What's in a Name?  Hammond

The Hammond Name

The Hammond schools and Hammond Park was named for the development Hammond Village, which in turn was named for Hammond Branch, the stream that runs through the Hammond Park area and the Hammond Middle and Elementary Schools.1

So who was Hammond Branch named after?  It appears it was named after the settler Major General John Hammond.  The mouth of Hammond Branch was in a 1684 land patent called Rich Neck 2 which was owned by Maj. Gen. John Hammond. In 1694, Richard Warfield's "Warfield's Range" patent 3 had Hammond's Branch as a northern boundary of his land and is the first known reference to the stream. It was called Hammond's Great Branch at the time.   Venison Park, patented by John Warfield in 1702, has much of Hammond's Branch in his land and still refers to it as Hammond's Branch.  It seems that since John Hammond owned the mouth of the river in his lifetime his upstream neighbors referred to it as Hammond's Branch.

Major General John Hammond had a son Charles, who had a son Phillip, who had a son Rezin.  Rezin Hammond, the owner of Burleigh Manor (although Rezin never called it that), was the great-grandson of John Hammond.4

Naming of the Hammond Elementary and Middle Schools

The quite lengthy HoCo School Board minutes of January 5, 1965 state “I have investigated the possibility of providing sewerage facilities to serve a proposed Elementary School on the Leishear Property, which I understand is contemplated for construction within four (4) to six (6) years from this date. Most of my investigation as to the sewage facilities was through correspondence and discussion with Whitman, Requardt and Associates, Consulting Engineers to the Howard County Metropolitan Commission. As you may be aware, the proposed site is in the Hammond Branch drainage area, which is a tributary to the Little Patuxent River, having its confluence with this river at the County Line south of Savage.” 5

There was much discussion of having a sewerage line for that area before the schools could be built.  On January 11, 1968 (p. 245) the HoCo School Board adopted the construction of the Hammond Village Elementary School and Hammond Village Middle School in their list of projects for 1970.6

At the Sept. 10, 1969 school board meeting the naming of the schools was discussed:

“The Secretary advised the Board that the committee for naming schools had presented three names for the elementary/middle school complex to be located in Hammond Village, and that he had selected from that list the Hammond Village Elementary/Middle School to recommend to the Board. Members of the Board expressed dissatisfaction with this name, indicating that they wished the two schools to be designated separately. The Secretary was requested to make a new recommendation at the next meeting of the Board.” 7

At the board meeting the next month the names were brought up again:

“The Secretary recommended that the following be used to designate the joint facilities to be located in the Hammond Village area:

• Aladdin Elementary School (for: the elementary facility in the joint complex)

• Hammond Middle School (for the middle school facility in the joint complex)

A motion to approve the foregoing failed to pass, and the matter was referred back to committee for further study and recommendation.” 8

Finally, at the Board meeting on November 4th, 1969,”(p 60)

“The Secretary recommended that the elementary/middle school complex to be located in the Hammond Village area be named the Hammond Middle School and the Gorman Elementary School. After some discussion the Board stated its desire to have the two schools named the Hammond Middle School and the Hammond Elementary School.” 9

It appears that the new schools opened on January 4th, 1972 10 and the Board meeting minutes from 1-4-1972 stated that the schools will be “100% complete on December 31, 1971” 11

Regarding the naming of Hammond High School, at the May 14, 1974 Board meeting it’s name was confirmed:

“Dr. Goedeke reminded the Board that Hammond High School was the name approved by the Board on October 10, 1972 for a high school which, at the time, was to be located more closely to the Hammond Village area. Since that approval the location of the school has been moved somewhat to the north. However, staff felt, and he concurred, that the name Hammond High School is still most appropriate and that name will continue to be used. The Board approved this recommendation.” 12

 Sources

1 Howard County Times July 2, 1980, p. 19-21

2 Rich Neck Land Certificate-Patent by John Hammond. 1684. Maryland State Archives. Patent Records 1682-1688, 22, transcript of SD A and SD B. SR 7363. Folio/Page 183. March 20th, 1684. 284 acres. http://msa.maryland.gov/megafile/msa/stagsere/se1/se23/000000/000025/pdf/mdsa_se23_25.pdf

3 Warfields Range Land Patent and Certificate by Richard Warfield. 1694. Maryland State Archives Patent Record 1695-1696, C3, I, transcript ST 7377. Liber C#3, Folio 354. December 10, 1694. 1,080 acres. http://msa.maryland.gov/megafile/msa/stagsere/se1/se23/000000/000039/pdf/mdsa_se23_39.pdf

4 Colonial Mansions of Maryland and Delaware. 1914. John Martin Hammond. Philadelphia and London. P. 105

5 Howard County School Board Meeting Minutes. January 5, 1965. Pages 21 and 22. https://go.boarddocs.com/mabe/hcpssmd/Board.nsf/files/867JUS4EEAD8/$file/01+05+1965+to+12+13+1965.pdf

6  Howard County School Board Meeting Minutes.  January 11, 1968. p. 245  https://go.boarddocs.com/mabe/hcpssmd/Board.nsf/files/867JMZ4DEC77/$file/01+09+1968+to+12+03+1968.pdf 

7 Howard County School Board Meeting Minutes. September 10, 1969. https://go.boarddocs.com/mabe/hcpssmd/Board.nsf/files/867JJH4D68EF/$file/01+07+1969+to+12+02+1969.pdf 

8 Howard County School Board Meeting Minutes. October 7, 1969. https://go.boarddocs.com/mabe/hcpssmd/Board.nsf/files/867JJH4D68EF/$file/01+07+1969+to+12+02+1969.pdf 

9 Howard County School Board Meeting Minutes. November 4th, 1969. p. 60. https://go.boarddocs.com/mabe/hcpssmd/Board.nsf/files/867JJH4D68EF/$file/01+07+1969+to+12+02+1969.pdf 

10 Howard County School Board Meeting Minutes. July 11, 1972 index, p. 255-257. https://go.boarddocs.com/mabe/hcpssmd/Board.nsf/files/867JB54C54F3/$file/01+04+1972+to+12+12+1972.pdf  

11 Howard County School Board Meeting Minutes. January 4, 1972. p. 109. https://go.boarddocs.com/mabe/hcpssmd/Board.nsf/files/867JB54C54F3/$file/01+04+1972+to+12+12+1972.pdf 

12 Howard County School Board Meeting Minutes. May 14, 1974. https://go.boarddocs.com/mabe/hcpssmd/Board.nsf/files/867HYM4ACA29/$file/01+08+1974+to+12+16+1974.pdf