Downtown Sykesville
When James Sykes renovated his factory along the Patapsco River, there was not yet a railroad, town, or business district. Today, the collection of businesses and homes in downtown Sykesville are what make us a destination of choice.
Check out the stories and links below to learn more about the development of out town.
To see the below narrative in a timeline format, click here.
.........................
Image courtesy of the Historical Society of Carroll County. To find out more about this object, click here.
Early Sykesville
Carroll County, Maryland formed in 1837, around the time James Sykes (namesake of Sykesville) was making progress renovating his Howard Cotton Factory mill (located in today's South Branch Park). Sykes was amongst only a handful of residents and business persons in the area that would become Sykesville, but was one of many millers along the South and North Branches of the Patapsco. Early residents of Sykesville contained Irish, Scottish, and English immigrants (including Sykes), as well as the bulk of Carroll County's enslaved black population. The B&O railroad had only reached Sykesville in 1831. New businesses began to pop up to support visitors and residents.
Industrialization and Housing Expansion
Sykesville saw no direct action during the Civil War (aside from some damage to transportation and telegraph lines). The flood of 1868 shifted and condensed businesses uphill into the shape of Main Street we recognize today. Most stores and manufacturers on Main Street also rented upper floors as apartments to local residents. As more businesses appeared, houses, such as the Sykesville Town House (the Kate McDonald House) were added to the community. Many of these new homes and businesses were engineered by J. H. Fowble, and reflected Richardsonian, and Romanesque architecture, including his own home on Norwood Avenue.
Frank Brown, in the headshot used during his campaign in the Sykesville Herald Newspaper.
The Progressive Era
Frank Brown, who grew up just outside of Sykesville, served as Maryland State Governor from 1892-1896. Brown ran for office as "Farmer Brown" on the Democratic ticket and supported many of the populist ideas of his day. Among those, was support for a second public hospital for individuals with mental illness. In 1896, Springfield Hospital opened on the expansive Brown farm known as "Springfield" which had previously belonged to the Warfield family of Baltimore.
At the turn of the century, Wade H.D. Warfield also ran for public office, built throughout Sykesville, and operated numerous businesses. Warfield's name still is seen on several Main Street buildings today.
Wartime Development
Sykesville's citizens historically have shown their patriotism through volunteering for armed service as well as on the home front.
Especially in World War I, when the Town was still quite small, approximately 1 in 10 citizens volunteered to fight in the war. The sincere efforts of Sykesville's residents were noted in the Sykesville Herald as well as the Democratic Advocate (Westminster) newspapers as being in many cases larger than those of the much more populous Westminster.
Civil Defense again supported military efforts abroad in World War II, as the community gathered to do what they could to raise funds and prepare for global warfare.
WWII era Sykesville High School students of the Victory Corps stand next to Victory Vs in the School athletic grounds with Springfield Hospital in the distance.
Two Women sit near the Sykesville Trestle bridge over the Patapsco at the corner of the Sykesville Train Station c. 1930.
Train Spotting
Other social changes in the first half of the 20th century shaped the development of the Town. More people were buying cars and moving out of the cities. This also meant less reliance on the B&O railway, which historically had helped support local industries. At the turn of the century, there were fourteen trains stopping in Sykesville every Day. After the start of World War I there were only eight. By the end of World War II there were just four. In 1949, the train no longer stopped for passengers in Sykesville at all.
Still, businesses thrived, the community grew, and our population expanded.
Route 32 Divides Us
Until 1964, the main North-South route from Frederick Road/ Route 70 to Westminster had been using route 751 which traveled along Sykesville's Main Street.
The diversion of traffic to a new Route 32 changed local habits of transportation and deteriorated business along Main Street, Sykesville. While business held through the 1960s, by the early 1970s, businesses which had been active for decades began to close, buildings became derelict, and junk yards formed along the formerly bustling Main Street.
