History

Cypress Creek History

The Cypress Improvement Association communities are located in Severna Park, MD off of Cypress Creek Rd. The communities are a diverse collection of new and older homes.

On October 18, 1906 William T. Hayes and Barbara Hayes (wife) conveyed to the Severn Realty Co "Rockhold's Addition" that consisted of 122 acres plus a parcel reserved for burial grounds. This burial ground still exists at the corner of Cypress Creek Rd. and Dill Road where there are still several headstones marking the graves of members of the Thomas H. Brown family who owned the tract prior to William Hayes. William T. Hayes obtained the tract in 1896 from Thomas H. Brown who had established the burial grounds by deed.

The Severn Realty Co. immediately subdivided the tract into 13 sections. Section one, which included "Rices's Wharf" (our "Community Pier"), was the only section at this time to be divided into lots. The lots rapidly sold and many deeds had been recorded by 1907. As the community expanded a community association was established, bylaws were created and it was named the "Cypress Improvement Association.” The Articles of Incorporation were filed on March 20, 1926.

Expansion then slowed a bit and by the onset of the depression there was very little development until the 1950's and 1960's. At this time many in-fill lots and private building took place. In the 1970's water and sewer lines were extended into the area. These facilities brought with them developments such as Longmeadow North, Cypress Gardens, Lochwood, and Ross Landing. In the 1980's a moratorium was placed on sewer hookups which again halted development. When the moratorium was lifted in the 1990's the communities of Dunkeld Manor and Trinity Farms were built. Cypress Point and Cypress Glen were the last communities to be added to the Cypress Improvement Association.

MAP POINTS:

A - Keefe's Store - In 1911 Jeremiah Keefe and his wife purchased property on Creek Rd. from Frank McCrea and built a house and a smaller building that was operated as a store. Canned meats, soda, ice cream, bread, beer, fishing bait, and gasoline were sold. They also had a pier where fishermen could arrive by boat. After Mr. Keefe passed away the family continued its operation until 1973 when the property was sold. It is currently know as 653A Creek Rd.

B- Captain Tom's Marina - This was originally operated by T. Reese and was later sold to Mr. Struble who changed the name to Struble's Marina. In 1988 the property was sold to Lewis and Wilma Heck and is still operated today as Struble's Marina.

C-Graveyard of the Brown Family - Located on the corner of the Cypress Creek Rd. and Dill Rd, this one-half acre parcel was dedicated to be a cemetery in a deed in the mid-1800's by Mr. Brown. A few headstones still mark some of the graves.

D-Jack Sipe Athletic Field - The athletic field located on the south side of Cypress Creek Road between Baltimore-Annapolis Boulevard Route 2 was named in honor of Jack Sipe by the County Council 1975. Mr. Sipe was president of the Cypress Improvement Association in the 1960's and dedicated much of his time to youth in the community.

E-Community Pier - Originally called Rice's Wharf and appears in many older deeds in the area. It was probably built by Mr. Rice in the mid-1800's (1850 to 1860) to provide a terminus for shipping local farm products and other supplies to near-by markets.

F-Lockwood Bog - Located on Dill Road the bog contains several endangered trees and plants, such as the Atlantic White Cedar tree and Box Huckleberry plant, which are under federal and state protection.

G-The Estate - The property on the corner of Cypress Creek Road and Creek Road was classified as an Estate during the 1920's and 1930's. It was owned by a retired opera singer; Mrs. Theis. During the 1930's when Ritchie Highway was being built, Mrs. Theis rented rooms to the construction workers and, on occasion, would sing for them. It is currently known as 651 Creek Rd.

H - Cypress Inn - The house at 248 Cypress Creek Road consisted of 10 rooms and was known in the 1930's as the "Cypress Inn." The owner also rented rooms to the State Highway officials during the construction of Ritchie Highway. In 1948 dog kennels were built and the name became the "Gay-Ross Kennels," where many champion Boxers and Pugs were produced.

I-St John's Church - In 1957 St. John the Evangelical Catholic Church purchased 12 acres of land along Ritchie Highway at Cypress Creek Road from Elizabeth Tecl. Till then the Tecl family tilled the land with horse and plow. They appeared quite unique; the women in skirts and large brimmed hats which were all black. When customers came to their farm Lizzie would take them out into the fields to pick fresh produce. After the sale of the farm property to the church, Lizzie remained there and sold vegetables and flowers out of a 1953 Chevy truck at the end of the driveway on Ritchie Highway. This continued through the 1970's.

Wolfe's Farm -During the 1930's the land where Cypress Glen is located was a large chicken farm operated by the Wolfe family. It was reported that everyone for miles around would come here to buy eggs. Mr. Wolfe would also get a lot of enjoyment from showing the children how to "candle" the eggs.

K- Trinity Farms - On this site was a private cemetery and a farm. In 1966 the remains were moved to another location next to the Barranco and Sons Funeral Home.

L-Dill Road - Brothers Edward O. Dill and Erman W. Dill owned property that ran from Cypress Creek Road south. In order to obtain better access to their homes.

N- The property at 657 Creek Road was purchased by Mr. Victor Krause from the Severn Realty Company in 1907. By way of wills, the property has passed through the family, and today the 3rd generation, Mr. Edward Krause and his wife Catherine, live at this location.

Carnival History:

In 1924, the community held a carnival on August 22nd and 23rd and included: Paddle Wheels, a Cake Table, a Candy Stand, a Fancy Table, Country Store Ice Cream, a Ham Stand, and Sodas. They also had a Punch and Judy puppet show and a dance floor with a 5-piece orchestra. Candies were from Martha Washington Co.; lumber was from J.F. Johnson Lumber Co.; electricity was provided by Annapolis & Chesapeake Bay Power; and J. Schmidt did the hauling. The first carnival netted a profit of $1,044.25, which was deposited into Citizens Savings Bank of Baltimore, Maryland, account #48901 on October 11, 1924. With the success of the first carnival the community decided to have another one on July 3rd and 4th of 1925. This event was very similar to the 1924 carnival; however, they did not make as a large a profit. The 1925 carnival only netted $433.49. During 1925 there were other disbursements. In April work was done on the wharf at a cost of $340.25, which was a major expense at the time. However, after the gain from the carnival and disbursements they still had $1,153.10 in the bank.