Editing Havre de Grace, Maryland (section)

=== 20th century ===
[[File:Havre de Grace 1907.jpg|thumb|upright=1|Aerial view of Havre de Grace, 1907]]
Many patents followed the opening of the S. J. Seneca Cannery. 1901 The Baling-press.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://patents.google.com/patent/US681356?oq=havre+de+grace|title=Patent US681356 - Baling-press.|work=google.com}}</ref> 1905 The Cooker<ref>{{cite web|url=https://patents.google.com/patent/US787688?oq=havre+de+grace|title=Patent US787688 - Cooker.|work=google.com}}</ref> 1905 The Tomato-scalder.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://patents.google.com/patent/US787484?oq=havre+de+grace|title=Patent US787484 - Tomato-scalder.|work=google.com}}</ref> 1917 Improved Tomato-scalder.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://patents.google.com/patent/US1248214?oq=havre+de+grace|title=Patent US1248214 - Tomato-scalder.|work=google.com}}</ref> 1917 The Can-opener.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://patents.google.com/patent/US1226628?oq=havre+de+grace|title=Patent US1226628 - Can-opener.|work=google.com}}</ref> 1918 The Machine for peeling tomatoes.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://patents.google.com/patent/US1252322?oq=havre+de+grace|title=Patent US1252322 - Machine for peeling tomatoes.|work=google.com}}</ref>

Havre de Grace was known as "The Graw" from 1912 through the 1950s. It prospered as a stop for north–south travelers. These included gangsters and gamblers ''en route'' to [[New York City]] from the South following the "pony routes". The [[Havre de Grace Racetrack]] operated from 1912 to 1950. Chicago gangster [[Al Capone]] was reported to have stayed at the former "Chesapeake Hotel" (now known as "Backfin Blues; Creole de Graw"). At the end of the 1950s, the state removed the horse track. Its race and betting rights were bought by the larger [[Pimlico Race Course]] in Baltimore.

In 1949, the city denied a license to use a city park and arrested a [[Jehovah's Witnesses]] preacher. The resulting case reached the US [[Supreme Court of the United States|Supreme Court]]; in ''[[Niemotko v. Maryland]]'' (1951), the court ruled that Jehovah's Witnesses were protected by constitutional rights to the free exercise of religion, and the city should have granted them the permit to speak in the park.

A few tenant farmhouses remain from the large Mitchel [[plantations in the American South|plantation]] that overlooked the city. In the 1980s, Havre de Grace began to undergo extensive redevelopment as people were attracted to its unique character. Historic properties were renovated and sometimes adapted for new uses. In addition, former farmland was redeveloped for construction of new houses and, later, townhouse communities. It became a destination for people with "second homes" for vacations on the bay and retirees. Historic lands and older forests are being cleared, and expensive houses are now extending and growing along Chapel Road northwest toward Webster Village.{{citation needed|date=December 2010}} Since the late 20th century, the city has benefited through development of new properties, antique stores, and other retail venues.

Per capita income doubled in the city from 1990 to 2000, with the arrival of wealthier residents to the newer suburban projects around and in the city. Some commute to jobs elsewhere; others are retirees. New suburban developments since the 1990s brought thousands of middle-to-upper-class residents to the town. Many working-class citizens who used to live in the city have been displaced by rising property values and gentrification.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.havredegracemd.com/pdf/comprehensive-plan-chapter-3-the-plan.pdf |title= |website=www.havredegracemd.com |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111201081528/http://www.havredegracemd.com/pdf/comprehensive-plan-chapter-3-the-plan.pdf |archive-date=December 1, 2011}}</ref>