Churchville is an

unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a parcel of land that is not governed by a local general-purpose municipal corporation. (At p. 178.) They may be governed or serviced by an encompassing unit (such as a county) or another branch of the state (such as th ...

Harford County Harford County is a county located in the U.S. state of Maryland. As of the 2020 census, the population was 260,924. Its county seat is Bel Air. Harford County is included in the Washington-Baltimore-Arlington, DC-MD-VA-WV-PA Combined Stati ...

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It borders the states of Virginia to its south, West Virginia to its west, Pennsylvania to its north, and Delaware to its east ...

, United States, situated between the county seat, Bel Air, and

Aberdeen Aberdeen ( ; ; ) is a port city in North East Scotland, and is the List of towns and cities in Scotland by population, third most populous Cities of Scotland, Scottish city. Historically, Aberdeen was within the historic county of Aberdeensh ...

, where

Aberdeen Proving Ground Aberdeen Proving Ground (APG) is a U.S. Army facility located adjacent to Aberdeen, Harford County, Maryland, United States. More than 7,500 civilians and 5,000 military personnel work at APG. There are 11 major commands among the tenant units, ...

is located.

Population

The population of the area is 2,818.

History and Lower Cross Roads

Because it links Bel Air and Aberdeen (and indirectly, the only other incorporated town in Harford County, Havre de Grace), Churchville was once known in colonial times as Lower Cross Roads. The town has agricultural origins and is known for its many picturesque churches, particularly Churchville Presbyterian Church, at the center of town, Smith's Chapel United Methodist Church and Holy Trinity Episcopal Church. Churchville was once home to the Archers, a prominent family in Maryland and

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

history. Their home, Medical Hall, still stands in Churchville, and several of the Archer family are buried in the cemetery at Churchville Presbyterian Church. Churchville is home to the champion Little-leaf Linden of Maryland, which made its debut on the list of

American Forests American Forests is a 501(c)(3) non-profit conservation organization, established in 1875, and dedicated to protecting and restoring healthy forest ecosystems. The current headquarters are in Washington, D.C. Activities The mission of America ...

Champion Trees in 2018. It is the largest known tree of its species in the country. Best Endeavor, Church of the Holy Trinity, Churchville Presbyterian Church,

Finney Houses Historic District Finney Houses Historic District is a national historic district near Churchville, Harford County, Maryland, United States. It stretches along both sides of Glenville Road in central Harford County, Maryland. The district takes in four houses ...

Medical Hall Historic District Medical Hall Historic District is a historic home and national historic district near Churchville, Harford County, Maryland, United States. The home was constructed of stuccoed stone between 1825 and 1840 and is five bays long, two bays wide ...

, and Webster's Forest are listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

. The official motto, "We've got corn, we've got straw, welcome to Churchville, yee-haw!" has its origins tied to the town's rural agricultural past, although the exact manner and date of the phrase's creation remains contested by area historians. An abandoned

Crown A crown is a traditional form of head adornment, or hat, worn by monarchs as a symbol of their power and dignity. A crown is often, by extension, a symbol of the monarch's government or items endorsed by it. The word itself is used, parti ...

gas station, in central Churchville, was used for a scene in the Netflix original series

House Of Cards A house of cards (also known as a card tower or card castle) is a structure created by stacking playing cards on top of each other, often in the shape of a pyramid. "House of cards" is also an expression that dates back to 1645 meaning a struc ...

in 2016. After its usage by Netflix, the gas station was left abandoned, in which residents, who had signed a demolition petition, criticized the county for not utilizing the money generated from the production to remove the building. Crown has also been criticized for its lackluster effort to purify the soil below the station when the fuel tanks were removed after its closing.

Notable people

* John Archer, (1741–1810), born in Churchville, recipient of the first medical diploma issued in the United States and

United States Congressman The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Article One of the ...

from

* Stevenson Archer, (1786–1848), born in Churchville, John Archer's son, also a United States Congressman and Chief Justice of the

Maryland Court of Appeals The Supreme Court of Maryland (previously the Maryland Court of Appeals) is the highest court of the U.S. state of Maryland. The court, which is composed of one chief justice and six associate justices, meets in the Robert C. Murphy Courts of ...

* Stevenson Archer, (1827–1898), born in Churchville, son of Stephenson Archer and grandson of John Archer, also a United States Congressman

Schools and services

* Churchville Elementary School - 2935 Level Road, Churchville * Level Volunteer Fire Hall

References

{{authority control Unincorporated communities in Harford County, Maryland Unincorporated communities in Maryland