So…How Did Perry Hall Get its Name?

As you stroll around Perry Hall, you might find yourself wondering just exactly how our community got its name.  Is our town named after a famous person?  Perhaps it takes its name from some special geographic feature?  Well, as it happens, our community is named after a building, the Perry Hall Mansion, which in turn was named after another structure, located in England. 

Construction of the Perry Hall Mansion began in 1773, and was ultimately completed by Harry Dorsey Gough and his wife Prudence.  Gough, a native of Anne Arundel County, had the extraordinary luck at age 21 of inheriting more than 70,000 English Pounds, giving him access to the money necessary for this substantial purchase.  At the time of its sale to Gough, the total acreage of the property was shown as 1,129. 

Gough and his young family promptly settled in and immediately began work to complete the original house.   He named the house "Perry Hall," in honor of his family's ancestral home in Staffordshire, England.  Gough also initiated additional work in about 1784, which concluded with the completion of two matching outer wings attached to the main portion of the house. 

The Mansion was at its greatest in the early Nineteenth Century.  Visitors commented on its elegant architecture and distinctive gardens.  It was considered a "sister home" to Towson's Hampton House, which was owned by the Ridgely family, with whom Harry Dorsey Gough was related through his marriage to Prudence.  The Mansion expressed different elements of Harry Dorsey Gough's life.  The vast wine cellars and Great Hall symbolized Gough's life before his conversion to Methodism.  Gough built a chapel as part of the Mansion's east wing that brought together his family, slaves, servants and backcountry neighbors in regular services.

Throughout the course of the late Nineteenth and early Twentieth centuries, the house was owned by fourteen different principal owners, culminating with its purchase by the Baltimore County government in 2001.  Much of the land that makes up modern Perry Hall was once considered to be part of this original estate. 

Today's Perry Hall Mansion is the massive remnant of this sizeable original house.  Damaged by fire in 1839, the surviving two-thirds of the building is a wonderful representation of the scale and quality of the original residence and retains much craftsmanship from colonial artisans.  The exterior - and much of the interior - reflects the tastes of the mid-1800's, when the house was substantially rebuilt after the fire. 

In recent years, the Mansion has entered a new phase in its history, serving both as a symbol of Baltimore County's historic traditions and its present-day desire to share that history with others.  As you can imagine, a lot of work will be required to restore a 235-year-old house for a new life as a center for historic and cultural education.  This is where the volunteer spirit of people from Perry Hall and beyond can truly make a positive impact.

The Friends of Perry Hall Mansion is a freestanding organization that works in collaboration with Baltimore County government, to complete the renovations at the Mansion, and care for the structure once the project is finished.  This organization conducts extensive educational and outreach activities in support of the Mansion and its future use as a resource to connect visitors to our historic past.  The Friends also work to recruit and energize volunteers in support of the Mansion and its role as a key site for historic preservation in Perry Hall.  Volunteers are always welcome, and can serve in a variety of roles, including:  guidance and support of future restoration work, assistance in fund-raising for the benefit of the Mansion and related activities, or as event planners for educational and outreach initiatives. 

So, if you are proud of Perry Hall and would like to help preserve a part of its rich heritage, you might want to find out more about our community's namesake.  Additional information is available at the Friends website: www.perryhallmansion.org.

Jeffrey Smith currently serves as president of the board of directors of the Friends of the Perry Hall Mansion.