The Baltimore County Union, The Towson News Archive

The Baltimore County Union commenced publication in Towson, the seat of government for Baltimore County, on January 7, 1865. The paper traces its origins to the merger of the Baltimore County American, a pro-Union sheet published since 1858 by W. Bouldin and The American in 1862 by John H. Longnecker, and the Baltimore County Advocate, a newspaper started in 1850 promoting African American emancipation and published by E.F. Church. Hency C. Longnecker and John B. Longnecker, sons of the American's publisher, were the editors and proprietors of the new weekly. In its inaugural issue, the Union claimed the largest circulation of any county paper in Maryland. Its main competitor in Towson was the Maryland Journal, published by William H. Ruby.

The closing months of the Civil War and the assassination of Abraham Lincoln dominated news in the Union, which was a staunch supporter of the Republican Party and its candidates for local, state and national elections. In 1870, the paper closely followed the passage of the Fifteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, which established voting rights for African Americans. This interest in progress for black citizens reflected the presence of a significant segment of the local population located in the African American community of East Towson. East Towson was noteworthy for the high rate of home ownership, due to the efforts of the Relief Association of Baltimore County, which was founded in 1872 to provide financing for African American home buyers.

As Towson settled into the post-war era, more prosaic concerns came to the fore. In 1882, a narrow-gauge railroad that eventually became known as the MA & PA reached the town, and by 1889 this line had made the connection to York, Pennsylvania. Later in the early 20th century, an electric, interurban rail line connected Towson to the towns of Cockeysville and Timoninum in Baltimore County. Towson became the home to several major institutions during this time. In 1896, a bequest from the philanthropist Enoch Pratt led to the renaming of the Sheppard Asylum, and the new Sheppard Pratt Hospital gained a wide reputation for both the quality of its mental health care services and the distinctiveness of the architecture on its expansive campus. In 1913, the State Normal School for educating teachers moved to Towson. This institution ultimately became Towson University, and it was joined later in the century by the private Goucher College, which also moved from downtown Baltimore City.

The Baltimore County Union, like many county weeklies, featured literary excerpts, news of personal comings and goings, and agricultural advice on the latest farming techniques from groups such as the local Gunpowder Agriculture Club. The Union merged in 1909 with the Towson News becoming the Baltimore County Union, the Towson News, and later the Union News.