Picture This: A Glimpse Into Catonsville’s Storied Past

The next time you are enjoying a free summer outdoor concert in Lurman Woodland Theatre, take time to survey the canopy of tall trees ringing it. Their presence may be owed to the influence of Frances “Fannie” Lurman (1871–1950), granddaughter of Gustav Lurman Sr., a prominent merchant who, in 1848, purchased the 2,000-acre estate known as “Farmlands.” This informal pose of Fannie in summer dress was taken on the estate grounds in 1897.

If she seems to possess a determined air, your assessment would be right. Fannie was an independent woman who remained single most of her life, in spite of a legion of socially prominent suitors both here and abroad. She finally consented to marry her suitor of some 60 years, Dorsey M. Williams of Ellicott City, just three years before her death. According to a newspaper article at the time, “Mrs. Williams said, ‘The reason I never married before was because I was not the marrying kind. I always liked being Frances Lurman and never wanted to be Mrs. Anybody.’”

Philanthropist Alfred Jenkins Shriver regarded her as one of the 10 “Famous Beauties of Baltimore.” He caused somewhat of a stir when he bequeathed the bulk of his estate to Johns Hopkins University, stipulating in his will that a mural of the women at the height of their beauty be displayed prominently in the building that was to bear his name. The mural was installed in 1956 and remains there today.

Besides being regarded for her beauty, Fannie was a formidable equestrienne. In an oral history, longtime groundskeeper Lloyd Lapole recalled, “She could go across a jump, with a champagne glass in her hand, and not spill a drop.” Fannie was also known for her business acumen, and it fell to her to sell much of “Farmlands” in 1904, necessitated by the family’s reversal of fortunes. It wasn’t until 1948, however, that she agreed to sell the remaining 65 acres to the Baltimore County Board of Education as a site for the new Catonsville High School, including the leafy respite that has been enjoyed by Catonsville residents for the past 20 years as Lurman Woodland Theatre.

Which brings us back to those trees. Fannie Lurman Williams had intended for the property to be used by the Theosophical Society in America, of which she was a spiritual believer. She relented and sold it to the Board of Education, with the provision that all rare trees and shrubbery be kept intact.

Thanks go to Bryce Rumbles, librarian at the Catonsville Branch, and Lisa Vicari, Catonsville Room volunteer and board member, Friends of the Catonsville Library, for their research assistance.