Glen Echo

Glen Echo Park https://www.nps.gov/glec/index.htm https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glen_Echo_Park,_Maryland Glen Echo Park is an arts and cultural center located in Glen Echo, Maryland that, in its former incarnation, was a popular Washington, D.C.-area amusement park that operated for several decades from the early 1900s to the 1960s. Today Glen Echo Park is one of the more important cultural resources in the Washington, D.C. area, offering hundreds of classes, workshops and performances in the visual and performing arts. The facility is well known for its Art Deco architecture, an antique Dentzel carousel, a historic Spanish Ballroom, as well as its children's theaters, social dance programs, and many public festivals, including Family Day and the Washington Folk Festival. Glen Echo Park began in 1891 as a National Chautauqua Assembly "to promote liberal and practical education." By 1911, it transformed into DC's premier amusement park until it closed in 1968. Since 1971, the National Park Service has owned and operated the site and today, with the help of the Glen Echo Park Partnership for Arts and Culture, offers year-round cultural and recreational activities. By Car: Capital Beltway (I-495), Maryland outer loop exit 40 Cabin John Parkway to Clara Barton Parkway; Virginia inner loop exit 41 Clara Barton Parkway East; follow Clara Barton Parkway to MacArthur Boulevard and Glen Echo exit, left onto MacArthur Boulevard, straight across traffic circle at Goldsboro Road, next left onto Oxford Road, end of street, parking lots on the left. By Metro: Red Line to Bethesda or Friendship Heights Station, transfer to Montgomery County Ride-On Bus # 29, Glen Echo stop. Busy Day outside Carousel groups of families, adults and children strolling in Glen Echo Park near Carousel Building Glen Echo Park and the Dentzel Carousel are enjoyed by children and adults. Dancing in the Bumper Car Pavilion outdoor scene of open dance pavilion illuminated and evening dance crowd inside. Evening Dance in the Bumper Car Pavilion Labor Day Art Show in Spanish Ballroom people walking around large room during art show Visitors enjoy the Labor Day Art Show which highlights pieces created by students from the Glen Echo Park art programs. Glen Echo Park Junior Rangers working on booklet. three children seated at a picnic table working on a Glen Echo Park Junior Ranger Booklet. Completing the Glen Echo Park Junior Ranger Booklet to earn the Junior Ranger Badge. Glen Echo Picnic area people gathered at picnic tables enjoying a lunch in Glen Echo Park Glen Echo Park has a large picnic area with many tables, restrooms and a playground. Glen Echo Park - Clara Barton House Cultural Landscape The Glen Echo Park-Clara Barton House cultural landscape takes visitors on a ride through the site's history. First purchased by Edward and Edwin Baltzley in 1888, the brothers initially planned it as a Chautauqua educational system and real estate venture. By the 20th century, Glen Echo Park was a popular local amusement park. Clara Barton, activist and founder of the American Red Cross, owned a home and property adjacent to Glen Echo Park from 1891 to 1912. A colorful carousel house with a domed roof surrounds the reconstructed Dentzel Carousel. NPS Structural Fire Program Highlights 2014 Intern Accomplishments Jane Goodall Inspires Youth at Glen Echo Park The NPS Community Stewardship Program encourages youth to explore biodiversity at an event hosted by the Jane Goodall Foundation. The National Park Service engages kids with a biodiversity scavenger hunt. Clara Barton, a Tireless Effort in the Face of Disaster Clara Barton's dedication to healthcare and aiding those in need. This is a quick glimpse at her hard work. Black and white photo of Clara Barton sitting at a desk Oak Decline Learn more about oak decline where a host of stressors interact to weaken trees over time, leading to what becomes "death by a thousand cuts." Looking up into the canopy of a mature oak showing symptoms of oak decline. Memorials for the Future Memorials for the Future, is a competition that aims to rethink the way we develop and experience memorials in Washington, D.C. Memorials for the Future Logo Forest Soils Highlights from a 2007-2017 study of soils in National Capital Region Network I&M-monitored parks. Includes discussion of parent materials, heavy metal soil pollutants like lead, and how past land use effects O horizons. Collage of 6 color photos of soil profiles showing colors from orange-y reds to browns and grays. Spotted Lanternfly 101 What you need to know about spotted lanternfly: a new, invasive, insect pest approaching the National Parks of the Mid-Atlantic. A spotted lanternfly with wings spread showing namesake spots Tina Short and Kym Elder: "The Story of People that Look Like Me" For Tina Short and Kym Elder, African American history is personal. The mother and daughter have expanded the stories the NPS tells while serving their home community. This article was developed from oral history interviews in which they discuss their careers in DC area parks. The interviews contribute to "Telling Our Untold Stories: Civil Rights in the National Park Service Oral History Project" and "Women’s Voices: Women in the National Park Service Oral History Project." Two NPS park rangers in uniform, both African American women, stand in front of a double door Brood X Periodical Cicadas FAQ Learn about the Brood X periodical cicadas that emerged in 2021 throughout the Mid-Atlantic U.S. A perched periodical cicada with red eyes and orange wings Forest Regeneration 2020 What is the future of our forests? A look at forest regeneration capacity in National Capital Area national parks based on 2020 monitoring data. hand holding a leaflet on a white ash seedling National Capital PRISM and Invasive Species Since invasive species don’t recognize park boundaries, we need to work together with our partners, neighbors, and other federal and state entities to manage across borders. We can’t do it alone! a hand holds a rosette of green leaves over the water Sea Level Rise in the DC Area Learn about current and projected rates of sea level rise in the greater DC area, based on local water level data collected by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) A tall white cylinder attached to a wooden pier with Hains Point in the background. Beech Trees in the National Capital Area American beech (Fagus grandifolia), the most common tree species in National Capital Area parks, is currently facing the emerging threat of Beech Leaf Disease (BLD). A forest with healthy green leafed beech trees Forest Regeneration 2021 The latest look at forest regeneration capacity in National Capital Area national parks based on monitoring data from 2021. Green forest showing healthy understory of oak seedlings. Vines on Trees at Forest Edges Learn how climbing vines affect tree growth and mortality in National Capital Region park forests. This material was originally presented in a 2016 resource brief. Vines climb on trees at the forest edge at Rock Creek's Barnard Hill Park. Forest Regeneration 2022 Tree seedlings and small saplings are still in short supply in National Capital Region national parks. A look at forest regeneration capacity based on monitoring data from 2022. Sunlight filtering through a green forest with green seedlings covering most of the forest floor. Guide to the E.B. Thompson Negative Collection This finding aid describes the E.B. Thompson Negative Collection, part of the NPS History Collection. Forest Regeneration 2023 Tree seedlings and small saplings are slowly increasing in National Capital Region national parks. A look at forest regeneration capacity based on monitoring data from 2023. Three people stand in a forest, smiling and pointing to a large tree trunk between them. When Forests Come Down with a Bug: Forest Pests in the Greater DC Area Beech leaf disease, emerald ash borer, spotted lanternfly, spongy moth, oak decline and oak wilt are all pests present in National Capital Region (NCR) park forests. Learn about their effects and spread based on NCR Inventory & Monitoring data, and get the heads up on elm zigzag sawfly and beech bark disease. A black and red insect sits on a leaf. Native Grapes Seven species of grapes are native to the National Capital Region. Learn how to tell them apart, where they grow, and how they benefit birds, bugs, and beasts alike. Multiple clusters of grapes hang off of a leafy vine. Forest Regeneration 2024 Forest regeneration in the National Capital Region continues to slowly improve, especially in parks that manage their deer populations. A look at forest regeneration capacity based on monitoring data from 2024. Forest with tall trees in the background and green saplings in the foreground

Glen Echo Park lLFniMiI-lli£TlI#*I:U T i[»{-l U.S. Department of the Interior From Past to Present. For almost 100 years, the land on which the present Glen Echo Park sits has been dedicated to people. First, in 1891, as a National Chautauqua Assembly, a center where people could participate in the sciences, arts, languages, and literature— Then, until 1968, as a famous amusement park— Now, coming full circle, as a park emphasizing arts and cultural education for the community. In this latest incarnation, the land and the historical remnants of former buildings host a variety of activities for both the community and visitors. You can simply wander on the Midway and remember the sights and sounds of an old amusement park where you came as a child or adult to play miniature golf, see yourself distorted in the Hall of Mirrors, dance to the music of Glen Miller, sun on the sand beach of the Crystal Pool, or whack your bumper car into someone else's while sparks flew from the electrified ceiling. Every Wednesday and weekend during the summer you can still ride and listen to the tunes from the antique, hand-carved Dentzel Carousel, preserved through community effort. You can visit an art exhibit in the stone Chautauqua Tower, the only usable structure from the earliest incarnation. And on summer Sundays you can listen to a concert, watch a craft demonstration, attend a workshop or festival, or tour the Clara Barton National Historic Site—all this and more as part of the "Chautauqua Summer Season." All through the year you can picnic, walk, visit the workshops of artists now housed in the park, or take workshops in art forms that range from ceramics, through dance and music, to painting and drama. Glen Echo Park travels forward to where it began First: The Chautauqua Assembly. It began when Edwin and Edward Baltzley conceived of promoting the sale of land and houses by establishing a Glen Echo Chautauqua "to promote liberal and practical education, especially among the masses of the people . . . and to fit them for the duties which devolve upon them as members of society." The Chautauqua Movement was already popular and, financing their efforts with the profits from Edwin's inventions, the Baltzleys opened theirs in June, 1891. It was a success until Henry Spencer, operating the Spencerian Business School at the site, died of pneumonia. Rumors spread that he had died of malaria, and the rumors were enough to make people stop coming to this "Rhineland of the Potomac." That brief season was the only Chautauqua Assembly on the site. In the years that followed, from 1893 to 1898, the Baltzleys rented Glen Echo to different fundraising organizations which continued using the land for public shows and entertainment. Then: An Amusement Park. In 1899 the Baltzleys rented Glen Echo to the Glen Echo Company, who put a full-fledged amusement park on the land. For the next sixty years the amusement park was always ahead of the times, and one of the most popular spots in Washington. The rides and the ballroom attracted thousands—the pool alone held 3000 people. But tastes changed and by the mid-sixties Glen Echo's heydays were over. Attendance dropped markedly and at the end of the 1968 season the owners announced the park would close. But the land was still there, occupied by remnants of the buildings which traced in their facades a history of architectural tastes. Now: A Cultural Arts Park. Community action on the part of a group of public-spirited citizens helped to assure the future of Glen Echo Park. In 1971, through a land exchange with its owners, Glen Echo Park was acquired by the Federal government. Between the time the amusement park closed and the beginning of National Park Service management, many of the rides were sold including the historic Dentzel Carousel, brought to the park in 1921. A group of interested individuals organized a fundraising campaign to repurchase the Carousel, thus enabling it to be kept at the park for public enjoyment. Bringing the park into public ownership saved the land from possible development which could have adversely affected the natural beauty of the Potomac Palisades and the bordering C & O Canal National Historic Park and George Washington Memorial Parkway. Through consultation with educators, artists, community leaders, and special interest groups, an initial theme evolved—to use the land as a resource center, an educational and cultural forum where artists, students, teachers, and visitors could meet and exchange ideas, as well as learn from each other. It was not a new idea but a recycled one from the days when the park functioned as the Chautauqua Assembly. Once again, Glen Echo would be a learning center. Professionals in fields ranging from performing and visual arts to consumeroriented topics were invited to move into the remaining buildings of the amusement park, repair and refurbish these structures and bring them back to life. In exchange, the groups agreed to open t

Glen Echo Park A Walking Tour The trestle that supported the Glen Echo trolley – the primary mode of public transportation that carried visitors to the park during the Chautauqua and early amusement park years – is visible from the bridge as you look toward MacArthur Boulevard. Located on the first floor of the Arcade Building, the Visitor Center features a timeline of the park’s history as well as documentaries and historic videos of the park. The National Park Service also offers free guided walking tours of the park. For tour times and reservations for groups of 10 people or more, please call 301-320-1400. 4 Visitor Center and Popcorn Gallery Photo by Candace Clifford Photo by Bruce Douglas Path into the park The Popcorn Gallery Clara Barton National Historic Site Photo by National Park Service The Baltzley brothers donated a house and land to Clara Barton, the founder of the American Red Cross, in an effort to bring prestige to their Glen Echo community. Built in 1891, it was first used as a warehouse for disaster relief supplies. In 1897, Miss Barton made it her home and the headquarters for the American Red Cross. Thinking the house looked too somber, Miss Barton changed the original granite façade of the residence to an elegant Victorian wooden façade, retaining only the granite corners. The National Park Service offers free daily guided tours of the site, except on Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Day. To make reservations for groups of 10 or more, please call 301-320-1410. The neon sign marks the original entrance to the park. During the Chautauqua era, horse-drawn carriages pulled up to the entrance. Beginning in 1897, trolleys rode the rails to the park from Georgetown and continued on to the Cabin John Bridge, approximately one mile west of the park. Because the trolley company owned the park, it promoted the park to increase both park attendance and trolley ridership. Trolley service continued until January 1960. 5 A park ranger explains the timeline to visiting students. Discovery Creek Children’s Museum teaches children about the natural world. The stone Caretaker’s Cottage dates from the Chautauqua era and was originally a two-story structure. Today, the remaining first level of the building houses the park’s resident glassblowing studio. The Popcorn Gallery, which served as a refreshment stand during the amusement park era, opened in 2006 as an exhibition space operated by the Glen Echo Park Partnership for Arts and Culture. Throughout the year, the Partnership organizes exhibitions that feature the work of local and regional artists. Photos by National Park Service An etching shows the original amphitheater, which became the Midway during the amusement park era. The Midway was destroyed in 1956 when it became too expensive to maintain. Discovery Creek Children’s Museum, a Living Classrooms program, offers children’s programs that continue the Chautauqua ideal of teaching about the natural world. Discovery Creek Children’s Museum is located in a building that once housed the electric supply for the amusement park. 2 Bridge over Minnehaha Creek Glen Echo Park is administered by the George Washington Memorial Parkway Photo by Meredith Forster In 1890, brothers Edward and Edwin Baltzley created the Glen Echo on the Potomac real estate development hoping to lure Washingtonians to live in the beauty and serenity of this new suburban community. Glen Echo became the site of the 53rd Chautauqua Assembly, offering summer courses in the liberal and practical arts. The crown jewel of the Chautauqua was an 8,000seat amphitheater that sat atop Minnehaha Creek and used the water flow to power the speaker system. During the amusement park era, the amphitheater became the Midway, home to many rides and entertainments. Trolley and Entrance The Popcorn Gallery showcases the work of local and regional artists. Clara Barton on her front lawn The Minnehaha Creek and trolley trestle In 1972, six cupcake-shaped 3 sod-roofed yurts (an experimental housing design based on traditional Mongolian dwelling huts) were erected in the park on the site of the demolished roller coaster to offer resident artists much-needed studio space. In 1975, the park’s fledgling pottery classes moved out of the old amusement park cafeteria and into the yurts, establishing a permanent home for Glen Echo Pottery. The yurts also provide space for other resident studio artists. Chautauqua Tower, Yellow Barn, and Candy Corner The stone tower, once an entrance gate and bell tower, is the only remaining intact building from the Chautauqua era. During the amusement park era, it housed the park superintendent and security offices for the park. Renovated in 2008, the tower now houses two artist studios. Photo by Deborah Dubois It also provides space for two additional artist studios. The building was rebuilt in 2007. The Yellow Barn The Yellow Barn was built in 1914 and served as the amusement park’s wo

The Bakers then began efforts to transfer some of the Park’s attractions to other Rekab, Inc., properties and to sell the remainder of the rides and attractions. The Dentzel carousel was one of the first to be sold, but a fundraising drive organized by Glen Echo Town councilwoman Nancy Long, provided money to buy back the Park’s beloved carousel. Finally in 1999 the federal, state and county governments jointly funded an eighteen million dollar renovation of the Spanish Ballroom and Arcade buildings as well as many other major improvements to the park. In 2000, the National Park Service entered into a cooperative agreement with Montgomery County government to manage the park’s programs. Montgomery County set up a non-profit organization called the Glen Echo Park Partnership for Arts and Culture, Inc. The Partnership is charged with managing and maintaining Park facilities, managing the artist-inresidence, education and social dance programs, fundraising and marketing. The National Park Service is responsible for historical interpretation, safety, security, resource protection and grounds maintenance. Glen Echo Park Today Glen Echo Park retains many of its old treasures. The Chautauqua Tower, the Yellow Barn, the Dentzel Carousel, the Bumper Car Pavilion, the Spanish Ballroom, the Arcade complex, the Cuddle Up, the remnants of the Crystal Pool, and the Picnic Grove are the nine elements making up the Glen Echo Park historic district. Glen Echo Park Becomes the People’s Park The National Park Service assumed management of the park in 1970. It hosted a series of public meetings to allow the community to help forge a new direction for the park. In 1971, the National Park Service opened the park to the public for the first of a series of summer events. The park’s Creative Education Program began in 1972 offering a wide variety of classes. Everything from auto-mechanics for women to environmental education and photography classes were taught. Over time the program developed a focus on the arts. It became clear that this new park offered an exciting opportunity to develop a new kind of arts program, where artists and students could work together. Glen Echo Park would be more than a place to sit and be entertained. It would become a multi-interest cultural center with programs in the arts and humanities for children and adults. Glen Echo Park - Then and Now For well over one hundred years Glen Echo Park has been delighting the people who come to study, to play, and to enjoy the park’s own special charms. Let’s stroll through Glen Echo Park’s memories, and then see what the Park is offering you, your family, and your neighbors d Glen Echo was chosen as the assembly site by the recently formed Chautauqua Union of Washington, D.C. The Chautauqua movement grew out of an assembly first held in Chautauqua, New York, in 1874. Chautauqua was organized to teach Sunday-school organization, management, and Bible-study but rapidly grew into a summer-long school for all kinds of courses. Imagine one of today’s folk festivals combined with a summer-long camp-out and a community college’s continuing education program, and you have a sense of Chautauqua. It was educational, cultural, high-minded and a lot of fun. But the Park is more than a static collection of buildings. It’s a kaleidoscope of neighbors and tourists at work and play. Artists and students create works of art together; audiences laugh at the antics of the puppets and their masters at the Puppet Co. Visitors of all ages have fun as they learn dance steps at the Spanish Ballroom, explore nature at Discovery Creek Children’s Museum, ride the Carousel, attend Adventure Theatre plays, or picnic as in the olden days, in the oak-shaded grove, and participate in the summer festivals. Half a million visitors come to Glen Echo Park annually. Classes, workshops, and theater performances are offered all year long. The Carousel runs from May through September. The Ballroom is filled with dancers and dance students yearround. To find out more about arts programs at Glen Echo Park visit the Glen Echo Park Partnership for Arts and Culture website at www.glenechopark.org or call 301-634-2222. To learn about National Park Service interpretive programs visit www.nps.gov/glec or call 301-320-1400. Visit the Clara Barton National Historic Site at www.nps.gov/clba. Glen Echo: Summer Resort and Chautauqua Assembly Glen Echo Park started with two brothers and the better egg beater one of them had invented. Brothers Edward and Edwin Baltzley had a vision: They were going to use the proceeds from the Edwin Baltzley’s egg beater to build a large real estate development and a nationally recognized educational center. In 1888 they purchased 516 acres and named their property Glen Echo on the Potomac. They founded the Glen Echo Railroad, and began to sell building sites. In 1891, when the Baltzley brothers published Glen-Echo-on-the-Potomac: The Washington Rhine (an illustrated advertis

M a c A rt hur B o u le v a rd Chautauqua Tower Construction area New Midway Classrooms Arcade Yellow Barn Cuddle Up Ice House Old Trolley Trestle Hall of Mirrors Candy Corner Stables Yurt Yurts Bumper Car Pavilion Carousel Park Office Trailer Yurt Picnic Area Construction area Park Entrance Caretakers House Exit to Oxford Road Yurt Photoworks Restrooms Spanish Ballroom Crystal Studio Playground Pa rkin g Overlook Crystal Pool Plaza Pa Ba Cl E ra nt nc e Clara Barton National Historic Site ar a rt on rk w ay