Every so often I would drive by what would look like this abandoned farm on a winding road outside of Sykesville town limits and wonder what the history was.
It was located between a state prison, a well-hidden state police road training course and a state psychiatric hospital campus. Turns out it used to be a dairy farm for the hospital and was once used by University of Maryland’s Agriculture programs.
But one day I noticed activity. So after a few phone calls, I find out about this unique program that’s coming to Sykesville involving inmates working with abused horses.
This and another series I would later cover involving the hospital, opened me up to how much state government has influence on a small town and its neighboring unincorporated dense suburbia in Carroll County.
Look around your area. What does your state government own and control, and how does it affect your community?
