Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1960-08-25
BY Sic. Richard r. Bloom
Walter Reed

WdllCA 1bCCN
Public Information Office
Nestled in the quiet SUBJ
urban area of southeast
Montgomery County is the
country's most unusual
Army post.
There are no drill fields or
drab Army barracks. Instead,
the soldiers stationed there per-
form their duties in a quiet pas
toral atmosphere amid architec-
ture reminiscent of the gran
deur and charm of the old
world of past centuries.
This is the Forest Glen sec.
ton of Walter Reed Army Med
ical Center where, among these
unique surroundings, GONZALES
cent military patients await
their return to duty as Army
scientists strive to find new
means of alternating human
suffering.
This rare chapter in the an
nails of military medicine had
its beginning seven decades ago
when the Gay Nineties ushered
In a frolicsome era of prospect.
ty for Americans and adven-
lures in business investments
and real estate erupted through
out the country.
Forming syndicate, a group
OF Washington businessmen
came into the little community
of Forest Glen, Md, seeking to
develop the area into the thriv-
ing district it has finally be-
come. Part of this project was
the construction of a luxury
motel and gambling casino
named eye Forest Inn"
Hoping to attract the wealthy
and influential of Washington
with the extravagant splendor
and elegance of the enterprise,
the investors reckoned without
the inaccessibility of their then
remote retreat. The horse
drawn trolley line of the day
stopped three miles short of the
inn and 1t was still a long buggy
ride from downtown Washing
ton.
Eye Forest Inn" was, there
fore, doomed to failure and the
syndicate had fully realized this
when DR.. and Mrs. John Irving
Cassidy, principals Of Norfolk
Junior College, arrived in Wash
ington searching for a sight on
which to build a school of their
own. The hotel and its grounds
answered their every desire, the
despairing owners were eager
to sell and the property soon
changed hands.
All traces of the bars, pool
rooms and games Of chance
quickly disappeared and on the
last Thursday of September
1894, an enrolment of 40 girls
made up the first class Of Ma
tional Park Seminary.
The next few years were filled
with q busy program Of con
struction and the grounds took
on most of the appearance they
retain today. The students took
their exercise and physical edu
cation In q large gymnasium; .
dormitory was built in the style
of an Italian villa and the archi
lecture Of the eight sorority
houses was international in de
sign. Among these are Dutch
windmill, a Swiss chalet, q med
ieval castle, q japanese pagoda
and, probably to afford at least
one new world influence, ar
American bungalow.
Another outstanding item Of
architecture was the Odeon, q
beautiful theater, which made
National Park Seminary the
first school of its kind to have
its own playhouse and the first
to offer a course in dramatic
production.
Most of the art and statuary
treasures now adjoining the
grounds of the Glen are there
due to the efforts of DIR. James
z. Ament, who assumed con.
trolling interest of the school in
1916. A world traveller and con.
noisseur of art objects, DIR.
Ament added to his treasures
from the corners of the globe