Patterson Park

Patterson Park is a public park in Baltimore, Maryland, in the United States. The park is bordered by East Baltimore Street on the north, Eastern Avenue on the south, South Patterson Park Avenue on the west, and South Linwood Avenue on the east. The Patterson Park extension lies to the east of the main park, and is bordered by East Pratt Street on the north, South Ellwood Avenue on the east, and Eastern Avenue on the south.

Recreation

Bikers, runners, joggers, and everyone else can take advantage of the park's admirably smooth pathways. The star attractions are the boat lake (in which you can fish, if you have a license, though this is rarely enforced), the marble fountain, the General Casimir Pulaski Monument, and the Pagoda, also known as the Patterson Park observatory, which has a great view of the city and is considered to be a very nice building aesthetically. The sports fields are open for use to anyone who wants to play a game, and there are public tennis courts as well. Two playgrounds are also in the park, and there is a swimming pool open during the summer, and a skating rink during winter. During the summer and early autumn, several festivals are hosted at the park. A wide variety of people use the park, but the most steadfast users by far are the dog owners, who are currently attempting to have a dog park set up somewhere within Patterson Park. The surrounding park area is part of an innovative urban renewal campaign by the city and neighborhood leaders.

Nature

There are no heavily forested areas of Patterson Park; however, there are plenty of open spaces. Bird watchers will still have a good time, though, as there are plenty of birds in the park. The boat lake, recently reconstructed, is inhabited mostly by mallard ducks, but also is visited by other birds, including American coots and wood ducks. There are also fish, frogs, and turtles in the lake. If you are lucky, you may see a Great Blue Heron or Great Egret fishing around.

History

William Patterson, a Baltimore merchant, donated five acres to the city for a public walk in 1827, and the city purchased 29 additional acres from the Patterson family in 1860. [Almaguer, Tim, "Images of America: Baltimore's Patterson Park" (2006) p. 9, 29. Arcadia Publishing Co. ISBN 0-7385-4365-9] During the Civil War, the site was used as a Union troop encampment. Additional purchases in later years increased the park size to its present convert|137|acre|km2. The 60 foot Pagoda, designed by Charles H. Latrobe, was built in 1891 [Dorsey, John & Dilts, James D., "Guide to Baltimore Architecture" (1997) p. 201-2. Tidewater Publishers, Centreville, Maryland ISBN 0-87033-477-8] and has been recently refurbished along with other park structures. Several public accommodations at the park such as the swimming pools, picnic pavilions, and playgrounds were managed as "separate but equal" until they were desegrated in 1956. [Almaguer, Tim, "Images of America: Baltimore's Patterson Park" (2006) p. 68. Arcadia Publishing Co. ISBN 0-7385-4365-9]

References

External links

* [http://www.healthyneighborhoods.org/pages/patterson.html Healthy Neighborhoods: Patterson Park]
* [http://www.pattersonpark.com/ The Friends of Patterson Park]
* [http://www.myspace.com/pattersonbaltimore Patterson Park on MySpace]
* [http://www.pattersonparkneighbors.org/ Patterson Park Neighborhood Association]