Savage, Maryland
Savage, Maryland is an historic town located in Howard County, about 12 miles South of Baltimore, Maryland and 20 miles North of Washington, DC. It is situated close to the city of Laurel, Maryland and the town of Columbia, Maryland. According to City-Data.com, the combined population of Savage and neighbor Guilford, Maryland in 2000 was 12,918.
Named for John Savage, a Philadelphia textiles merchant who helped charter the Savage Manufacturing Company, Savage was an important manufacturing center during the textile industry boom. The Savage Mill was a textile factory constructed circa 1820. It harnessed the power of the nearby Little Patuxent River, and is also said to have once housed an iron foundry that produced machinery used for manufacturing textiles. In 1880 the Mill's operations were expanded greatly by the introduction of steam power.
In 1835 the Savage Station was established on the Washington Branch of the B&O Railroad. In 1869 the Bollman Iron Truss Bridge was built, one of about 100 on the B&O line.
Today the town remains steeped in history. Savage Mill is now the home to several antique centers, artist galleries and specialty shops. It still contains some of the original architecture and machinery of the heyday of textile manufacturing, though much of the building has been expanded and renovated. Up until a few years ago, the historic Carrol Baldwin Hall (built in the 1920s and named for a former president of the manufacturing company) was still home to the Savage Branch of the Howard County Public library.
Savage also contains the last remaining Bollman Truss bridge in the world, newly restored and overlooking the Little Patuxent River, just yards away from the Savage Mill. Along with the mill, Bollman Bridge can be found on the National Register of Historic Places.
External links
- Howard County, Maryland History
- Historic Savage, Maryland
- Savage-Guilford, Maryland Detailed Profile
- Savage Mill Website