Perry Hall Mansion

The Perry Hall Mansion is a historic structure located in Baltimore County, Maryland, United States. Erected on a hill above the Gunpowder River Valley, the mansion is an excellent example of late colonial and early Nineteenth Century life in eastern Baltimore County.

Originally built in the mid 1770's, for most of its early history the structure was owned by Harry Dorsey Gough (see Gough-Calthorpe family), a wealthy Baltimore merchant. Gough named the estate Perry Hall, after his family's ancestral home of the same name in Perry Barr, England, now a northern suburb of Birmingham, England. From the 16-room mansion, Gough administered his vast plantation operation, where dozens of slaves tended cattle, various food crops, and stands of tobacco. The Perry Hall estate was so influential that maps from the period typically identify modern-day Bel Air Road (U.S. Route 1) as “Perry Hall Road” or “Gough's Road.”

Gough died on May 8 1808. Due to his statewide prominence, more than 2,000 people attended his funeral, which was held at the Perry Hall estate. The mansion was generally viewed as being at its zenith during the early Nineteenth Century. Visitors commented on the distinctive architectural features of the home as well as the lush gardens on the surrounding grounds. When one looks at the mansion as it existed in Gough's time, it is clear that the house included features that mirrored the diverse facets of Harry Dorsey Gough's life. The impressive wine cellars and expansive grand hall used for entertaining symbolized Gough's socially prominent life before his conversion to Methodism. After his conversion, Gough built a chapel near the mansion's eastern wing that allowed him to quietly pursue his religious worship, along with his family, servants, and other neighboring landowners.

Perry Hall remained under the ownership of Gough's descendents until 1852, when it was sold to investors who subdivided much of the property among immigrant families who built dozens of farms. The mansion remained in private ownership for over two centuries, and by 2001, the vast estate had been whittled down to approximately four acres. That year, the mansion was sold to Baltimore County for future use as a museum and community center.

Friends of the Perry Hall Mansion

Since its acquisition by the Department of Parks and Recreation for Baltimore County, the Perry Hall Mansion has received a comprehensive exterior renovation. In addition, a structure has been created so as to allow for the public to be directly involved in shaping the future of this historically significant property.

The Friends of the Perry Hall Mansion is a new, freestanding organization that will work to complete the renovations at the mansion, and care for the structure once the project is finished. The officers and directors will work to achieve the group's mission, which is to educate the public about the Perry Hall Mansion and provide input to Baltimore County government on its uses and operations.

At its first formal meeting in September 2007, the newly-formed Friends of Perry Hall Mansion elected its officers and board of directors. These individuals are as follows: Jeffrey Smith, president, Neil Miller, vice president, Tim Kosiba, treasurer, Linda Polesne, secretary, Colleen Bowers, membership chairperson, and Wayne Schaumburg, Vince Pecora, Ann Palrang, Laura Kimball, Melissa Redmer, and Peggy Neidlinger, directors.

The Friends have an aggressive agenda, which includes continued fund-raising for the interior renovation of the building, the initiation of an archaeological dig on the property, and the completion of a master plan to help guide the future use and continuous improvement of the mansion and grounds. Long a shining symbol for the community of Perry Hall, Maryland, the Mansion has the potential to become a cultural and recreational resource of note for all of Baltimore County. The Friends organization and its members seek to guide the way to a great future for the mansion.

Additional information about both the Mansion and the Friends organization is available at the group's website [http://www.perryhallmansion.org] .

References

*Friends of Perry Hall Mansion website;
*"Crossroads: The History of Perry Hall, by David Marks."