DID YOU KNOW ?!
Lake Linganore Campgrounds By : Eric Roberts , Friends of the Lake
Bill Brosius envisioned that the Lake Linganore community he founded with his brother L���� would be a place where residents could work and play . In keeping with this vision , the Brosius brothers incorporated many resort-like outdoor amenities such as the horseback riding stables / barn , the Lake Linganore dam spillway slides / water park , the Linganore greenhouse nursery , and the Coldstream sauna and kiddie rock wall pool . Did you know , a campground was also part of these early amenities ?
The Lake Linganore Campground was built in the early 1970s along Linganore Creek , just downstream of the Lake Linganore dam ( Figure 1 ). According to his daughter Carolyn , “… the campground was intended for anyone who owned a lot at Lake Linganore , whether they be vacant lot owners or residents . The thought was
Figure 1 – Lake Linganore Campgrounds ( from Brosius drawing ) that if you had not built a house on your lot , you could still come enjoy the amenities and camp there since you were not allowed to camp or put campers on your lot .”
The original design specified 50 tent sites . However , the number of sites was reduced after hurricane Agnes flooded a lower lying area ( behind the words “ Camp Sites ” in Figure 1 ). Each camp site was to have a parking space (“ between trees ”), a leveled and mulched 16-foot diameter area for a tent , a fire pit and a picnic table . In creating the campsite , deference was given to preserving the existing trees , rock formations , waterways and other natural features as captured in Bill Brosius ’ notation , “ All areas to be located in strict regard to trees and landforms ”.
Some elements of the campground amenity were left for future phases of development . For example , there are no indications the “ Park Area and Winter Ski Run ” noted in Figure 1 was ever realized , and it does not appear that all the tent sites fully developed .
Figure 2 – The Former Linganore Campground Bath House
34 LakeTalk February 2021
Figure 3 – The Former Linganore Campground Aqueduct & Esplanade