Early Severna Park Flourished Thanks To Innovators And Businessmen
- Dan Giles
- Jun 9
- 3 min read
Early Severna Park Flourished Thanks To Innovators And Businessmen
Posted Friday, September 6, 2013 8:51 am
Dan Giles
No account of Severna Park during the 20th century would be complete without noting two community figures known for their success in business and innovation.
From the turn of the 1900s through the 1960s, one of the most popular brands of ice cream in Maryland was undoubtedly Hendler’s - “the Velvet Kind.” The key proprietor, Lionel “Mannie” Hendler, got his start in the late 19th century, when he formulated his own ice cream from the leftover milk that he couldn’t sell from his father’s Baltimore-based dairy; by the time he was 26, he owned and operated a large factory plant at 1100 East Baltimore Street.
The story of Hendler’s rise to success crossed paths with Severna Park when, in 1928, he made a deal with Oscar Hatton, one of the community’s founders, that he would construct a clubhouse for the local nine-hole golf course. He would also use the land around that clubhouse to create another nine holes for the golf course, on the one condition that he could use the clubhouse anytime to throw large galas to entertain his Baltimore business associates. This was at least partially motivated by the fact that, despite his success, he wasn’t allowed to join any of the golf clubs in Baltimore because he was Jewish.
Hendler’s guests would travel via the Baltimore-Annapolis railway down to Boone Station and then make the trek down an unpaved country road to Hendler’s estate. An account from one such guest describes swing dancing to a live orchestra and being treated to beer, sandwiches, coffee, corn, roast beef, pork and of course Hendler’s ice cream.
After Hendler’s death in 1965, his clubhouse, once the site of such lively galas, sat empty for just more than 40 years until it was bought and fully renovated by its current owners, Scott and Donna Jay.
Hendler was a true innovator because he marketed his product specifically to pharmacists, knowing that customers would eat ice cream while waiting to get their prescriptions filled. As such, locals would often purchase Hendler’s Ice Cream while waiting to pick up a prescription or cash a check at Dawson’s General Store (also known as Dawson’s Variety Store), just a stone’s throw away from Severna Park’s old rail station.
Dawson's General Store, circa 1963, was a local hotspot where many residents convened. In 1944, when the store first opened, it was originally located in the building where the Severna Park Antique Marketplace currently resides, but it moved to the pictured location in the 1950s.
Clif Dawson, who opened the store in 1944, was a key proprietor in a young Severna Park. Upon entering his store, one would be greeted by either Clif, his brother Tom or Skip Carr. For those who lived in town, they knew your name; if they didn’t know your name, you clearly didn’t live in town, and Skip Carr, a zealous real estate agent, would most likely attempt to sell you a house here.
At the store, one could patronize the soda fountain or purchase nearly any staple item – candy, cards, the newspaper, cigarettes, you name it. Around back, Dawson also operated a Country Store & Spirits Shoppe, which served food and drinks.
Catastrophe struck in October 1957 when Dawson’s Variety Store burned down. However, the very next morning, the local newspaper ran a letter from Clif Dawson himself that started off, “Dear Neighbor, as you doubtless know, our store was destroyed by fire yesterday and we are sorry that this disaster to us has caused inconvenience to you.”
Through the rest of the punctual letter, Clif Dawson explained that, the previous night, he had purchased the Severna Park Hardware Store (which the owner already wished to sell) and thus Dawson’s would be open again for business that very morning. Their only further problem was that they would have to sell all the hardware supplies to make room for general store goods, so Dawson kindly offered to sell all hardware items at 33 percent off.
The letter ended, “The same gang will be here to greet you, and we’ll be smiling. Cordially, Clif Dawson.”
In 1984, Dawson passed away and his children thereafter rented out the space to new owners, so it came to pass that Dawson’s Liquors stands in place of it today and Adam’s Ribs operates where Dawson’s Country Store used to be.
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