Govans/Mid-Govans

Location

York Road, Woodbourne Avenue, Lothian Road, St. Dunstans Road, Benninghaus Road.

Zip Code: 21212

Description

The Govans neighborhood is located in North Central Baltimore City. The neighborhood features many different housing types, trees and a neighborhood park at DeWees. Our community borders the historic York Road which features many businesses and churches. Also nearby is Towson, home to Towson Center Mall, and many businesses and offices.

DeWees Park

Chinquapin Park

Historic Senator Theater

Epiphany House

Gallagher Mansion

McCabe Mansion

Homeland and Belvedere Square Shopping Centers

City Garden plots on Woodbourne Avenue

Good Samaritan Hospital

Loyola College

College of Notre Dame of Maryland

Morgan State University

Bell Atlantic service center

DeWees PAL Center

History

Govans is in the center of Govans Community. The community was originally called Govanstowne, named after William Govane. Govane received a tract of land from Frederick Calvert, the 6th Lord Baltimore, in the mid-seventeenth hundreds. Govans has always been associated with York Road, first as an Indian trail, and then as an important commercial road and turnpike linking the rich farmlands of Baltimore County and Pennsylvania with the City and the Port of Baltimore and finally as the urban corridor we know today.

Govans was also home to many estates of some of early Baltimore's most famous people. Enoch Pratt businesses man and a philanthropist owned land and a mansion on Woodbourne Avenue. Also William Walters, businessman and art collector resided in a Govans mansion. Colonel Lawrence McCabe noted bridge and construction engineer who built the North Avenue and St. Paul Street Bridges and tunnels for the B&O Railroad. Several of the great mansions still stand today along the York Road corridor. For additional history on Govans, read "Govans Village and Suburb" by John Brain.