Aberdeen Woman Makes "Room" to Preserve Local History

Moments away from Aberdeen City Hall and around the corner from the firehouse, is what some might call a history gem, sheltered beneath a green awning with pictures in the window.

Inside there are tables and shelves full of memorabilia and photographs, all telling the story of eras gone by and the people who developed a village into a town and then into a city.

There are people in this room as well, old and young—people who work without pay simply because they care about the city of Aberdeen.

And it all began with the efforts of one woman—Charlotte Garrettson Cronin, founder of the Aberdeen Room Archives and Museum.

“It began after I wrote a proposal to the Historical Society of Harford County in March 1987,” Cronin explains.

The Aberdeen Room was originally The Aberdeen Room of the Historical Society of Harford County, because it was an extension of the Historical Society.

According to Cronin, the group began with six charter members in the basement of the old Aberdeen elementary school.

The group, which held their first meeting on October 12, 1987, immediately started working to make the place worthwhile, Cronin recalls.

The first exhibit consisted of memorabilia from the collection of Cronin’s father-in-law’s, the late Senator J. Wilmer Cronin, a legislator as well as the editor and publisher of the Harford Democrat, she said.

“The District 9 court moved from Park Street to Bel Air, in 1991,” said Cronin and she convinced municipal leaders to bring the historians out of that dark, damp school basement to the building they currently inhabit.

 “My argument was you need us because you're having the centennial,” Cronin said. “We have the information that you need.”

At the time, the city of Aberdeen was still a town. Cronin’s argument won out and in 1991 the Aberdeen Room Archives and Museum was incorporated independently.

During the centennial celebration the following year, the town of Aberdeen became a city. The Aberdeen Room played a crucial role in gathering the necessary information for the celebration as well as serving as a meeting place for planning the event.

The Aberdeen Room houses everything from old marching band and majorette uniforms from Aberdeen High School to pictures of the city's industry leaders.

One exhibit features a picture of the five sons of the accredited founder of the Aberdeen canning industry—George Washington Baker. One of these sons, Charles Winfield Baker is the grandfather of the late Charles Baker who was a founding member of The Aberdeen Room, who volunteered there until he passed away.

His wife, “Mrs. Charles Baker,” is the granddaughter of Charles Baker I’s daughter Lydia, who still volunteers at The Aberdeen Room.

Cronin and others who donate time, money and memorabilia to this effort volunteer to ensure  the historic efforts of Aberdeen citizens are not forgotten.

But according to Cronin there still is a need for more help. 

“We've lost volunteers, some of our people who have contributed so much over the years,” Cronin said, speaking nostalgically of those who’ve passed away. “We are looking for people who are interested in history.”