In 1940, Ken Bourn Sr. went house-hunting for a new home for his family in Essex, Maryland while his wife and two children stayed at the home of Marshall and Frances Grason in Carlisle, Pennsylvania . Marshall Grason had been a former employee of Ken Bourn, Sr. at the Federal Equipment Company.

The Bourn family soon moved into their new home at 16 Ridgemoor Road in Essex in 1940. Ken Bourn, Sr. began work as an inspector for Glenn L. Martin, while Frances took it upon herself to establish a public library in Essex in 1941 – thus founding what later became the Essex Branch of the Baltimore County Public Library.

With the guidance of his older brother Bob, Ken soon established a network of friends in Essex. These included a group of local boys called the Eastern Terrace Gang and a football team called the Eastern Terrace Terrors. Also with his brother, Ken joined Boy Scout Troupe 308, which met at Orems United Methodist Church in near-by Middle River.

In 1944, Ken was diagnosed with polio. Initially confined to a ward in a Baltimore children’s hospital, he was later released with the expectation that he would use a wheelchair for the rest of his life. At home, Ken did physical therapy and was visited by friends who stood outside his bedroom window.  After approximately six months, Ken was able to walk again.

Ken spent twenty years of his life at 16 Ridgemoor Road, from 1940 until he married in 1960. His only time away were his years attending Washington College, 1951-1955.