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Mr. Thomas Carney Dead.

Mr. Thomas Carney, a well-known resident of the county, died yesterday morning at his home, Good Hope, Harford Road. He was born in Ireland 63 years ago and came to the United States at the age of 23. He was a stone cutter and worked at the Beaver Dam quarry during the construction of the Loch Raven Dam. A great deal of the stone for the dam was cut by him.

Later he engaged in the restaurant business at Carney, on the Harford Road, and became well known. The post office was named for him. After conducting the business for 20 years he retired and bought the property known as Good Hope. A widow and several children survive him.

(From the Sun, Baltimore, MD June 4, 1907)

Thomas Carney's obituary as it appeared in the newspaper

Thomas and Mary Carney

In 1880, Thomas Carney immigrated to the United States from Ireland and settled in Texas, Maryland. Soon after his arrival, he married the former Mary McDermot and bought forty and a half acres on the southeast side of the Baltimore and Harford Turnpike.

Several years later (about 1885), the Carney family moved to what is now Harford and Joppa Roads where Thomas Carney opened a general store which is believed to have served as the Eight Mile House on the turnpike. The store was located on the site presently occupied by the Barn Restaurant. In the 1880's and 1890's the store also served as the Carney family home.

When the family grew too large for the store, Mr., Carney built a new house on the hill behind the store. The house was completed in about 1898 and stood in the vicinity of what is now Thornewood Court. Thirty-five years later, the Carney house was moved to its present location at the corner of Joppa and Avondale Roads and is now a real estate office.

Thomas Carney in front of his Eight Mile House circa 1885

With the passage of time and the suburban growth of Baltimore County, the land once owned by the Carney family has been sold to individuals and developers. However, the reference to Carney’s meaning and the general store run by Mr. Carney, has been shortened to Carney and now appears on all Maryland maps. The Carney family name is now carried by area businesses and clubs. Two institutions, the Carney Library and the Carney Elementary School also carry the name. Little did Thomas Carney, an industrious Irish immigrant, realize that his memory would live on by a community which bears his name.

(from the Sun and contributed by the Carney Library)

CARNEY MEMORIES

An innovative way to deal with the lack of supermarkets in the Carney area in the late 1940's. Here, a Frosty

Home Food Service truck (a converted Ford transit bus) makes a delivery on Harding Avenue.

Keeping Carney Cool

Rittenhouse Ice Plant (circa 1924)

Founded in the early 20's by James Rittenhouse, the company owned and operated an icehouse located on the east side of Harford Road in Carney on the site presently occupied by the Baltimore Beltway. Ice from this plant was delivered to homes in the Carney area for use in kitchen ice boxes. The forerunners of today's refrigerators. This facility was razed in 1959.

"Hamburger Junction"

Typical ad for savings and loan

Ad for Parkville Bank

Typical ads from local newspapers circa 1930