Joppatowne, Maryland
Encyclopedia
Joppatowne is an unincorporated
"bedroom community" in southwestern Harford County
, Maryland
, United States
. It was established in 1961 as a Planned Unit Development (PUD)
. Joppatowne is a census-designated place (CDP)
- the population was 11,391 at the 2000 census.
Joppatowne is only a small part of what is currently described as the "Joppa
" area of Harford County. Joppa is an area technically defined by the US postal zip code 21085, and a designated planning region for the county. Joppa zip code 21085 extends some 12 miles (19.3 km) above Joppatowne, nearly to Bel Air, MD at its northernmost tip.
The namesake of both Joppatowne and Joppa is the original town of "Joppa" ("Joppa Town"), which was a major seaport in American colonial times, and stood within the boundaries of present-day Joppatowne.
Gunpowder Town, or simply Gunpowder, was a failed English settlement that pre-dated colonial Joppa Town, and was located close to it. This first attempt to establish an English settlement on the Gunpowder River
was apparently abandoned because it proved to be a poor location choice. Though documents and records exist for the settlement, including official papers in the archives of the United Kingdom
, nobody knows exactly where it was located. It was somewhere northwest of present-day Joppatowne, situated between the confluence of the Big Gunpowder and Little Gunpowder, at a place known as "Sim’s Point". Its location cannot be accurately pinpointed because at that time mouths of the Big and Little Gunpowder were about a mile further inland (above present-day US 40), and no trace of the town is known to have ever been found.
In 1706 the Provincial Assembly of Maryland chartered another town nearby, known as Foster's Neck. It was located on the eastern bank of the Gunpowder River, at the stream later known as Foster Branch (or "Foster's Branch"), at the southernmost boundary of present-day Joppatowne. Again, though mill ruins still remain in this area, the town's precise location is unknown. Foster's Neck was intended to succeed the town of Old Baltimore (no relation to Baltimore City) on the Bush River as the county seat of Baltimore County. However, Foster's Neck was abandoned only a year later, in 1707, reportedly due to an outbreak of smallpox
. St. John's Parish temporarily moved inland, to where the Officer's Club at the Edgewood
area of Aberdeen Proving Ground
is currently located, and relocated to Joppa Town in 1712. After the decline of Joppa Town, St. John's Parish was finally moved to nearby Kingsville
in the late 18th century.
The original Joppa Town was a major seaport and commercial hub in the 18th century. The town proper was located on what is now called Rumsey Island, where the Big Gunpowder Falls and Little Gunpowder Falls meet to form the Gunpowder River. The only original building remaining is the Rumsey Mansion, once home of colonial patriot Benjamin Rumsey
. There are original building foundations and gravesites on the adjacent Church of the Resurrection property. Ruins of the original wharf and docks, as well as the town jail, were still visible until Hurricane Agnes
swept through in 1972. The Old Joppa Site was added to the National Register of Historic Places
in 1979.
Joppa Town was the county seat of Baltimore County
from 1712 to 1769. Present-day Harford County
was part of Baltimore County until 1773.
Joppa Town's "mile wide harbor" on the Gunpowder River
could accommodate the largest ocean-going ships of the day. Joppa was Maryland's most important commercial center in colonial times, with tobacco being the primary export. It was once among the busiest seaports in the western hemisphere, long before Baltimore was established.
Joppa Town was a vital hub for land transportation, and it was said that "all roads lead to Joppa". Joppa Town was the original terminus for Joppa Road
, which ran northwest to what is now Towson
and north to York, PA (prior to the York Road being built in 1810). Joppa Road connected to Rolling Road
to points west. The original post road to Philadelphia also went through Joppa Town, and a ferry across the Gunpowder River connected to points south via what is now the community of Chase
and Eastern Avenue
. Many famous colonial figures invariably passed through and boarded at Joppa Town.
Economic growth was also stimulated via the establishment of various commercial enterprises just north of Joppa Town, utilizing water power from the Little Gunpowder Falls. The most notable of these is the still standing Jerusalem Mill Village
complex in Kingsville
, which, among other enterprises, fabricated weapons for the Continental Army
during the Revolutionary War
.
As the state's primary port-of-entry and county seat of its most populous county, Joppa Town was the focal point of virtually all aspects of colonial life in central Maryland. Joppa was the hub for all communications and media of the day, and central Maryland's ground-zero for politics and elections. Many major horse races were held there. Many convicted criminals were publicly hanged there on the courthouse grounds.
By the end of the 18th century, agricultural and other land development upstream caused the Gunpowder River and Joppa Town's harbor to silt up, making access by large ships impossible. Ellicott City's port suffered a similar fate. Baltimore became Maryland's major shipping port, and in 1769 the county seat was moved to Baltimore. Joppa Town went into decline, and by 1814 was mostly abandoned.
Benjamin Rumsey
(1734–1808), the namesake of Rumsey Island and the Rumsey Mansion (the only colonial building that survived the decline of Joppa Town), was a delegate for Maryland to the Second Continental Congress
, and the first Chief Judge of the Maryland Court of Appeals
for over 25 years (1778–1806). In 1768 Rumsey married the widow of Colonel James Maxwell, who had been the primary landowner in Joppa Town, and who had the "Rumsey Mansion" built between 1720 and 1724. Rumsey relocated from Cecil County to Joppa Town sometime around 1771, after having the Rumsey Mansion substantially renovated. Benjamin Rumsey eventually acquired all the land where Joppa Town once stood, and all of the surrounding areas, and this came to be known as "Joppa Farm", a slave plantation
. Upon Benjamin Rumsey's death in 1808, Joppa Farm passed to his son John Beal Rumsey and/or his grandson Charles Henry Rumsey. Upon Charles Henry Rumsey's death, his children sold Joppa Farm to the Murray family. James Murray is the last known private owner of Joppa Farm, though there was at least one more owner prior to the Panitz Brothers Company acquisition of Joppa Farm in or about 1961. Maryland Historical Society records indicate the property was owned by the ""Maryland-Virginia Joint Stock Land Bank" in 1936.
cavalry under the command of Colonel Harry W. Gilmor
attacked the Philadelphia, Wilmington and Baltimore Railroad
(now Amtrak
) train bridge over the Gunpowder River, next to Foster Branch, at what is now the southeastern border of Joppatowne. Gilmore’s 135 troops overwhelmed the Union
force of 70 guarding the bridge. The Confederates then captured two trains, one north and one southbound, evacuated the passengers, took a Union general prisoner, captured supplies, cut telegraph lines, and set fire to one of the trains before backing it over and partially destroying the railroad bridge. The raid, regarded as one of the most daring ever attempted by detached cavalry on either side during the war, would become known as "Gilmor's Raid
" or "The Magnolia Station Raid".
Joppa is the location of the fictional alternate history epic American Civil War battle called The Battle of Gunpowder River in Grant Comes East
: A Novel of the Civil War, the New York Times bestseller
written by former Speaker of the United States House of Representatives
Newt Gingrich
, William R. Forstchen
, and Albert S. Hanser.
, who held arguable claim to the property as the US descendant of the Church of England
. The Panitz Company also sold and donated additional adjacent lots to the Episcopal Church, effectively preserving about 50% of the land where Joppa Town stood (the northern half of the site had already been heavily built-upon).
The Episcopal Church subsequently re-consecrated the grounds and built the aptly named Church of the Resurrection adjacent to the foundation of the original "St. John's Parish" of Joppa Town in 1970. The Church of the Resurrection has proved an excellent custodian of this site and its history, preserving its archaeological ruins and serving as a repository for documents, research, and artifacts related to colonial Joppa Town.
Charles B. Anderson, Jr., Harford County Commissioner from 1970 to 1974 and County Executive from 1974 to 1978, acquired the dilapidated Rumsey Mansion and about 20 acres (80,937.2 m²) of surrounding grounds in the 1960s, and had it completely restored, under the direction of historical preservationist John E. Clark. However, since then it has been utilized solely as a private residence, and is not open to the public for tours.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the CDP has a total area of 7.4 square miles (19.2 km²), of which, 6.9 square miles (17.9 km²) of it is land and 0.5 square miles (1.3 km²) of it (6.78%) is water.
of 2000, there were 11,391 people, 4,366 households, and 3,217 families residing in the CDP. The population density
was 1,656.7 people per square mile (639.3/km²). There were 4,530 housing units at an average density of 658.8/sq mi (254.2/km²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 85.50% White, 10.31% African American, 0.25% Native American, 1.31% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 0.98% from other races
, and 1.61% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.07% of the population.
There were 4,366 households out of which 32.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.9% were married couples
living together, 10.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.3% were non-families. 20.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.61 and the average family size was 3.01.
In the CDP the population was spread out with 24.1% under the age of 18, 7.2% from 18 to 24, 31.5% from 25 to 44, 26.6% from 45 to 64, and 10.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 98.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.6 males.
The median income for a household in the CDP was $57,799, and the median income for a family was $61,528. Males had a median income of $40,224 versus $29,055 for females. The per capita income
for the CDP was $24,024. About 4.0% of families and 4.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.4% of those under age 18 and 1.8% of those age 65 or over.
Joppatowne High School is in Joppatowne and consists of students from Joppatowne.
Unincorporated area
In law, an unincorporated area is a region of land that is not a part of any municipality.To "incorporate" in this context means to form a municipal corporation, a city, town, or village with its own government. An unincorporated community is usually not subject to or taxed by a municipal government...
"bedroom community" in southwestern Harford County
Harford County, Maryland
Harford County is a county in the U.S. state of Maryland. In 2010, its population was 244,826. Its county seat is Bel Air. Harford County forms part of the Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan Area.-History:...
, 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...
. It was established in 1961 as a Planned Unit Development (PUD)
Planned Unit Development
A planned unit development , is both a type of building development as well as a regulatory process. A PUD is a designed grouping of varied and compatible land uses, such as housing, recreation, commercial centers, and industrial parks, all within one contained development or...
. Joppatowne is a census-designated place (CDP)
Census-designated place
A census-designated place is a concentration of population identified by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes. CDPs are delineated for each decennial census as the statistical counterparts of incorporated places such as cities, towns and villages...
- the population was 11,391 at the 2000 census.
Joppatowne is only a small part of what is currently described as the "Joppa
Joppa, Maryland
Joppa, Maryland in Harford County, Maryland is now a planning region for the county, but there was originally a town at the center called Joppa. Joppa was founded as a British colonial settlement in the early 18th century, and takes its name from the biblical town of Joppa .The town of Joppa on...
" area of Harford County. Joppa is an area technically defined by the US postal zip code 21085, and a designated planning region for the county. Joppa zip code 21085 extends some 12 miles (19.3 km) above Joppatowne, nearly to Bel Air, MD at its northernmost tip.
The namesake of both Joppatowne and Joppa is the original town of "Joppa" ("Joppa Town"), which was a major seaport in American colonial times, and stood within the boundaries of present-day Joppatowne.
Colonial History
In colonial America there were three towns in the area of present-day Joppatowne, each established and abandoned in succession: Gunpowder Town, Foster's Neck, and Joppa Town. The first two were short-lived, but Joppa Town proved quite successful for some 50 years.Gunpowder Town, or simply Gunpowder, was a failed English settlement that pre-dated colonial Joppa Town, and was located close to it. This first attempt to establish an English settlement on the Gunpowder River
Gunpowder 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...
was apparently abandoned because it proved to be a poor location choice. Though documents and records exist for the settlement, including official papers in the archives of the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, nobody knows exactly where it was located. It was somewhere northwest of present-day Joppatowne, situated between the confluence of the Big Gunpowder and Little Gunpowder, at a place known as "Sim’s Point". Its location cannot be accurately pinpointed because at that time mouths of the Big and Little Gunpowder were about a mile further inland (above present-day US 40), and no trace of the town is known to have ever been found.
In 1706 the Provincial Assembly of Maryland chartered another town nearby, known as Foster's Neck. It was located on the eastern bank of the Gunpowder River, at the stream later known as Foster Branch (or "Foster's Branch"), at the southernmost boundary of present-day Joppatowne. Again, though mill ruins still remain in this area, the town's precise location is unknown. Foster's Neck was intended to succeed the town of Old Baltimore (no relation to Baltimore City) on the Bush River as the county seat of Baltimore County. However, Foster's Neck was abandoned only a year later, in 1707, reportedly due to an outbreak of smallpox
Smallpox
Smallpox was an infectious disease unique to humans, caused by either of two virus variants, Variola major and Variola minor. The disease is also known by the Latin names Variola or Variola vera, which is a derivative of the Latin varius, meaning "spotted", or varus, meaning "pimple"...
. St. John's Parish temporarily moved inland, to where the Officer's Club at the Edgewood
Edgewood, Maryland
Edgewood is a census-designated place in Harford County, Maryland, United States. The population was 23,378 at the 2000 census.-History:Pooles Island Light was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1997.-Geography:...
area of Aberdeen Proving Ground
Aberdeen Proving Ground
Aberdeen Proving Ground is a United States Army facility located near Aberdeen, Maryland, . Part of the facility is a census-designated place , which had a population of 3,116 at the 2000 census.- History :...
is currently located, and relocated to Joppa Town in 1712. After the decline of Joppa Town, St. John's Parish was finally moved to nearby Kingsville
Kingsville, Maryland
Kingsville is a semi-rural, unincorporated community and a census-designated place in Baltimore County, Maryland, United States. It is a close-knit and rustic community bounded by the Little Gunpowder Falls river and the Big Gunpowder Falls river which join to form the Gunpowder...
in the late 18th century.
The original Joppa Town was a major seaport and commercial hub in the 18th century. The town proper was located on what is now called Rumsey Island, where the Big Gunpowder Falls and Little Gunpowder Falls meet to form the Gunpowder River. The only original building remaining is the Rumsey Mansion, once home of colonial patriot Benjamin Rumsey
Benjamin Rumsey
Benjamin Rumsey was an American jurist from Joppa, Maryland. He served as a delegate for Maryland in the Continental Congress in 1776 and 1777. For over twenty-five years, beginning in 1778, he was the chief judge of the Maryland Court of Appeals.Benjamin was born at Bohemia Manor in Cecil County,...
. There are original building foundations and gravesites on the adjacent Church of the Resurrection property. Ruins of the original wharf and docks, as well as the town jail, were still visible until Hurricane Agnes
Hurricane Agnes
Hurricane Agnes was the first tropical storm and first hurricane of the 1972 Atlantic hurricane season. A rare June hurricane, it made landfall on the Florida Panhandle before moving northeastward and ravaging the Mid-Atlantic region as a tropical storm...
swept through in 1972. The Old Joppa Site was added to the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 1979.
Joppa Town was the county seat of Baltimore County
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...
from 1712 to 1769. Present-day Harford County
Harford County, Maryland
Harford County is a county in the U.S. state of Maryland. In 2010, its population was 244,826. Its county seat is Bel Air. Harford County forms part of the Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan Area.-History:...
was part of Baltimore County until 1773.
Joppa Town's "mile wide harbor" on the Gunpowder River
Gunpowder 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...
could accommodate the largest ocean-going ships of the day. Joppa was Maryland's most important commercial center in colonial times, with tobacco being the primary export. It was once among the busiest seaports in the western hemisphere, long before Baltimore was established.
Joppa Town was a vital hub for land transportation, and it was said that "all roads lead to Joppa". Joppa Town was the original terminus for Joppa Road
Joppa Road
Joppa Road is a road that runs across the northern suburbs of Baltimore, mostly parallel to the Baltimore Beltway. Joppa Road today is used by motorists as an alternative to congested I-695 traffic, which often causes the road to become congested itself....
, which ran northwest to what is now Towson
Towson, Maryland
Towson is an unincorporated community and a census-designated place in Baltimore County, Maryland, United States. The population was 55,197 at the 2010 census...
and north to York, PA (prior to the York Road being built in 1810). Joppa Road connected to Rolling Road
Rolling Road
Rolling Road is a major cross county road that runs through Baltimore County, Maryland. The road, once a continuous route, is divided into two by Interstate 95...
to points west. The original post road to Philadelphia also went through Joppa Town, and a ferry across the Gunpowder River connected to points south via what is now the community of Chase
Chase, Maryland
Chase is an unincorporated community in eastern Baltimore County, Maryland, United States.-Geography:Chase is located at . Chase is located on the waterfront of the Gunpowder River, Middle River, Dundee Creek, Saltpeter Creek, and Chesapeake Bay...
and 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...
. Many famous colonial figures invariably passed through and boarded at Joppa Town.
Economic growth was also stimulated via the establishment of various commercial enterprises just north of Joppa Town, utilizing water power from the Little Gunpowder Falls. The most notable of these is the still standing Jerusalem Mill Village
Jerusalem Mill Village
Jerusalem Mill Village is a living history museum that spans the 18th through early 20th centuries. One of the oldest and most intact mill villages in the U.S. state of Maryland, Jerusalem is located in Harford County, along the Little Gunpowder Falls River. It also serves as the headquarters of...
complex in Kingsville
Kingsville, Maryland
Kingsville is a semi-rural, unincorporated community and a census-designated place in Baltimore County, Maryland, United States. It is a close-knit and rustic community bounded by the Little Gunpowder Falls river and the Big Gunpowder Falls river which join to form the Gunpowder...
, which, among other enterprises, fabricated weapons for the Continental Army
Continental Army
The Continental Army was formed after the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War by the colonies that became the United States of America. Established by a resolution of the Continental Congress on June 14, 1775, it was created to coordinate the military efforts of the Thirteen Colonies in...
during the Revolutionary War
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
.
As the state's primary port-of-entry and county seat of its most populous county, Joppa Town was the focal point of virtually all aspects of colonial life in central Maryland. Joppa was the hub for all communications and media of the day, and central Maryland's ground-zero for politics and elections. Many major horse races were held there. Many convicted criminals were publicly hanged there on the courthouse grounds.
By the end of the 18th century, agricultural and other land development upstream caused the Gunpowder River and Joppa Town's harbor to silt up, making access by large ships impossible. Ellicott City's port suffered a similar fate. Baltimore became Maryland's major shipping port, and in 1769 the county seat was moved to Baltimore. Joppa Town went into decline, and by 1814 was mostly abandoned.
Benjamin Rumsey
Benjamin Rumsey
Benjamin Rumsey was an American jurist from Joppa, Maryland. He served as a delegate for Maryland in the Continental Congress in 1776 and 1777. For over twenty-five years, beginning in 1778, he was the chief judge of the Maryland Court of Appeals.Benjamin was born at Bohemia Manor in Cecil County,...
(1734–1808), the namesake of Rumsey Island and the Rumsey Mansion (the only colonial building that survived the decline of Joppa Town), was a delegate for Maryland to the Second Continental Congress
Second Continental Congress
The Second Continental Congress was a convention of delegates from the Thirteen Colonies that started meeting on May 10, 1775, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, soon after warfare in the American Revolutionary War had begun. It succeeded the First Continental Congress, which met briefly during 1774,...
, and the first Chief Judge of the Maryland Court of Appeals
Maryland Court of Appeals
The Court of Appeals of Maryland is the supreme court of the U.S. state of Maryland. The court, which is composed of one chief judge and six associate judges, meets in the Robert C. Murphy Courts of Appeal Building in the state capital, Annapolis...
for over 25 years (1778–1806). In 1768 Rumsey married the widow of Colonel James Maxwell, who had been the primary landowner in Joppa Town, and who had the "Rumsey Mansion" built between 1720 and 1724. Rumsey relocated from Cecil County to Joppa Town sometime around 1771, after having the Rumsey Mansion substantially renovated. Benjamin Rumsey eventually acquired all the land where Joppa Town once stood, and all of the surrounding areas, and this came to be known as "Joppa Farm", a slave plantation
Plantation
A plantation is a long artificially established forest, farm or estate, where crops are grown for sale, often in distant markets rather than for local on-site consumption...
. Upon Benjamin Rumsey's death in 1808, Joppa Farm passed to his son John Beal Rumsey and/or his grandson Charles Henry Rumsey. Upon Charles Henry Rumsey's death, his children sold Joppa Farm to the Murray family. James Murray is the last known private owner of Joppa Farm, though there was at least one more owner prior to the Panitz Brothers Company acquisition of Joppa Farm in or about 1961. Maryland Historical Society records indicate the property was owned by the ""Maryland-Virginia Joint Stock Land Bank" in 1936.
Civil War
On July 11, 1864 ConfederateConfederate States of America
The Confederate States of America was a government set up from 1861 to 1865 by 11 Southern slave states of the United States of America that had declared their secession from the U.S...
cavalry under the command of Colonel Harry W. Gilmor
Harry Gilmor
Harry W. Gilmor served as Baltimore City Police Commissioner in the 1870s, but he was most noted as a Confederate cavalry officer during the American Civil War...
attacked the Philadelphia, Wilmington and Baltimore Railroad
Philadelphia, Wilmington and Baltimore Railroad
The Philadelphia, Wilmington and Baltimore Railroad was the Pennsylvania Railroad's main line from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania southwest to Baltimore, Maryland in the 19th and early 20th centuries...
(now 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 bridge over the Gunpowder River, next to Foster Branch, at what is now the southeastern border of Joppatowne. Gilmore’s 135 troops overwhelmed the Union
Union Army
The Union Army was the land force that fought for the Union during the American Civil War. It was also known as the Federal Army, the U.S. Army, the Northern Army and the National Army...
force of 70 guarding the bridge. The Confederates then captured two trains, one north and one southbound, evacuated the passengers, took a Union general prisoner, captured supplies, cut telegraph lines, and set fire to one of the trains before backing it over and partially destroying the railroad bridge. The raid, regarded as one of the most daring ever attempted by detached cavalry on either side during the war, would become known as "Gilmor's Raid
Gilmor's Raid
Gilmor's Raid, also known as The Magnolia Station Train Raid, was a foraging and disruptive cavalry raid that was part of an overall campaign against Union railroads, led by Maj. Harry W. Gilmor with 135 men from the First and Second Maryland Cavalry regiments. It was authorized by Confederate Lt....
" or "The Magnolia Station Raid".
Joppa is the location of the fictional alternate history epic American Civil War battle called The Battle of Gunpowder River in Grant Comes East
Grant Comes East
Grant Comes East: A Novel of the Civil War is a New York Times bestseller written by former Speaker of the United States House of Representatives Newt Gingrich, William R. Forstchen, and Albert S. Hanser. It was published in 2004 and is the sequel to Gettysburg: A Novel of the Civil War...
: A Novel of the Civil War, the New York Times bestseller
New York Times Best Seller list
The New York Times Best Seller list is widely considered the preeminent list of best-selling books in the United States. It is published weekly in The New York Times Book Review magazine, which is published in the Sunday edition of The New York Times and as a stand-alone publication...
written by former Speaker of the United States House of Representatives
Speaker of the United States House of Representatives
The Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, or Speaker of the House, is the presiding officer of the United States House of Representatives...
Newt Gingrich
Newt Gingrich
Newton Leroy "Newt" Gingrich is a U.S. Republican Party politician who served as the House Minority Whip from 1989 to 1995 and as the 58th Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives from 1995 to 1999....
, William R. Forstchen
William R. Forstchen
William R. Forstchen is an American author who began publishing in 1983 with the novel Ice Prophet. He is a Professor of History and Faculty Fellow at Montreat College, in Montreat, North Carolina...
, and Albert S. Hanser.
Resurrection
The area where Joppa Town formerly stood was used as farmland (mostly string beans), until the Panitz Company (Panitz Bros. & Co.) began development of the planned community called "Joppatowne" in 1961. The original Joppa Town site, including the Rumsey Mansion, were slated to become Joppatowne's "swim and tennis club". The efforts of a few concerned historical preservationists went ignored until the matter was brought to the attention of First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy. Mrs. Kennedy convinced the developers to relocate the swim club, and to cede the land where colonial Joppa Town's church stood to the Episcopal ChurchEpiscopal Church (United States)
The Episcopal Church is a mainline Anglican Christian church found mainly in the United States , but also in Honduras, Taiwan, Colombia, Ecuador, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, the British Virgin Islands and parts of Europe...
, who held arguable claim to the property as the US descendant of the Church of England
Church of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
. The Panitz Company also sold and donated additional adjacent lots to the Episcopal Church, effectively preserving about 50% of the land where Joppa Town stood (the northern half of the site had already been heavily built-upon).
The Episcopal Church subsequently re-consecrated the grounds and built the aptly named Church of the Resurrection adjacent to the foundation of the original "St. John's Parish" of Joppa Town in 1970. The Church of the Resurrection has proved an excellent custodian of this site and its history, preserving its archaeological ruins and serving as a repository for documents, research, and artifacts related to colonial Joppa Town.
Charles B. Anderson, Jr., Harford County Commissioner from 1970 to 1974 and County Executive from 1974 to 1978, acquired the dilapidated Rumsey Mansion and about 20 acres (80,937.2 m²) of surrounding grounds in the 1960s, and had it completely restored, under the direction of historical preservationist John E. Clark. However, since then it has been utilized solely as a private residence, and is not open to the public for tours.
Geography
Joppatowne is located at 39°24′54"N 76°21′22"W (39.414887, -76.356171).According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the CDP has a total area of 7.4 square miles (19.2 km²), of which, 6.9 square miles (17.9 km²) of it is land and 0.5 square miles (1.3 km²) of it (6.78%) is water.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 11,391 people, 4,366 households, and 3,217 families residing in the CDP. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 1,656.7 people per square mile (639.3/km²). There were 4,530 housing units at an average density of 658.8/sq mi (254.2/km²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 85.50% White, 10.31% African American, 0.25% Native American, 1.31% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 0.98% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 1.61% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.07% of the population.
There were 4,366 households out of which 32.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.9% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 10.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.3% were non-families. 20.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.61 and the average family size was 3.01.
In the CDP the population was spread out with 24.1% under the age of 18, 7.2% from 18 to 24, 31.5% from 25 to 44, 26.6% from 45 to 64, and 10.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 98.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.6 males.
The median income for a household in the CDP was $57,799, and the median income for a family was $61,528. Males had a median income of $40,224 versus $29,055 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the CDP was $24,024. About 4.0% of families and 4.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.4% of those under age 18 and 1.8% of those age 65 or over.
Joppatowne High School is in Joppatowne and consists of students from Joppatowne.
External links
- Old Joppa Site, Harford County, including photo dated 1977, at Maryland Historical Trust
- Church of the Resurrection web site