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Sculpture "Life in the Community" in two separate installations of six, located at the exterior of the Health Care Financing Administration Building, Woodlawn, Maryland LCCN2010720322Photo: Carol M. Highsmith · Public domain
C−History
History · Woodlawn

Woodlawn dates to 1904, and 2 of its places are on the National Register

More historic than 24% of U.S. towns · #164 of 261 in Maryland. What drives it

Most of Woodlawn was built recently: 6% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1969. Its Register listings are the St. Mary's Episcopal Church/Woodlawn and the Lorraine Park Cemetery Gate Lodge. Below: 1 old photo or paper, maps from 1894 on, and the census since 1960.

1904founded
2on the National Register
6%homes built before 1940
1old photo or paper
1famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

How Woodlawn began

When was Woodlawn founded?

1904

Woodlawn dates its founding to 1904 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1960.

First census: 19,254 in 19602020 census: 39,986122 years

How historic is Woodlawn?

C−

More historic than 24% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1832.
History grade

What drives Woodlawn’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Woodlawn is more historic than 24% of U.S. towns, #164 of 261 in Maryland. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its age pulls it down.

C−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Woodlawn’s overall grade.
Founding era1904, from Wikidata: founded 1900–1944, an older era than 9% of U.S. townsDHomes built before 19405.6% of homes (±1.9) · typical MD town 3.3% · U.S. 8.4%CNational Register2 listings, 3 historic buildings, 0.7 per 10,000 residents · typical MD town 0.9 · U.S. 2.4B−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 24%
NewerOlder
Maryland towns of 2,500+ (261)Ahead of 37%

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 Woodlawn’s 0.7 sits near the middle of its state (45% of Maryland towns have fewer) while its 3 historic buildings outnumber those of 65% of U.S. towns.

NoteThe founding year comes from Wikidata alone; no second source gives 1904.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from D to C+. The pre-1940 share (±1.9 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 Woodlawn’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

Lost villages3 post offices opened and closed inside today’s Woodlawn, and 24 old place names are still on the map.A history waiting to be writtenOnly 1 old photo is in the public archives. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 18946 editions of the USGS map, 1894 to 1974. Watch Woodlawn change.
★ What stands out · Places that used to be

Lost post offices, old corners, places now gone and burying grounds

Three other post offices opened and closed inside today’s town.

Hoods Mill
1832–1929
Powhattan
1860–1896
Franklintown
1891–1900
18301930today
Hamlets and corners on the map
Adil MeadowsBelmontBrigadoonCatonsville GatewayCatonsville ManorChadwick ManorColonial ParkDrexel WoodsFair BrookFranklintownHarristownParkview TrailPowhatanPowhatan HillRolling HeightsRolling Road FarmsWalden CircleWest EdmondaleWest HillsWesterleeWestview ParkWindsor TerraceWinsten EstatesWoodbridge Valley
Gone or out of use
Hood Milllocale
3cemeteries and burying grounds inside Woodlawn
Beth TfilohGreek OrthodoxLorraine Park

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

Help out

Start Woodlawn’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Woodlawn’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
1 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
On the map

Woodlawn on the map, 1894 to 1974

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Woodlawn. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Woodlawn on the 1894 USGS mapWoodlawn on the 1904 USGS mapWoodlawn on the 1944 USGS mapWoodlawn on the 1953 USGS mapWoodlawn on the 1966 USGS mapWoodlawn on the 1974 USGS map1894Baltimore sheet · 1:62,500

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Woodlawn.

The story so far

Woodlawn, in brief

Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Woodlawn yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.

Woodlawn is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in Baltimore County, Maryland, United States. Per the 2020 census, the population was 39,986. It is home to the headquarters of the Social Security Administration (SSA) and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). It is bordered by Catonsville on the south, by the Patapsco River and Howard County on the west, by Randallstown and Lochearn to the north, and by the City of Baltimore to the east. Parts of Woodlawn are sometimes informally referred to as Security, Maryland, due to the importance of the SSA's headquarters as well as nearby Security Boulevard (Maryland Route 122) and Security Square Mall. The Lorraine…

Woodlawn was established in 1904. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 37,879 to 39,986 (+6%).

Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.

Timeline

Woodlawn, 1832 to 1967

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 19th century
  2. 1832Post officeThe Hoods Mill post office opens
  3. 1860Post officeThe Powhattan post office opens
  4. 1891Post officeThe Franklintown post office opens
  5. 1894On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  6. 1896Post officeThe Powhattan post office closes
  7. 20th century
  8. 1900Post officeThe Franklintown post office closes
  9. 1904
    FoundingWoodlawn is established
  10. 1915In the archiveAtlas of Baltimore County, Maryland 1915 - Plate 9, Part of 1st and 2nd Districts
  11. 1929Post officeThe Hoods Mill post office closes
  12. 1967Born hereMo'Nique is born here
By decade

Woodlawn, decade by decade

One decade in the archive so far: the 1910s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1910s1 item
Atlas of Baltimore County, Maryland 1915 - Plate 9, Part of 1st and 2nd Districts1915Atlas of Baltimore County, Maryland 1915 - Plate 9, P…Map
1920s–1990snothing yet
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Add from your album
Today31 recent
Sculpture "Homage to Medicare and Medicaid" in main lobby and links of the Health Care Financing Administration Building2007Sculpture "Homage to Medicare and Medicaid" in main l…Painting "The Healing Light" located in interior lobby of the Health Care Financing Administration Building2007Painting "The Healing Light" located in interior lobb…Painting "The Healing Light" located in interior lobby of the Health Care Financing Administration Building2007Painting "The Healing Light" located in interior lobb…Painting "The Healing Light" located in interior lobby of the Health Care Financing Administration Building2007Painting "The Healing Light" located in interior lobb…Painting "The Healing Light" located in interior lobby of the Health Care Financing Administration Building2007Painting "The Healing Light" located in interior lobb…Painting "The Healing Light" located in interior lobby of the Health Care Financing Administration Building2007Painting "The Healing Light" located in interior lobb…Two paintings "For the Love of Life and The Healing Light" located in interior lobby of the Health Care Financing Admin…2007Two paintings "For the Love of Life and The Healing L…Two paintings "For the Love of Life and The Healing Light" located in interior lobby of the Health Care Financing Admin…2007Two paintings "For the Love of Life and The Healing L…Sculpture "Life in the Community" in two separate installations of six, located at the exterior of the Health Care Fina…2007Sculpture "Life in the Community" in two separate ins…Sculpture "Life in the Community" in two separate installations of six, located at the exterior of the Health Care Fina…2007Sculpture "Life in the Community" in two separate ins…Sculpture "Life in the Community" in two separate installations of six, located at the exterior of the Health Care Fina…2007Sculpture "Life in the Community" in two separate ins…Sculpture "Life in the Community" in two separate installations of six, located at the exterior of the Health Care Fina…2007Sculpture "Life in the Community" in two separate ins…Sculpture "Life in the Community" in two separate installations of six, located at the exterior of the Health Care Fina…2007Sculpture "Life in the Community" in two separate ins…Sculpture "Homage to Medicare and Medicaid" in main lobby and links of the Health Care Financing Administration Building2007Sculpture "Homage to Medicare and Medicaid" in main l…Sculpture "Homage to Medicare and Medicaid" in main lobby and links of the Health Care Financing Administration Building2007Sculpture "Homage to Medicare and Medicaid" in main l…Sculpture "Homage to Medicare and Medicaid" in main lobby and links of the Health Care Financing Administration Building2007Sculpture "Homage to Medicare and Medicaid" in main l…Sculpture "Homage to Medicare and Medicaid" in main lobby and links of the Health Care Financing Administration Building2007Sculpture "Homage to Medicare and Medicaid" in main l…Sculpture "Homage to Medicare and Medicaid" in main lobby and links of the Health Care Financing Administration Building2007Sculpture "Homage to Medicare and Medicaid" in main l…Sculpture "Homage to Medicare and Medicaid" in main lobby and links of the Health Care Financing Administration Building2007Sculpture "Homage to Medicare and Medicaid" in main l…Sculpture "Homage to Medicare and Medicaid" in main lobby and links of the Health Care Financing Administration Building2007Sculpture "Homage to Medicare and Medicaid" in main l…Sculpture "Homage to Medicare and Medicaid" in main lobby and links of the Health Care Financing Administration Building2007Sculpture "Homage to Medicare and Medicaid" in main l…Sculpture "Homage to Medicare and Medicaid" in main lobby and links of the Health Care Financing Administration Building2007Sculpture "Homage to Medicare and Medicaid" in main l…Sculpture "Homage to Medicare and Medicaid" in main lobby and links of the Health Care Financing Administration Building2007Sculpture "Homage to Medicare and Medicaid" in main l…Sculpture "Homage to Medicare and Medicaid" in main lobby and links of the Health Care Financing Administration Building2007Sculpture "Homage to Medicare and Medicaid" in main l…Sculpture "Homage to Medicare and Medicaid" in main lobby and links of the Health Care Financing Administration Building2007Sculpture "Homage to Medicare and Medicaid" in main l…Painting "The Healing Light" located in interior lobby of the Health Care Financing Administration Building2007Painting "The Healing Light" located in interior lobb…Painting "The Healing Light" located in interior lobby of the Health Care Financing Administration Building2007Painting "The Healing Light" located in interior lobb…Painting "The Healing Light" located in interior lobby of the Health Care Financing Administration Building2007Painting "The Healing Light" located in interior lobb…Painting "The Healing Light" located in interior lobby of the Health Care Financing Administration Building2007Painting "The Healing Light" located in interior lobb…Painting "The Healing Light" located in interior lobby of the Health Care Financing Administration Building2007Painting "The Healing Light" located in interior lobb…MDMap-doton-Woodlawn2004MDMap-doton-Woodlawn
On the National Register

2 historic places in Woodlawn

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.

places listed
2
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
3
each building in a district counts
first listed
1985
St. Mary's Episcopal Church/Woodlawn
St. Mary's Episcopal Church/WoodlawnLorraine Park Cemetery Gate Lodge
Buildings

Architectural styles listings

Gothic1
Queen Anne1
St. Mary's Episcopal Church/WoodlawnGothic
Lorraine Park Cemetery Gate LodgeQueen Anne

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

People over time

Woodlawn, census by census

05,00010,00015,00020,00025,00030,00035,00040,000196019802000202039,986

Grew from 19,254 people in 1960 to 39,986 in 2020.

7 censuses, 1960–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Woodlawn’s Wikipedia page.

Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

Ellicott City14 historic placesA−Lochearn1 historic placeB−Milford Mill1 historic placeC+Baltimore307 historic placesA+Catonsville15 historic placesA

Questions about Woodlawn’s history

What year was Woodlawn founded?

In 1904, according to Wikidata. Woodlawn’s post office opened in 1832, and the census of 1960 counted 19,254 people here.

How does Woodlawn rank for history?

Woodlawn is more historic than 24% of U.S. towns, #164 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 Woodlawn?

Two places: the St. Mary's Episcopal Church/Woodlawn (listed 1985) and the Lorraine Park Cemetery Gate Lodge (1985).

How old are the homes in Woodlawn?

6% of Woodlawn’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±1.9 points), against a typical 3.3% for a Maryland town; the median home was built in 1969.

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
Sources

Where this page comes from

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 Wikimedia Commons (26), the Library of Congress (6), the National Register of Historic Places (2), 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) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.