7534 Norwood Avenue

The Life of John E. Norwood: ​ John E. Norwood (1858-1923) was an inventor as well as station agent of the B&O railway. Although the bulk of his fortune came from a patent for the "No-leak-o" piston ring used in car engines, he also invented and purchased patents for numerous train-related patents. (Sykesville Herald, "Death of John E. Norwood In Baltimore Recalls Remarkable Career." 1923) Democratic Advocate, 14 November 1885, p. 3; 19 December 1885  p.3). Additional car replacement patents for "The Norwood Car Replacer Company" (based in Baltimore) followed, as did considerable wealth. In 1890, the Democratic Advocate stated, "Norwood is still improving, and is now rushing his patent, and carries about with him a million dollars worth of stock which he handles with the recklessness of a Wall Street broker." (Democratic Advocate 29 November 1890, p. 3). By 1891, an iron works in Norfolk, Virginia was chosen to manufacture these car replacers, at which point Norwood resigned from his job as station agent of the B&O (Democratic Advocate, 22 August 1891, p.3). Sometime between the late 1895 and 1903, Norwood moved from Sykesville to Baltimore (Democratic Advocate, 28 February 1903, p.3). ​ Born in Mount Airy, as a young man, Norwood was a feather renovator, traveling around central Maryland. He started his career with the B&O railway at Frederick Junction , and later Gaither. While census records show Norwood considered himself as the station agent at the Sykesville B&O railroad station at the bottom of the hill, like most men of means in his day, Norwood also engaged in a variety of lines of work.  In 1886, Norwood was also a news merchant ( Democratic Advocate, 12 June 1886, p. 3). The Democratic Advocate newspaper periodically makes fun of the appearance and distemper of John Norwood, as well as his nosiness in community affairs. Norwood's attitude was also periodically criticized.  living in the above apartment from 1884 until moving to this building in 1886 (Democratic Advocate, 25 Dec 1886) . At the station, Norwood--noted as weighing 250 pounds--worked alongside his assistant, Dick McCrone, who reportedly did most of the heavy work on site (Democratic Advocate, 31 July 1886, p. 3, 2 April 1887, p. 3).  ​ By 1887, Norwood had completed the first of many improvements to his Brown Cottage ( Democratic Advocate 2 April 1887, p. 3), which continued through the year, including being the first house in Sykesville to install steam heat (Democratic Advocate, 17 December, 1887). Improvements continued into 1888 (Democratic Advocate 14 April, 1888, p. 3). ​ His lust for improvements led him to serve as a stockholder of the Sykesville Perpetual Building Association. Very likely because of his own holdings, in 1895 the stock of the company was doubled from $60,000 to 120,000 with Norwood serving as one of the Directors of the association (Democratic Advocate, 5 January 1895, p.2). ​ Within the grounds of the property, Norwood also ran a side business the largest incubator hennery operation in Carroll County (Democratic Advocate, 20 July 1889, p. 3).