TAKE A WALK IN A PARK
WITH SOCIAL DISTANCING IN PLACE , OUTDOOR SPACES ARE CALLING . JUST BE SAFE WHEN YOU WALK ( OR RUN ), AND BUTTON UP .
BLACK HISTORY
Druid Hill Park
This 745-acre space is one of the first large public parks in America and Baltimore ’ s first large municipal park . On its grounds , you ’ ll find the Druid Hill reservoir , dating back to 1863 , a walking trail and more . If you ’ re wondering why it ’ s on our Black history list , it also was the site of a once-popular segregated pool for Black people , opened in 1921 . By 1950 , there were reportedly six public pools for white people and just the one pool for the city ’ s 250,000 Black residents . The segregated pool was crowded and sometimes had to close and , after a Black boy drowned swimming in a river , the NAACP successfully sued to desegregate the pools . Now the pool formerly designated for Black swimmers has been filled in with dirt as part of a memorial to recognize this historic act of progress against segregation .
Frederick Douglass-Isaac Myers Maritime Park
A rich , interactive experience for families and history lovers of all ages , this national heritage site highlights the story of Frederick Douglass and his life as a young man in the shipyards in Baltimore and on the Eastern Shore . The onsite museum also celebrates the legacy of Isaac Myers , and the founding of the Chesapeake Marine Railway and Dry Dock Company , America ’ s first African Americanowned shipyard . Though the museum was closed to the public at press time , the park itself still is worth a visit and features a striking view of the harbor as well as one of the city ’ s oldest existing waterfront industrial buildings .
Discover more about online learning
TIP opportunities on the website of Living Classrooms , an organization that has its campus at the park and seeks to support the community .
Druid Hill Park
Wyman Park Dell
This 16-acre public park is located south of Johns Hopkins University and the Baltimore Museum of Art . There , you ’ ll find steep enclosing slopes and a large , sweeping lower lawn . It ’ s a lovely place to take a wintry walk or run . While you ’ re there , look for the signage that honors abolitionist and Maryland native Harriet Tubman . Why the tribute ? The park previously held a Confederate monument , but the statue was removed in August 2017 . Later that year , the City Council introduced a bill that proposed to rename and dedicate a portion of Wyman Park Dell as the “ Harriet Tubman Grove at Wyman Park Dell .”
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