Cowdensville

Many people have never heard of Cowdensville, and many mistake it for Catonsville, because of the similar sounding name. Actually, Cowdensville is another black “enclave” community in the Baltimore area, where blacks lived before and after the civil war.

Established during the mid-19th century, Cowdensville is a small African-American community located in the southwestern section of Baltimore County. The community was established in the first half of the 19th century, prior to 1847. When slavery ended many blacks remained in Cowdensville where they had already established their own community and their own church. 

It is situated near the small towns of Avalon and Arbutus in the Thirteenth District of Baltimore County. The five streets in the community are Sulphur Spring Road, Garrett Road (known by the residents as the bottom), Shelbourne Road, Circle Terrace, and Brown Terrace.

Map of Cowdensville

The community consists of a total of thirty-two dwellings, one converted schoolhouse, one church, and one unmarked cemetery. A one-room school, Colored School number 21, constructed in 1903, was located at 6 Garrett Avenue at the end of the street. It was used as a school during the early 20th century until it closed in 1939.

The Cowdensville African Methodist Episcopal Church is located at the intersection of Sulphur Spring and Shelbourne Roads, it has been the focal point of the community since the mid 19th century.  Founded in 1857, the congregation originally worshipped in a private home on Garrett Avenue.  Church services continued to be held in the Garrett residence until 1907 when the Cowdensville African Methodist Episcopal Church was constructed at the corner lot at the intersection of Shelbourne Road and Sulphur Spring Road.

The 1910 Census lists most people in Cowdensville as domestic workers. Several residents were employed by the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad;. Thurgood Marshall, U.S. Supreme Court Justice from 1967 to 1991, campaigned early on for desegregation in Baltimore County Schools by taking the case of a Cowdensville resident.

After Margaret Williams finished 7th grade in 1935 at the one-room school on Garrett Road, there were no high schools in the district for her to attend. Thurgood, Council for the NAACP, sued for Williams’ admission to Catonsville High School.

They lost their case, however, it was an important ruling used in the Brown decision by the Supreme Court in 1954. Thurgood Marshall, U.S. Supreme Court Justice from 1967 to 1991, campaigned early on for desegregation in Baltimore County Schools by taking the case of a Cowdensville resident.

After Margaret Williams finished 7th grade in 1935 at the one-room school on Garrett Road, there were no high schools in the district for her to attend. Thurgood, Council for the NAACP, sued for Williams’ admission to Catonsville High School. They lost their case, however, it was an important ruling used in the Brown decision by the Supreme Court in 1954.