Druid Hill Park - History

History

The land was originally part of "Auchentorlie", the estate of George Buchanan, one of the seven commissioners responsible for the establishment of Baltimore City; Buchanan's country estate included 579 of the 745 acres (3.01 km2) that comprise Druid Hill Park today. Renamed "Druid Hill" by Nicholas Rogers, who married Eleanor Buchanan, it was purchased in 1860 by the city of Baltimore from Lloyd Rogers with the revenue derived from a one-cent park tax on the nickel horsecar fares. Druid Hill Park was inaugurated by Baltimore Mayor Thomas Swann on October 19, 1860. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Local residents often refer to the park as "Drudle" Park, a Baltimorese corruption of its given name.

The park was designed by Howard Daniels, Baltimore Park Commissioners' landscape designer, and John H. B. Latrobe, who designed the gateways to the park and the alterations made to the early-19th century Nicholas Rogers mansion that already stood in the site. George A. Frederick, the 21-year-old Baltimore architect who won the commission for Baltimore City Hall in 1860, provided designs for architectural features in the park. Among Frederick's playful structures for Druid Hill in Moorish and Chinese styles is the Chinese Station erected in 1864 and the Moorish Station, which were stops on a narrow-gauge railroad that once wound through the park. The "Mansion House" now functions as the main administration building of The Maryland Zoo.

The park served as an attractive hill for winter sledding during the 1940s, particularly for boys attending the Talmudical Academy of Baltimore.

Like Central Park, Druid Hill was at the northern edges of urban development at the time of its establishment. The northern end of the park, which contains some of the oldest forest growth in the state of Maryland, has never been landscaped, but rather left as a natural wooded habitat. Roadways through this section of the park have been closed to vehicular traffic since the late 1970s or early 1980s, but have always been open for hikers and bicyclists.

The southern end of the park was a popular destination for city dwellers for a number of decades. Druid Hill Lake, the park's most notable waterway, was constructed in 1863 and remains one of the largest earthen dammed lakes in the country. With the advent of automobiles, the park's many winding roadways became popular with car dealers who took potential buyers there to teach them to drive.

Many of the park's older fountains and man-made ponds have been drained, allowing nature to reclaim those areas. However, many of their structures remain partially or completely intact.

Druid Hill Park was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on May 22, 1973. The park is included in the Baltimore National Heritage Area.