Granite

There's no false modesty from Leslie Lewart when it comes to her dream home. "It's enchanted!" she exclaimed, standing on the rear balcony of her restored mill cottage in Oella. Oella was founded in 1808 in Baltimore County, across the Patapsco River from Howard County's historic Ellicott City. Smatterings of hillside houses built of granite along with two-story brick rowhouses were built for the workers and their families of the old Union Manufacturing Co. mill, which was later replaced by the William Dickey & Sons textile mill.

Carroll Christian, burned by a 31-point show from Granite Baptist senior Alana Stubbs last month, made sure it did not happen again.The Patriots (8-3), with an effective double-team on Stubbs, ran off 13 successive points in less than three minutes midway of the first half, and went on to beat the visiting Braves (4-6) last night, 47-29.Carroll Christian, using a box-and-one on Stubbs, had lost the earlier meeting in Glen Burnie, 50-44.Aside from the Patriots' brief scoring flurry, the rustiness of both teams was obvious.

HEAD WEST ON Liberty Road from the city, hang a left on Old Court Road and follow it for several miles and you'll come to the bucolic western Baltimore County community of Granite.A couple of miles past the intersection of Old Court and Dogwood roads you'll find Granite Presbyterian Church. That's where Granite residents gathered a week and two days ago to discuss how they would persuade the guy who wants to build, in their words, a "mega-church" in their community to take his proposed edifice elsewhere.

After four years of searching in Baltimore County for a place to build a new church, the congregation of Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church thought it had found its promised land -- a 256-acre tract at Dogwood and Old Court roads in Granite.But after meeting with community members last night to present their plans, it was clear the West Baltimore church would need more than trumpets to knock down the walls of opposition.More than 200 people came to the meeting at Woodlawn High School to hear Bethel's proposal, but it was apparent that many had made up their minds to oppose the 3,000-seat church they fear would overwhelm their rural Patapsco Valley neighborhood.

A group of Buddhists from the Southeast Asian nation of Myanmar, formerly Burma, is looking to become the latest religious organization to build a worship center in the rural Baltimore County community of Granite -- and is getting a warmer reception than a megachurch proposed for the area.The Myanmar Buddhist Meditation Society, which meets in a house at 9711 Old Court Road next to the site of a proposed Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church sanctuary, is asking county approval to construct a prayer building and parking lot on its 7-acre parcel.

A few of the five farmhouses along a dusty, unnamed lane off Old Court Road just east of Granite date back to 1899, and yesterday -- as American flags whipped proudly in the hot breeze -- neighbors prepared for front-porch lemonade socials.While some visitors to the area in rural Baltimore County were welcomed with smiles and nods, 800 visitors from Baltimore's Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church were greeted with cameras and video recorders.Bethel AME members plan to build a "mega-church" -- with a 3,000-seat sanctuary and a parking lot for some 1,500 cars -- on 256 acres the church purchased at the end of the lane.

Baltimore police officers who gave their lives while patrolling city streets are remembered with a granite, arc-shaped wall dedicated two decades ago in Shot Tower Park, where the Jones Falls Expressway empties into downtown.But the memorial is hidden and faces away from the road. Efforts are under way to build a new memorial that could not be missed -- tall Doric pillars and a shaded promenade for public gatherings -- at the same site.Widows of officers and many volunteers will take to the streets this weekend to kick off a campaign to raise up to $2 million.

In older cities like London and New York, it's not unusual for a building with a lengthy history and unlikely provenance to morph into a hotel. A recent transformation is in Boston, where the Harborside Inn opened late last year.As befits its location 300 yards from Boston Harbor, the eight-story granite-walled building started life in 1858 as a warehouse across the street from the Custom House at McKinley Square. More recently, it housed a spice, candy and syrup company. In fact, when the previous occupants moved out a decade ago, they left a tank brimming with 2,000 gallons of molasses.

As church services started yesterday morning, thousands of faithful flocked to the string of six churches along Old Court Road near Randallstown, clogging the narrow, two-lane country road in places and creating an unholy feeling of gridlock.It was a normal traffic flow on the Lord's Day for the Baptists, Jehovah's Witnesses, Christian Scientists, Presbyterians and Roman Catholics who worship in the small Liberty Manor and Granite neighborhoods.Many shuddered trying to imagine what would happen to traffic if the 11,000-member Bethel AME Church were to move to Granite -- an action being explored by the influential West Baltimore church.

In an age of mega-churches, the 147-member congregation of Granite Presbyterian Church is seeking ways to invest in its community -- and its future -- with plans for day care, before- and after-school programs and other services.On Wednesday, members of the historic congregation in southwest Baltimore County will begin that process with a meeting to discuss the church's future, including the feasibility of a more modern facility on the church site on Old Court Road.While many questions remain to be answered about the project, the Rev. Margaret Ferguson, pastor for four years, is optimistic about winning the congregation's support.

Fins on the Square takes over the old Rick's Cafe Americain space on Canton Square from Granite Bar and Grille, which tried to make it with a (tired) industrial theme, a concept that lasted less than two years. Fins, under the same ownership, is going with a beach club theme - it looks like a Jimmy Buffett concert exploded in there. It's just as random, but seems like a much better fit for the neighborhood. There was a lively happy-hour crowd at the bar when we visited on a weeknight, and Fins was feeling less like a fourth-choice-on-the-square place than Granite ever did. The airy interior space is evenly divided between the entrance-side bar and the dining room, and on a recent late-summer evening, the large front windows on both sides were open to the breeze.

Once the place where food was prepared but not served, the kitchen now is not only the busiest room in the home, but where guests gather. "People are really living in their kitchens now," said Lena Palmer, a kitchen designer with Cox Kitchens & Baths in Baltimore. That means the countertops come in for extra scrutiny and greater use. Their appearance, durability, ease of cleaning and maintenance are always on display. The more expensive countertops - granite being the most popular - can increase a home's value.

On June 2, 2008, Bill Price, Visitation for family and friends will be held on Saturday, June 7th, in Granite Baptist Church, 7823 Oakwood Road, Glen Burnie, from 3:30 - 5:30 P.M. followed by the funeral service at 5:30 P.M. Interment Private.

Once called Waltersville, this small residential village in western Baltimore County became so well known for the stone it quarried, its name eventually changed to Granite. The village of Granite is well preserved, with many houses and structures reminiscent of how the village looked during its quarrying heyday in the late 19th and early 20th century. In 1994, it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Although Granite's quarries are no longer operational, the stone can be found in area houses, as well as in a number of impressive buildings, including the Library of Congress and the inner walls of the Washington Monument.

There's no false modesty from Leslie Lewart when it comes to her dream home. "It's enchanted!" she exclaimed, standing on the rear balcony of her restored mill cottage in Oella. Oella was founded in 1808 in Baltimore County, across the Patapsco River from Howard County's historic Ellicott City. Smatterings of hillside houses built of granite along with two-story brick rowhouses were built for the workers and their families of the old Union Manufacturing Co. mill, which was later replaced by the William Dickey & Sons textile mill.

On November 30, 2007 KATHLEEN C. KLEIN (nee Antkowiak); devoted daughter of the late John and Alma Antkowiak, loving sister of A. Diane Martin and her husband Robert Lee, loving aunt of Sean Martin and his wife Rosie. Also survived by 2 great nephews. A memorial service will be held on Saturday, December 8, 2007, at 11:00am in Granite Presbyterian Church, 10637 Old Court Road, Granite, MD 21163. Interment Private. In lieu of flowers donations may be sent to Granite Presbyterian Church Music Fund.

I think a tile backsplash would be a great way to make my bathroom look better. Do you have to buy special backsplash tile? I'm open to any backsplash tile ideas, including a glass tile backsplash. If you were installing a ceramic tile backsplash, how would you do it, and what pitfalls would you avoid? Do I need any specific tools or skills to complete this job? Tile backsplashes in bathrooms or kitchens are a great idea. I like them for all sorts of reasons. First, they are almost entirely waterproof.

Howard Eugene Hamilton Sr., a retired Nationwide Insurance Co. agent and avid collector of vintage automobiles and railroad memorabilia, died of lung cancer Friday at his Granite home. He was 72. Mr. Hamilton, who was born in Granite and spent his entire life there, was a 1952 graduate of Milford Mill High School. He worked as a plumber and served in the National Guard before establishing the Hamilton Insurance Agency in Rockdale in 1955. He retired in 1998. Mr. Hamilton enjoyed collecting and restoring classic automobiles.

When a reader complains about the stars I've assigned to a restaurant, I always say it's an imperfect system at best. And please read the whole review to see what I really think. How, for instance, would you rate the service we had at the Granite Bar & Grille, an appealing place that recently opened in the spot where Rick's Cafe Americain used to be? First of all, the staff could not be nicer. When we asked if we could sit at a table that a waitress said was reserved for someone else, the manager made it happen.

On Thursday, April 28, 2006, WALLACE HERBERT FORD, SR. (herb); of Granite, MD; beloved husband of Dorot Hy Ford (nee Higgs) loving son of Leah E. Ford; devoted father of Wallace H. Ford, Jr., Gail and husband Ken Buck; loving grandfather of Brendon and Brittany Buck. Friends may call Sunday, 3 to 5 and 7 to 9 P.M. at BURRIER-QUEEN FUNERAL HOME AND CREMATORY, 1212 W. Old Liberty Road, Winfield, MD. 21784. A Memorial service will take place Monday, May 1, 2006, 2 P.M. at Granite Presbyterian Church, 10637 Old Court Road, Woodstock, MD 21163.