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Moving - Bethlehem, Maryland

Are you planning on moving your family in or out of Bethlehem, MD. You'll need a reliable moving company to help you with your plans. Movers USA is a full service company which can handle all phases of your move. We offer packing, crating, moving and storage. Click here for a free estimate to begin your moving process.

In the meantime, enjoy a brief history of Bethlehem, MD.

A Brief History of Bethlehem, Maryland

The eastern part of Baltimore County, which includes Essex and Middle River, was the least-urbanized area closest to Baltimore City at the turn of the century. Yet this area eventually displayed the most sustained growth rate in the county. By 1931, the population was nearly 23,000.

Originally, Essex was ten blocks, running from Mace to Marlyn Avenues. It was begun in 1909 by the Taylor Land Company for those residents in Baltimore who wanted a place outside the city limits to perhaps grow a garden or to pursue some other rural activity. Land was cheap and sales were enhanced by a promotional pamphlet.

Henry Guttenberger built the first general store in Essex in 1910 on the corner of Eastern and Mace Avenues. Between 1911 and 1912, the Taylor Land Company donated the lots for Essex Methodist and St. John's Lutheran churches. They also donated the land where the volunteer fire department built their station on Eastern Avenue. The permanent fire station opened in 1921.

With the ever-growing population came the need to build schools. The elementary school opened in 1925 with 400 students. Essex Community College was founded in 1957. Classes were first held at Kenwood High School, with fifty part-time and nine full-time students. In 1961, the college moved to Dorsey Avenue , and in 1968 moved to its present location. This site was owned by the Mace family, and the family burial plot is maintained and protected by the college.

A fire in August, 1957 destroyed an entire block of businesses on Eastern Avenue, and the business district never fully recovered from that catastrophe. The ten-alarm blaze caused a half million dollars in damages, and, in the time it took to repair the buildings, new shopping centers were built, changing the buying habits of consumers.

The Glenn L. Martin Company was the single biggest reason for the rapid growth of the area. Employment at the company peaked at 53,000 workers during World War II. However, this same facility was the cause of high unemployment after the war, when only 800 people worked there by the mid-1970s.

Another important company was Eastern Rolling Mill, which opened in 1919. The plant, at the head of Back River, produced carbon sheet steel. In 1944, Eastern merged with Industrial Stainless Steel, Inc. to form Easco, which is still an impotrant source of employment for Essex.

Today, there is interest in revitalizing the Essex area by including it in government-sponsored empowerment zones. Many neighborhoods have begun a "clean-up" of their areas, hoping to transform Essex into a place that will be ready to move into the next century.

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