Odenton Heritage Society Historical Center

On Sunday, February 5, the Odenton Heritage Society will celebrate Black History Month with a display about Sappington School, which welcomed Black grade school pupils during segregation from the early 1920s to the late 1940s.  Local support made possible Odenton’s first educational facility for African Americans.  When Anne Arundel County constructed a large, replacement school for white children in 1921, Macedonia Methodist Church, an African American congregation, obtained a small, surplus building at Camp Meade and moved it to the church grounds so that Black children could receive a comparable...

On Sunday, January 8, 2023 the Odenton Heritage Society will open a display spotlighting the failed Baltimore and Drum Point Railroad.  A plan to build a railroad through Anne Arundel County to southern Calvert County captivated industrialists from the 1860s to the 1920s. The railroad was never completed, but organizers repeatedly tried to finance and build a line that would funnel freight to a new port near Solomons.  Enjoy photographs of still-existing right-of-way that workers graded near Severn Run and Gambrills in the 1880s.  Learn about audacious plans to rival...

The Odenton Heritage Society will be celebrating the holiday season on Sunday, December 4, 2022 at our Christmas Open House Bazaar and Bake Sale.  Please join us as we continue to celebrate Odenton’s 150th Anniversary. There is much to learn and see about Odenton as you tour our museum.   On sale will be a variety of handmade items, baked goods, and Odenton history related items.  There will also be a “Silent Auction”.  The OHS Historical Center Museum presents more than 150 years of local history through objects, photographs, and Audio-Visual...

Three jewels of the Odenton Historic District, all listed on the National Register of Historic Places, will share the spotlight in a photo display at the Odenton Heritage Society open house on Sunday, November 6, 2022.   Longtime community centers in the west Anne Arundel railroad town, the 1917 Citizens State Bank, 1918 Epiphany Chapel and Church House, and 1912 Old Masonic Hall also reflect Odenton's importance during World War I, when soldiers at nearby Camp Meade brought new demands to the home front. An educational museum scavenger hunt will...

On Sunday, September 4, the Odenton Heritage Society will celebrate the placing of the 1912 Old Masonic Hall on the list of the National Register of Historic Places. The Society is also proud to celebrate 20 years in its restored headquarters and Historical Center. Reflecting the building’s current education mission and its significance as a centerpiece of the Odenton Historic District, the Society will give tours of the building and offer the first five visitors a CD copy of the 2016 book Odenton Historic District: Architectural Survey and Evaluation, which...

Sunday, August 7, 2022 will be Photo Copying Day at the Odenton Heritage Society's monthly open house.  Bring your photographs of Odenton -- its railroads, buildings, places, and people -- for a quick scan and immediate return.  Digital copies help the Society's image collection grow.  The OHS Museum, which shows more than 150 years of Odenton history, also will be open, with no admission charge.  Hours will be from 1 pm to 4 pm.  The OHS Historical Center is in the restored 1912 Masonic Hall, located at 1367 Odenton Road.

On Sunday, July 3, the Odenton Heritage Society will commemorate the beginning of train service on the Amtrak-MARC Penn Line with an addition to the Society's railroad display.  In July 1872 -- 150 years ago -- steam-powered trains began running between Baltimore and Washington through Odenton.  Modernized over the years, this line became a vital part of local and intercity transportation.  Train service shaped Odenton's growth through employment, troop movements, commuting opportunities, and a busy junction with a railroad to Annapolis and Fort George G. Meade.  The Society's museum, which presents 150...

On Sunday, June 5, from 1 pm to 4 pm, the Odenton Heritage Society will continue its celebration of Odenton's 150th anniversary with "Women on the Railroad," a photographic display showing local residents who worked in the headquarters of the WB&A Electric Railroad, coordinated troop train movements during World War II, and worked for the Railway Express Agency, a nationwide parcel service.  The Society’s Museum, which displays community history and the growth of Odenton's railroads, is housed in the 1912 Old Masonic Hall at 1367 Odenton Road.  Admission is free.

We hope you will join us at our Annual Board, Membership and Election Meeting on Thursday, May 19, 2022, at the OHS Center at 7:00 PM.  We will hold a brief business meeting with reports on the status of our organization and the election of OHS Officers and Directors. We will continue to celebrate Odenton’s 150 years Anniversary as Roger White will be giving a 30 minute presentation on “How Railroads Shaped Odenton”.  Roger White is the OHS Director of Museums.  Roger has 32 years, thus far, in researching the...

On Sunday, May 1, the Odenton Heritage Society will continue its observance of the town's 150th anniversary with "Odenton's Founders," a photo display about prominent 19th century families and their businesses. The general stores, post office, farms, and cannery operated by the Watts and Murray families helped to define the young town and populate the area near the railroad junction at its center (today's MARC station).  Additional displays present community history in the 20th century, including homes, stores, schools, World War I and World War II, amateur baseball, National Plastic Products,...