Editing Baltimore County, Maryland (section)

===20th century===
A new [[Baltimore County Courthouse]] was authorized to be built facing Washington Avenue, between Chesapeake and Pennsylvania Avenues to replace the previous courthouse and governmental offices then centered for near 85 years in the city, which had been the official "county seat" since just before the [[American Revolution]]. Later surrounded by manicured flower gardens, shrubs and curved walkways, the historical landmark is built of local [[limestone]] and [[marble]]. It was completed and dedicated in 1855. Wings and annexes were added in 1910, 1923 and 1958. By the 1970s, the county's legal system and governmental offices had grown so much that a separate modernistic "County Courts Building" was erected to the west behind the old Courthouse with its annexes, separated by a paved plaza which is used for employee/visitors relaxations and official ceremonies.

A constitutional amendment to the 1867 Maryland Constitution was approved by referendum in 1948, prohibiting any future annexations without approval from residents in affected territories.

Extensive city-county hostilities came during the Civil Rights Movement, and by the 1980s the county's older [[inner suburbs]] faced increasing urban social ills. An atmosphere of cooperation emerged with the drawing of cross-border state assembly districts, organizing of regional government agencies, and increasing state assumption of powers.

The county has a number of properties and sites of local, state and national historical interest on the [[National Register of Historic Places listings in Baltimore County, Maryland|National Register of Historic Places]] which is maintained by the [[National Park Service]] of the [[United States Department of the Interior|U.S. Department of the Interior]] by the "Historic Sites Act" of August 1935.

In 1985, the [[Baltimore City Circuit Courthouses|Clarence M. Mitchell Jr. City Circuit Courthouse]] was named in honor of Baltimorean and [[Civil Rights Movement]] leader [[Clarence M. Mitchell Jr.]].<ref name="BCHS">[[Historical marker]], Towson Courthouse, Baltimore County Historical Society.</ref>