Harper's Choice is one of the ten villages that comprise Columbia,

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. It lies in the northwest part of Columbia and consists of the neighborhoods of Longfellow, Swansfield, and Hobbit's Glen and had a December 1998 population of 8,695.

Etymology

Harper's Choice is named after

Robert Goodloe Harper Robert Goodloe Harper (January 1765January 14, 1825) was an American soldier and politician. He was a member of the United States Senate from Maryland, serving from January 1816 until his resignation in December of the same year. He also served ...

, a

South Carolina South Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders North Carolina to the north and northeast, the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast, and Georgia (U.S. state), Georg ...

representative who relocated to

Baltimore Baltimore is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the 30th-most populous U.S. city. The Baltimore metropolitan area is the 20th-large ...

to practice law. He was part of the Federalist mobs that stabbed, tarred and feathered British loyalists in Baltimore in June 1812. Harper later served in the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 was fought by the United States and its allies against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom and its allies in North America. It began when the United States United States declaration of war on the Uni ...

, Maryland State Senate, and United States Senate. He lived on his Oakland estate in the Roland Park area, where he was buried, although his grave was later moved to Baltimore's

Greenmount Cemetery Green Mount Cemetery is a historic rural cemetery in Baltimore, Maryland, United States. Established on March 15, 1838, and dedicated on July 13, 1839, it is noted for the large number of historical figures interred in its grounds as well as m ...

. The Longfellow community was named for the American poet,

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (February 27, 1807 – March 24, 1882) was an American poet and educator. His original works include the poems " Paul Revere's Ride", '' The Song of Hiawatha'', and '' Evangeline''. He was the first American to comp ...

and the street names are taken from his works. Hobbit's Glen was taken from the works of English author

J. R. R. Tolkien John Ronald Reuel Tolkien (, 3 January 1892 – 2 September 1973) was an English writer and philologist. He was the author of the high fantasy works ''The Hobbit'' and ''The Lord of the Rings''. From 1925 to 1945, Tolkien was the Rawlinson ...

, along with the street names. Swansfield's name was inspired by the etching ''The Swan'' by

James McNeill Whistler James Abbott McNeill Whistler (; July 10, 1834July 17, 1903) was an American painter in oils and watercolor, and printmaker, active during the American Gilded Age and based primarily in the United Kingdom. He eschewed sentimentality and moral a ...

, and the street names derive from the works of

Winslow Homer Winslow Homer (February 24, 1836 – September 29, 1910) was an American landscape painter and illustrator, best known for his marine subjects. He is considered one of the foremost painters of 19th-century America and a preeminent figure in ...

History

The majority of Harper's Choice is built on the original Carroll slave plantation tract

Doughoregan Manor Doughoregan Manor () is a plantation house and estate located on Manor Lane west of Ellicott City, Maryland, United States. Established in the early 18th century as the seat of Maryland's prominent Carroll family, it was home to Founding Fathe ...

. The Harper family farm "Jericho" was built on a portion of the estate, and sold by the Harper family between 1962 and 1964 to the

Rouse Company The Rouse Company was a publicly traded shopping mall and community developer from 1956 until 2004, when General Growth Properties (GGP) purchased the company. It was founded by Hunter Moss and James W. Rouse in 1939. Beginnings: Moss-Rouse Com ...

before the announcement of the Columbia project. Clarence Bassler sold 63 acres of his farm in 1963, with George Bassler selling 140 the next year, retaining land for the Harper's Choice Village Center. Home sites were sold by Howard Research and Development (Rouse) to larger homebuilders.

Levitt & Sons Levitt & Sons was a real estate development company founded by Abraham Levitt and later managed by his son William Levitt. The company built the town of Levittown, New York. The company's designs and building practices transformed the home building ...

, known for building

Levittown, New York Levittown is a Hamlet (New York), hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) in the Hempstead (town), New York, Town of Hempstead in Nassau County, New York, Nassau County, on Long Island, in New York (state), New York. It is a suburb of New York C ...

, bought land for over 600 units but halted construction in 1970 at 151 homes due to code violations. In August 1971, Harper's Choice Village Center opened with housing above shops. In 1978, the village suffered from a string of arson attacks, including 26 in a two-day period from a local resident. By the 1990s, the village center shops were in decline with little investment from the Rouse Company. In 2004,

MS-13 Mara Salvatrucha, commonly known as MS-13, is an international criminal gang that originated in Los Angeles, California, in the 1980s. Originally, the gang was set up to protect Salvadoran immigrants from other gangs in the Los Angeles area ...

gang activity was reported in the neighborhood. In 2007, a study determined that the

Middle Patuxent Environmental Area The Middle Patuxent Environmental Area (MPEA) is a wildlife area in Clarksville, Maryland and operated by the Howard County Department of Recreation and Parks. It is located next to the River Hill, Columbia, Maryland, River Hill village in the ...

of the Patuxent River was "fair to poor biological conditions and only partial support of habitat conditions" from runoff related to development in the Hobbit's Glen area. The Middle Patuxent Environmental Foundation was formed to study the issue in 2015 with a $38,000 Watershed Assistance Grant Program.

Services

The Harper's Choice Village Center has a grocery store, banks, restaurants, and other retail establishments. The community center, Kahler Hall, was named in 1971 for the William C. Kahler family, who sold a portion of their farm in November 1962 followed later by the remaining 280 acres. The original name for the village center was "Joseph Square", named for John Joseph, chairperson of the first Harper's Choice Village Board. The Florence Bain Senior Center in the Swansfield neighborhood, opened in 1983 and was renovated in 2005. It is named for Florence Bain. She started the local AARP chapter and was the first chairperson of Howard County's Commission on Aging. Winter Growth/Ruth Keeton House, offering an assisted living program, is located next to the Senior Center. It is named for the former council member, Ruth U. Keeton.

Athletic facilities

The Athletic Club, one of Columbia's three athletic facilities, is located in Swansfield. An 18-hole par 72 golf course is located in Hobbit's Glen, which also includes tennis courts and a pool. Originally named "Jericho", the Harper family requested Rouse not to use the name of their family farm. The Columbia SportsPark, an 18-hole miniature golf course, batting cages, and skate park is located in the Harper's Choice village center. An extensive walking/biking trail connects the neighborhoods."Trail Map"
, harperschoice.columbiavillages.org, accessed May 29, 2009

References

External links

Official site

Village Center
{{coord, 39, 13, 21, N, 76, 53, 18, W, display=title, type:city_region:MD-US Columbia, Maryland Populated places in Howard County, Maryland Villages in Howard County, Maryland