Owings Mills

Baltimore County, Maryland

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Owings Mills is an unincorporated, census‑designated place. The area zip code is 21117 and is sometimes referred to as Garrison.

Neighborhoods

The name of the community derives from the Owings family mill operations. Samuel Owings Junior, born in 1733. In 1765 he married Deborah Lynch and afterward built a Georgian style house known as Ulm. Owings served as a colonel in the Revolutionary War. He also served as a county commissioner, vestryman and was a member of the General Assembly. Owings built 3 or 4 mills and purchased a 5th. A mention of the name "Owings Mills" appears as early as 1781 in tax records. Owings died in 1803 and ownership of the mills passed to his son, William Owings. [1]

Owings Mills is a suburban community of more than 30,000 (2010 census) and scores of residential subdivisions. It is considered a bedroom community; many residents who commute to the City of Baltimore (approximately 20 miles). Some more-tolerant residents also make the trek to work in Washington, DC (approximately 50 miles). Garrison/Owings Mills is bisected by Interstate 795.

1. John W. McGrain, Vice President, Baltimore County Historical Society, Owings Upper Mill (Eureka Mill; Goffs Mill), Baltimore County, Maryland, nomination document, 1976, National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places, Washington, D.C.

Nearby Towns: Pikesville • Randallstown •