Glen Burnie dates to 1812, and 3 of its places are on the National Register
More historic than 53% of U.S. towns · #79 of 261 in Maryland. What drives it
Most of Glen Burnie was built recently: 4% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1973. Its Register listings are the Freetown Rosenwald School, the First Avenue School and the Harundale Presbyterian Church. Below: maps from 1894 on and the census since 2000.
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1843.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Glen Burnie’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Glen Burnie is more historic than 53% of U.S. towns, #79 of 261 in Maryland. Its age holds the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
B−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Glen Burnie’s overall grade.
Few Maryland towns list much on the Register (a typical Maryland town has 0.9 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Glen Burnie’s 0.4 sits near the middle of its state (41% of Maryland towns have fewer) while its 3 listings outnumber those of 65% of U.S. towns.
NoteThe founding year comes from Wikidata alone; no second source gives 1812.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C to B+. The pre-1940 share (±1.0 points) is firm at this size.
Founding year: Wikidata (other dates in Quick answers). Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →
What stands out about Glen Burnie’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
In 1812, Elias Glenn, a district attorney, established a country estate south of Baltimore. He named his property "Glennsburne". The name was changed to "Glennsbourne Farm", and eventually "Glenburnie", as the property was passed through Glenn's descendants. Records also show the name as "Tracey's Station" and "Myrtle", after local postmaster Samuel Sewell Tracey and one of Tracey's boarders, before the final decision was made.
In 1854, William Wilkins Glenn, Elias Glenn's grandson, incorporated the Curtis Creek Mining, Furnace and Manufacturing Company into his family's property. The business flourished during the 19th century, and with it came several thousand acres of land in northern Anne Arundel County.
In 1812, according to Wikidata. Glen Burnie’s post office opened in 1843, and the census of 2000 counted 38,922 people here.
How does Glen Burnie rank for history?
Glen Burnie is more historic than 53% of U.S. towns, #79 of 261 in Maryland. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
What is on the National Register in Glen Burnie?
Three places: the Freetown Rosenwald School (listed 2007), the First Avenue School (2007) and the Harundale Presbyterian Church (2024).
How old are the homes in Glen Burnie?
4% of Glen Burnie’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±1.0 points), against a typical 3.3% for a Maryland town; the median home was built in 1973.
Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
From the National Register of Historic Places (3), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock), the USGS Geographic Names Information System and Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
