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A quick drive southeast from the downtown area, Halethorpe, Maryland is a triangular shaped community next door to Baltimore. Adventurer, explorer, soldier and writer are nouns associated with Captain John Smith who led the first English expedition to establish a colony in North America. Along with 104 other brave souls, Smith reached Virginia (named after Elizabeth I, the virgin queen) in 1607, founding the Jamestown colony. In 1612 Smith sailed into Chesapeake Bay all the way to the Patapsco River. At some point in the early summer of that year he and his men came up the river, passing what is now Halethorpe. Along the way his men planted crosses while Smith charted the river with amazing accuracy. He gave it the name Bolus because of the red clay indigenous to the land, but it was later changed to Patapsco, a Native American Algonquian word meaning “backwater.” More than forty years later the area would be acquired by Cecil Calvert, 2nd Lord Baltimore and, although he never set foot in Maryland, would give his name to the port where the Patapsco meets the Chesapeake. He also named the colony Maryland after Henrietta Maria, the Queen Consort to Charles I. The first English settlers were Catholics fleeing persecution from the protestant reforms which marked life in 17th century England.

For many years, Halethorpe was simply the forested area outside the growing city of Baltimore with pockets of industrial activity, especially along the Patapsco River. At some point, it acquired the name Halethorpe which may mean “healthy village” in old English. In 1927 Halethorpe in conjunction with the Baltimore and Ohio (B&O) Railroad hosted the “Fair of the Iron Horse,” a world’s fair type event celebrating 100 years of railroading. The two-week event featured a daily “Pageant of Transportation” with a parade of historical vehicles and costumed actors depicting the progress of transportation over the years. The spectacle included Conestoga Wagons, Native American encampments and a chronological evolution of the locomotive. Today, Halethorpe sits between two major thoroughfares, Interstate 95 to the west and Interstate 695 to the east.

It’s certain that a Halethorpe tutor will keep you ahead of the academic curve so you can take time to enjoy the attractions and amenities of Halethorpe and the Baltimore metropolitan area. For outdoor enthusiasts, the Patapsco State Park has a wealth of recreational opportunities. The park features several miles of hiking, biking and equestrian trails with the longest being the 2.3-mile Grist Mill Trail. The river provides a great place for tubing, paddling, swimming and fishing. The park is also home to historic sites such as the Thomas Viaduct, the world’s oldest multiple arched stone bridge built in 1835. A pedestrian only swinging bridge spans the river near the Avalon area of the park.

For those interested in knowing more about the history of the railroad in Maryland, the B&O Railroad Museum in downtown Baltimore has a wealth of information. The museum traces the history of the railroad back to 1829 when a group of businessmen, surveyors and engineers laid out plans for a long-distance railroad. The museum is home to various collections of artifacts relating to America’s railroads and even has a wooden model train for kids to climb on. Clearly, the B&O is more than just a companion piece to the Pennsylvania, Reading and Short Line.