Patapsco Valley State Park is a

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...

state park extending along of the

Patapsco River The Patapsco River mainstem is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map , accessed April 1, 2011 river in central Maryland that flows into the Chesapeake Bay. The river's tidal port ...

south and west of the city of

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

. The park encompasses multiple developed areas on over acres of land, making it Maryland's largest state park. In 2006, it was officially celebrated as Maryland's first state park, its first formation being in 1906. Patapsco Valley State Park is managed by the

Maryland Department of Natural Resources The Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is a government agency in the state of Maryland charged with maintaining natural resources including state parks, public lands, state forests, state waterways, wildlife, and recreation areas. It ...

History

;20th century Formation of the park started with provisions in the Forestry Act of 1906. The completion of

Bloede's Dam Bloede's Dam was a hydroelectric dam on the Patapsco River in Maryland. It was the first known instance of a submerged hydroelectric plant, where the power plant was actually housed under the spillway. It is also recognized as one of the earliest ...

in 1906 required the implementation of protections to prevent silting from nearby farm erosion. Patapsco Valley State Park was established as Patapsco State Forest Reserve in 1907 to protect the valley's forest and water resources. The first 43 acres were donated by

Russell Sage Foundation The Russell Sage Foundation is an American non-profit organisation established by Margaret Olivia Sage in 1907 for “the improvement of social and living conditions in the United States.” It was named after her recently deceased husband, rail ...

director John Mark Glenn (1858-1950) from his Hilton estate. Glenn's Hilton became the namesake for the park's Hilton Area. In 1912, Maryland delegate Carville Benson promoted expanding the Patapsco Forest Reserve as a park to support his suburban development initiatives. As other sections along the river were added, Patapsco Valley State Park eventually became the largest park in Maryland. In 1933, the

Civilian Conservation Corps The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) was a voluntary government work relief program that ran from 1933 to 1942 in the United States for unemployed, unmarried men ages 18–25 and eventually expanded to ages 17–28. The CCC was a major part of ...

opened State Park Project 2 work camps 336 and 356 at the park. CCC workers created recreational facilities and performed tree plantings for erosion control and silt management around the dam from adjacent overworked farms. Keeping the shores and hillsides

vegetated Vegetation is an assemblage of plant species and the ground cover they provide. It is a general term, without specific reference to particular taxa, life forms, structure, spatial extent, or any other specific botanical or geographic character ...

minimized

erosion Erosion is the action of surface processes (such as water flow or wind) that removes soil, rock, or dissolved material from one location on the Earth's crust, and then transports it to another location where it is deposited. Erosion is distin ...

, thus minimizing the amount of

silt Silt is granular material of a size between sand and clay and composed mostly of broken grains of quartz. Silt may occur as a soil (often mixed with sand or clay) or as sediment mixed in suspension with water. Silt usually has a floury feel when ...

that could clog the

turbine A turbine ( or ) (from the Greek , ''tyrbē'', or Latin ''turbo'', meaning vortex) is a rotary mechanical device that extracts energy from a fluid flow and converts it into useful work. The work produced by a turbine can be used for generating e ...

s of Bloede's Dam which generated electricity for surrounding communities. On May 15, 1941, the camp was converted to the nation's first

Civilian Public Service The Civilian Public Service (CPS) was a program of the United States government that provided conscientious objectors with an alternative to military service during World War II. From 1941 to 1947, nearly 12,000 draftees, willing to serve their ...

conscientious objector A conscientious objector (often shortened to conchie) is an "individual who has claimed the right to refuse to perform military service" on the grounds of freedom of thought, conscience, or religion. The term has also been extended to object ...

camp, CPS Camp #3, with 26 men and three women required to serve for one year, a term that was extended as the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

entered

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. ;21st century In 2014, Howard County and Baltimore County approved the Patapsco Heritage Greenway, Inc. management plan for the Patapsco Heritage Area with includes a portion of the Patapsco Valley State Park. In 2015, 24.6 square miles which includes a portion of the Patapsco Valley State Park, was certified as the Maryland's 13th Heritage Area by the Maryland Heritage Areas Authority. The Maryland Chapter of the Sierra Club opposed the project out of concern of additional development on the valuable land, of which the

would be the approving authority.

Activities and amenities

The park's recreational opportunities include hiking, fishing, camping, canoeing, horseback riding, mountain biking, and picnicking. The ''Baltimore City Paper'' named the park as its "Best Place to Hike" in 2007. ;Park areas *McKeldin Area: The park's most western section features multi-use trails for horseback riding, mountain biking and hiking, a disc golf course, fishing at the confluence of the North and South branches of the Patapsco River, and the Rapids area on the South Branch. *Daniels Area: Once the site of a milltown called Daniels, the Daniels Dam here backs up the Patapsco River providing smooth water for canoeing and kayaking, fishing, and swimming. Grist Mill Trail tunnel

*Hollofield Area: The park's center section features a 73-site campground, hiking trails, and shelters built by the CCC in the 1930s, plus a scenic overlook of the entire river valley. *Pickall Area: Picnic shelters and playgrounds. *Hilton Area: Located near

Catonsville Catonsville is a census-designated place (CDP) in Baltimore County, Maryland, United States. The population was 41,567 at the 2010 census. The community lies to the west of Baltimore along the city's border. Catonsville contains the majority of th ...

, the area has a small campground with mini-cabins, a nature center for children, tire playground, and access to the Saw Mill Branch Trail and other trails. This is the oldest area of the park, in use since 1906. *Avalon/Glen Artney/Orange Grove Flour Mill Area: The area features many historic sites including the

Thomas Viaduct The Thomas Viaduct spans the Patapsco River and Patapsco Valley between Relay, Maryland and Elkridge, Maryland, USA. It was commissioned by the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad (B&O); built between July 4, 1833, and July 4, 1835; and named for Philip ...

, the dismantled

, the Old Gun Road Stone Arch Bridge,

Orange Grove Flour Mill The Orange Grove Flour Mill was a flour mill established in 1856. It was one of the leading flour mills in the Mid-Atlantic states until it was destroyed in a fire in 1905. History The Mill was established in 1856 by a partnership of Dailey and ...

, and the Swinging Bridge. The Avalon Visitor Center (reopened April 2022) is housed in a remnant of the milltown of the same name that once served the Avalon Nail and Iron Works. ;Swinging bridges There are two swinging bridges that cross the Patapsco River. The first spans the Patapsco at Orange Grove, northwest of Avalon following the Park Road in Howard County beyond shelters 104 and 105. Prior suspension foot bridges at this location enabled residents of the Orange Grove mill community to cross the river to

Baltimore County Baltimore County ( , locally: or ) is the third-most populous county in the U.S. state of Maryland and is part of the Baltimore metropolitan area. Baltimore County (which partially surrounds, though does not include, the independent City of ...

to work in the five-

storey A storey (British English) or story (American English) is any level part of a building with a floor that could be used by people (for living, work, storage, recreation, etc.). Plurals for the word are ''storeys'' (UK) and ''stories'' (US). T ...

-high

of the C.A. Gambrill Manufacturing Company that burned to the ground in 1905. Visitors can cross the bridge to discover the ruins of the mill site that extended from the

railroad Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a pre ...

tracks to the

Swinging Bridge Swinging Bridge is a popular destination in Yosemite Valley, California, United States, for swimming, with an excellent view of Yosemite Falls Yosemite Falls is the highest waterfall in Yosemite National Park, dropping a total of from the to ...

abutment An abutment is the substructure at the ends of a bridge span or dam supporting its superstructure. Single-span bridges have abutments at each end which provide vertical and lateral support for the span, as well as acting as retaining walls ...

. A second swinging bridge opened November 4, 2006. It is located at the end of the Grist Mill Trail and crosses the Patapsco River to connect with Ilchester Road. This new bridge allows easy entry for residents living in

Ellicott City Ellicott City is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in, and the county seat of, Howard County, Maryland, United States. Part of the Baltimore metropolitan area, its population was 65,834 at the 2010 census, making it the mo ...

and

for the first time since

Hurricane Agnes Hurricane Agnes in 1972 was the costliest hurricane to hit the United States at the time, causing an estimated $2.1 billion in damage. The hurricane's death toll was 128. The effects of Agnes were widespread, from the Caribbean to Canada, ...

struck in 1972. ; MDcascadefalls

Cascade Falls is located in the Orange Grove area of the park. It gently descends a face and can be reached by way of a marked trail at the last parking lot in the Orange Grove area.

Volunteerism

Patapsco Valley State Park is supported by a number of volunteer groups and efforts, most notably: * Friends of Patapsco Valley State Park: Non-profit group independent of the park and Maryland Department of Natural Resources, the Friends organize volunteer work days and target specific projects like surveying and constructing new trails within the park. * Volunteer Ranger program: State-wide program devised by the Maryland Park Service; Patapsco is one of a number of parks utilizing the program. Volunteer Rangers are a unique type of volunteer, receiving training and uniforms (with added volunteer insignia) from the state, and working more closely with park staff to support operations and complete various projects.

In popular culture

In 1999, final scenes of ''

The Blair Witch Project ''The Blair Witch Project'' is a 1999 American supernatural horror film written, directed and edited by Daniel Myrick and Eduardo Sánchez (director), Eduardo Sánchez. It is a fictional story of three student filmmakers—Heather Donahue, Mic ...

'' were filmed in the

Griggs House Griggs House was a historic home located in Granite, Maryland. It was a two-story house constructed in the mid-19th century. The home is associated with the film, ''The Blair Witch Project''. The house was a built in the style of Federal archite ...

, a 200-year-old building located in the park near

Granite, Maryland Granite is an unincorporated community in Baltimore County, Maryland, United States. Originally known as Waltersville, it was renamed Granite in recognition of its principal product (the Woodstock Quartz Monzonite was quarried). The village was t ...

, that was subsequently demolished by the state despite film buffs' efforts to save it.

References

External links