You don’t have to go to Williamsburg to get that colonial feeling, just take a leisurely drive to Perry Hall — a Baltimore suburb bordered by the Great Gunpowder Falls on the north, Pulaski Highway on the east, White Marsh Run on the south and the BGE power lines at Putty Hill on the west.
“The roots of Perry Hall go back to 1775 when a Baltimore merchant, Harry Gough, purchased a 1,000-acre estate near the Great Gunpowder River. He named this property ‘Perry Hall’ after a family estate in England and completed construction on a mansion now called Perry Hall Mansion,” said Realtor Tom Lupo of Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage on Honeygo Boulevard.
This historic structure continues to attract visitors today thanks to the helping hands of the Friends of Perry Hall Mansion, presided by local resident Jeffrey Smith.
“In 1999 the owner wanted to sell it and some prominent leaders approached the Baltimore County government and state legislatures to take advantage of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to purchase the property. The exterior renovation was completed in 2003 and we’re about to embark on the first phase of a complete interior renovation. The mansion will be a showcase for the community, where people can see what it was like to live in Perry Hall in the 1800s,” Smith said.
David Marks, president of the Perry Hall Improvement Association, notes that an image of the Perry Hall Mansion appears on the class rings for Perry Hall High School.
“Perry Hall is different from many suburban communities in that it’s grounded in a strong sense of pride and history. There’s been a tremendous amount of growth since the 1970s. We had 30,000 residents in 2000, but that number is expected to grow to 40,000 by the next census in 2010,” Marks said.
Lupo noted that Perry Hall features a mix of townhomes, semi-detached and single-family homes with “a lot of new construction” starting from the middle $350s to $750,000 and up.
“While there’s been a lot of development, many aspects of Perry Hall have remained consistent throughout the years,” Smith said, noting that his son recently graduated from the very same pre-school he attended over 35 years ago.
“The guy who cut my hair is still there, and I take my son to him to have his hair cut” Smith said. “There’s a real timelessness to Perry Hall. It’s close to the mall, parks, the library, there’s good dining opportunities, but you look at the core of the community and see that those small-town things have remained consistent and that makes it very attractive.”
If it sounds like Perry Hall offers a family atmosphere, it does.
“We’ve seen a lot of families moving back to Perry Hall from Harford County because they hated the traffic congestion and wanted a more established community. Simply put, it’s perfect for families. The schools are excellent, the recreation councils are among the largest in Baltimore County, and there’s little crime,” Marks said.
For Smith, Perry Hall Mansion remains a metaphor for the community as a whole.
“The mansion tells the story. It’s not the same colonial federalist style building from 1775 as there were major renovations in the 1970s. The first striking feature you see is the wraparound Victorian porch; that’s not how it was originally built, but reflects how Perry Hall has evolved as the mansion has evolved, in a positive way,” Smith said.
TOP 10 THINGS ABOUT PERRY HALL
1. History
“Many people associate Perry Hall with new development, but it’s a 233-year old community that’s one of the most historic in Baltimore County. The Perry Hall Mansion was the site of meetings that led to the establishment of the Methodist Church,” said David Marks, president of the Perry Hall Improvement Association.
2. Honeygo Regional Park
“This new addition to Honeygo Boulevard has a new center offering classes all year long as well as ball fields and a wonderful walking trail. Further up north of Cross Road are a selection of soccer fields,” area Realtor Tom Lupo said. In fact, Perry Hall has three county parks, including the 149-acre Honeygo, with four more under development.
3. Gunpowder State Park
A large chunk of the 18,000-acre state park borders Perry Hall to the north. It’s a popular spot for hiking, fishing and tubing.
4. New library
Perry Hall has had its own library branch since the 1960s, but a new 25,000-square-foot library, set to be the largest in Baltimore County, opens its doors in the spring of 2009 and will feature meeting rooms, computer facilities and more.
5. Just plain convenient
“I can’t think of many other places in the Baltimore region that are so accessible. Perry Hall is crisscrossed by Belair and Joppa roads, and it’s minutes from White Marsh Mall, I-95, the Baltimore Beltway and the MARC train station,” Marks said.
6. Partytime!
The annual Perry Hall Festival is held in front of Perry Hall High School and features craft and informational booths, entertainment, pony rides, assorted food vendors and more. There are other community events as well including an Easter egg hunt, free summer concerts and a Halloween parade.
7. Chapel Hill Farms
This farm and nursery offers springtime school trips to the center and is a great place for families and kids to pet animals, have a snowball, pick out a Halloween pumpkin or a Christmas tree.
8. A Place for everyone
“You can find apartments, condominiums, townhomes and million-dollar homes in Perry Hall,” Marks said. Lupo noted that the “current inventory in Perry Hall has homes on the market ranging from $159,900 to $1.4 million.”
9. Get an education
There are seven public schools in Perry Hall and “Perry Hall High School, the largest in Baltimore County, is the heart of the community,” Marks said. Lupo noted that the Perry Hall Recreation Council offers many athletic and social events for both young and old.
10. Eat, drink and be merry
A number of new eateries have popped up in Perry Hall in recent years including the Canellas Italian Deli, Desantis Restaurant, Raffy’s, The Ugly Muffin and The Original Steakhouse on Joppa Road, to name just a few.