National Register of Historic Places Inventory—Nomination Form
The Western Run-Belfast Road Historic District is a natural extension of the Worthington Valley District. Its western boundary follows the center of Falls Road, abutting the eastern boundary of Worthington Valley. This is a rural district, devoted entirely to agricultural and residential use, with only the village of Butler forming a small commercial crossroads with its general store, post office, and firehouse.
For as long as this area has been settled it has been known for its rich mineral resources, in particular its deep vein of iron ore and abundant supply of limestone. In the early 19th century the Oregon Company was formed to mine iron ore, and by 1877 the Ashland Iron Works, which had taken over Oregon, was capable of producing 600 tons of manufactured iron a week. Marble was found on the Western Run near Tanyard Road, but the major quarries which are still worked are located north of Butler on the Falls Road.
The limestone produced there has been used both for fertilizer and as a building material. There were numerous saw and grist mills within the district, and several small villages which were formerly industrial complexes. Despite this evidence of industry, the district has historically been an agricultural area.
From the earliest times it was recognized for the large and prosperous farms which produced crops of corn and grass, cattle, and sheep. Most of the homes in the district are owned by families with the wherewithal to preserve their properties, and efforts to develop the area have met with resistance thus far.
Page 13-There are five churches, all over one hundred years old and all presently in use.
Page 13-The Gunpowder Friends Meeting House has been restored and still serves its modern congregation.
Note; There is no listing of contributing buildings in the Nomination Form.
TEXT from the Meeting House website:
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visit link)
1739: Quaker records show a Preparative Meeting at Gunpowder.
1773: “Old” Gunpowder Meeting House was built on Beaver Dam Road 3.5 miles from our present location on Priceville Road. This older building is currently a family home.
1821: A new Meeting House was built on higher ground on Priceville Road. The one-story floor plan of 56 x 32 feet was larger than the old building and built at a cost of $1,396.
1866: The Meeting House burned and was rebuilt the same year using native fieldstone.
Late 1930s: Illness and inclement weather were frequently cited as reasons for the cancellation of Monthly [Business] Meeting.
1942-1957: No regularly scheduled Monthly [Business] Meetings were held at Gunpowder. By 1950, membership had declined to 20.
1957: When I. Waugh Matthews died, the Meeting House was filled to overflowing at his Memorial Meeting. Citizens of Cockeysville, in consultation with Friends who attended the Memorial Meeting, built a spacious covered porch, which was so inviting in this rural setting that Meetings for Worship resumed. Families with children began attending.
1958: Gunpowder Friends took a photograph of themselves on the Meeting House porch and sent it to the Baltimore Yearly Meeting Interchange as witness to their re-enlivened Meeting.
1979: Stony Run Friends built a Friends Lifetime Care Center, Broadmead, four miles from Gunpowder Meeting House. A number of Friends from Broadmead began attending Meeting on Priceville Road, and several transferred their memberships.
1990s: Attendance and membership increased with the arrival of young families as well as more Broadmead Friends. The building was updated with indoor plumbing. Adult religious education in various forms sprouted up, including Quakerism 101, Bible study, and Spiritual Formation.
2001: By the end of the 1990s space had become cramped. The Meeting House was expanded with a two-room addition, a new porch, and an improved kitchen.
Today: Attendance at Meeting for Worship averages 35-40 each week, and there are typically 15-20 at Monthly [Business] Meetings. We continue to worship on the porch in the summer.
This list summarizes key events in Gunpowder’s history as documented in Marshall O. Sutton’s Gunpowder Friends Meeting, Sparks, Maryland: A Brief History.