Finksburg, Maryland facts for kids
Finksburg is a community in Carroll County, Maryland, United States. It's not a city with its own government, but rather an "unincorporated community," meaning it's part of the larger county. Finksburg is known for being the home of a special facility for the National Security Agency. You can find Finksburg where Maryland Routes 91 and 140 meet, right on the edge of Carroll and Baltimore counties. It's about a mile northwest of the Liberty Reservoir and six miles southeast of Westminster. The community is named after Adam Fink, who built the first house there and owned a local tavern and a toll road in the early 1800s.
Quick facts for kids
Finksburg, Maryland
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Greater Baltimore Hindu-Jain Temple
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 Finksburg, Maryland
Location in Maryland
Finksburg, Maryland
Location in the United States
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| Country | United States |
| State | Maryland |
| County | Carroll |
| Elevation | 564 ft (172 m) |
| Time zone | UTC-5 (Eastern (EST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (EDT) |
| ZIP code |
21048
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| Area code(s) | 410 and 443 and 667 |
| GNIS ID | 584378 |
Contents
Life in Finksburg Today
The Finksburg community is kept safe by the Gamber and Reese Community Volunteer Fire Stations. The Sykesville-Freedom District Fire Department also helps out.
Schools and Learning
Students in Finksburg attend Sandymount Elementary, Shiloh Middle, and Westminster High Schools. There is also Gerstell Academy, a private school for students from kindergarten through 12th grade. The Finksburg Branch of the Carroll County Public Library opened in 2009. It was the first "green building" in Carroll County, meaning it was built to be good for the environment.
Parks and Recreation
Finksburg has some great places for outdoor fun!
- Roaring Run Community Park is a sports complex with four baseball fields.
- Sandymount Park offers walking paths, tennis courts, a basketball court, and a playground. It also has three baseball fields and six grass athletic fields.
Places of Worship and Remembrance
The Greater Baltimore Hindu-Jain Temple is located in Finksburg. You can also find the Evergreen Memorial Gardens cemetery here.
Famous Connections
The actor Fred Gwynne, known for shows like Car 54, Where Are You? and Munsters, is buried in an unmarked grave at the Sandy Mount United Methodist Church's cemetery. Finksburg was even mentioned in an episode of the TV comedy Brooklyn Nine-Nine.
The Baltimore Ravens football team holds their training camp a few miles away in Owings Mills. Some former Ravens players, like Torrey Smith and Haloti Ngata, used to live in the Finksburg area.
Getting Around Finksburg
If you need to get to downtown Baltimore, the Owings Mills station of the Baltimore Metro SubwayLink is about a 15-minute drive from Finksburg. This subway station is located in nearby Owings Mills.
Finksburg's Past
Finksburg has an interesting history, with many changes over the years.
Early Days and County Creation
In 1838, Finksburg became part of the newly formed Carroll County, Maryland. This new county was created from parts of Baltimore County and Frederick County. It was named after Charles Carroll of Carrollton, who was the last person to sign the Declaration of Independence and passed away in 1836.
Mining and Railroads
In 1849, Edward Remington and the Patapsco Mining Company opened cobalt mines near Finksburg. Cobalt is a metal used in many things, like batteries. The Western Maryland Railroad reached Finksburg in 1855, which helped connect the community to other places. However, the cobalt mines were not very profitable, so they closed in 1858.
Community Life and Education
By 1856, A. L. Hoover was the postmaster of Finksburg, helping to deliver mail. In 1866, Baseball was very popular, and the local team was called the "Star" of Finksburg. The Alpha Farmers' Club of Carroll County was started in 1873. In 1881, the Finksburg Literary Society organized talks and meetings on Friday nights at the Mechanics' Hall. It only cost 5 cents to get in! By 1888, L. A. J. Lamotte ran a business that was canning corn.
In 1935, Sandymount Elementary School began in a three-room stone building. It brought together students from several smaller one-room schools in the area. More recently, in 2002, the independent K-12 school Gerstell Academy opened its doors.
Historic Buildings
Two important historic buildings in Finksburg are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. These are Cold Saturday, which was listed in 2008, and the Taylor-Manning-Leppo House, listed in 2009.
