
crashed in Chase en route from La Guardia Airport to Atlanta Airport
Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport
Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport , known locally as Atlanta Airport, Hartsfield Airport, and Hartsfield–Jackson, is located seven miles south of the central business district of Atlanta, Georgia, United States...
.
From 1949 to 1969, the US Army used Carroll Island (a large island near Chase), and Graces Quarters (a large peninsula between the Dundee Creek and Gunpowder River) to test and dispose of chemical weapons, including: VX (nerve agent)
VX (nerve agent)
VX, IUPAC name O-ethyl S-[2-ethyl] methylphosphonothioate, is an extremely toxic substance whose only application is in chemical warfare as a nerve agent. As a chemical weapon, it is classified as a weapon of mass destruction by the United Nations in UN Resolution 687...
, sarin
Sarin
Sarin, or GB, is an organophosphorus compound with the formula [2CHO]CH3PF. It is a colorless, odorless liquid, which is used as a chemical weapon. It has been classified as a weapon of mass destruction in UN Resolution 687...
, mustard gas, incapacitating agents, and other lethal agents. These areas were considered to be a part of Aberdeen Proving Grounds and were the only part of Aberdeen Proving Grounds within Baltimore County. The chemicals at these sites were dumped in open pits, with no precautions taken against groundwater contamination and few records kept of exactly what was dumped where. In the 1980s, groundwater testing revealed contamination, and on February 21, 1990, the area was listed as one of Superfund
Superfund
Superfund is the common name for the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 , a United States federal law designed to clean up sites contaminated with hazardous substances...
's "most serious uncontrolled or abandoned hazardous waste sites." Some cleanup was completed in the 1990s but most remains unfinished. These sites remain off-limits to the public and undeveloped due to extreme contamination.
In the 1970s, WGU-20
Wgu-20
WGU-20, also known as "the last radio station," was operated by the United States Defense Civil Preparedness Agency in the mid-to-late 1970s.-Public Emergency Radio:...
, a longwave
Longwave
In radio, longwave refers to parts of radio spectrum with relatively long wavelengths. The term is a historic one dating from the early 20th century, when the radio spectrum was considered to consist of long, medium and short wavelengths...
radio station, was established by the Defense Civil Preparedness Agency (now the Federal Emergency Management Agency
Federal Emergency Management Agency
The Federal Emergency Management Agency is an agency of the United States Department of Homeland Security, initially created by Presidential Reorganization Plan No. 1 of 1978 and implemented by two Executive Orders...
(FEMA)) near the Graces Quarters chemical weapons site. The purpose of the station was to alert the entire Eastern seaboard
East Coast of the United States
The East Coast of the United States, also known as the Eastern Seaboard, refers to the easternmost coastal states in the United States, which touch the Atlantic Ocean and stretch up to Canada. The term includes the U.S...
in the event of an enemy attack.
In the 1980s, Chase became a part of the zip code 21220 after a new, larger post office was built in Middle River to serve the entire area. The old zip code (21027) and post office remain for the purpose of P.O. boxes.
On January 4, 1987, Amtrak
Amtrak
The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak , is a government-owned corporation that was organized on May 1, 1971, to provide intercity passenger train service in the United States. "Amtrak" is a portmanteau of the words "America" and "track". It is headquartered at Union...
Train 94 crashed into a Conrail freight locomotive in Chase. The Conrail engineer had been smoking marijuana, which caused him to miss numerous warning signals. Fourteen passengers were killed, making this Amtrak
Amtrak
The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak , is a government-owned corporation that was organized on May 1, 1971, to provide intercity passenger train service in the United States. "Amtrak" is a portmanteau of the words "America" and "track". It is headquartered at Union...
's deadliest crash ever at the time. The crash became national news and led to new safety regulations and drug testing in the railroad industry. The crash also caught the attention of President Ronald Reagan
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....
, who honored some of the local people of Chase for helping passengers who escaped shaken but unharmed from the trains.
For more see Chase, Maryland rail wreck
Chase, Maryland rail wreck
The Chase, Maryland train collision occurred at 1:04 pm on January 4, 1987, on Amtrak's Northeast Corridor main line in the Chase community in eastern Baltimore County, Maryland, United States, at Gunpow Interlocking, about northeast of Baltimore...
.
On March 7, 2000, Joseph Palczynski
Joseph C. Palczynski
Joseph C. "Joe" Palczynski was a spree killer in the suburbs of Baltimore who in March 2000 terrorized residents in the region by killing four people and taking a family of three as hostages in one of the longest one-man standoffs ever known...
murdered three people in an apartment complex in nearby Bowleys Quarters. The next day he murdered a fourth victim in Chase. Palczynski was raised in Chase, and being an outdoorsman was very familiar with the wooded areas surrounding the community. Thus, from March 7 to March 17 he sent the entire area into lock-down by hiding in the woods, evading police. He was finally killed by police on March 21 after a standoff in Dundalk.
Since the 1990s, efforts have been underway to revitalize Chase similar to those taking place in Essex and Middle River. These efforts have included the razing of half of the Tidewater Village (now Whispering Woods) apartment complex in the late-1990s, the opening of the MD 43
Maryland Route 43
Maryland Route 43 is a state highway in the U.S. state of Maryland. Known as White Marsh Boulevard, the state highway runs from Interstate 695 near Parkville east to MD 150 in Middle River...
extension in 2006, and the addition of sidewalks along Eastern Avenue
Maryland Route 150
Maryland Route 150 is a state highway in the U.S. state of Maryland. Known for most of its length as either Eastern Avenue or Eastern Boulevard, the state highway runs from U.S. Route 40 in Baltimore east to Graces Quarters Road in Chase in eastern Baltimore County. MD 150 connects Baltimore...
in 2007.