A SITE DEDICATED TO SHARING AND PRESERVING THE QUALITY OF LIFE IN DICKEYVILLE, MARYLAND

The beautiful village of Dickeyville, a National Register Historic Preservation District on the western edge of Baltimore City, Maryland, grew up along the banks of the Gwynn's Falls from the late 17th century. Among the area's first settlers was Richard Gwin [or Gwynn], a Welshman who reputedly traded with the Algonquin Indians from 1672.

The site, with its abundance of timber and rushing waters, was ideal for industry. One of the first of many mills on the Gwynn's Falls, was built in the vicinity in 1719 by Peter Bond, Gwin's son-in-law. In 1762, a grist mill and stone house was built by Wimbert Tschudi, a Swiss mill owner, and what is believed to be the ruins of this mill may still be seen on the banks of the Gwynn's Falls today. In 1779, Wimbert's son, Martin Tschudi, patented a nearby plot of land called Sly's Adventure. The Franklin Paper Mill followed in the early 1800s, giving its name, Franklinville, to the village. In 1829, three enterprising brothers, John, George, and Charles Wethered, converted the Franklin Paper Mill to the manufacture of woolen cloth. The brothers also built the Ashland Mill on the east side of the village, in addition to some 30 stone houses for workers, a church and a school, and named the village 'Wetheredsville'. John Wethered was elected to Congress.

Old School House, Wetheredsville Road, built in the 1830s for the children of mill workers

During the Civil War, the Wethereds, who were pacifists, made both "government blue" and confederate gray cloth. Reputedly, Union soldiers, stationed in the nearby village of Franklintown, confiscated their goods and eventually drove the brothers out of business. In 1871, the Wethereds sold the property to William J. Dickey, whose family came from the market town of Ballymena in the north of Ireland. He paid $82,000 for 300 acres, three mills and many of the houses in the village.

Mill cottages, Pickwick Road, built in 1832 by Wethered family

Under Dickey, the village again prospered and expanded. Many new homes were constructed for the millhands, a Presbyterian church and a manse were built, and a village store, owned by Dickey, sold everything from buggy whips to licorice sticks. On his death in 1896, the name of the village was changed from Wetheredsville to Dickeyville. The Dickey family sold out to the Glasgow Mills in 1909, but with the decline of the textile business, work in the mills became harder to get. The Glasgow Mills closed and the formerly properous Dickeyville became a shanty town with a reputation for crime and low life.

In 1934, the Dickey properties, which included much of the village of 81 homes, three mills and the Wethered-Dickey mansion on Forest Park Avenue (the mansion has since been demolished) was sold at auction for $42,000. A local development company embarked upon the restoration of the properties. They decided that the old buildings should be preserved and only the totally unstable would be demolished. The buildings that remained might be redesigned and modernized but in such a way as to preserve their historic character. New homes must blend in unobtrusively with the old.

Little Mount Vernon, Wetheredsville Road, built in the late 1940s

The vision and foresight of the developers ensured the preservation of the village, so that today, Dickeyville is a model historic village of some 138 homes and public buildings. It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1968, and is maintained by its residents with enormous care and pride. It has a strong community association, formed in 1938, that has successfully fought the proposed extension of a major highway (I-70) through the village and lobbied for a concrete dam to replace the decaying wooden structure swept away by Hurricane Agnes in 1972. The Dickeyville Garden Club oversees the beautification of public landscaping projects and encourages residents to maintain yards and gardens to a high standard. The only mill that remains, now called the Ballymena mill in honor of Dickey's Irish ancestry, is home to a number of craftspeople and small businesses. Dickey Memorial Presbyterian Church, under the leadership of the dynamic Reverend Tom Speers, is a center of community life. A highlight of every year is the three-day Fourth of July celebration, when the villagers and their friends turn out for a picnic by the dam, a play written and performed by the residents, a wine and cheese party, dinner and dancing in the street, and a home-grown Fourth of July parade. Also much appreciated is the annual Halloween Bonfire Night near the Dam. Visitors may be impressed with the beauty of the Dickeyville homes and the natural surroundings but it is the quality of the community that makes Dickeyville a very special place.

Dickeyville Concert Series

Advertised locally

All concerts begin at 3.00pm at the home/studio of Barry Johnston, 2423 Pickwick Road, Dickeyville. Following the concert there is a wine and cheese reception (those attending the concert bring the wine and nibbles). There is no admission charge, but contributions for the musicians are requested

 Dickeyville Garden Club

 Annual Holiday Pancake and Greens Sale, Sat. 2 December 2000, 9am--12noon in Dickeyville Memorial Parish Hall. Also on sale, Dickeyville Notecards in Full Color. Cost: 10 cards for $5. E-Mail for details

WALKING TOUR OF DICKEYVILLE

DICKEYVILLE FOURTH OF JULY CELEBRATIONS AT-A-GLANCE

HOW TO GET TO DICKEYVILLE. Map courtesy of Rev. Speers and Dickey Memorial Presbyterian Church.

ADDITIONAL PICTURES AND INFORMATION

MORE PICTURES OF DICKEYVILLE