Year: 1860

$1,000


medium sized trees, such as the Catalpa and others
backed by Lombardy poplars adding to the appa,
rent height, whilst perfecting the pyramidal form
OF the mass-still remain and although many of
the trees OF which they are composed have fallen
TO decay, their relics may serve guide marks to
the landscape gardener whom the Commissioners
may employ to restore the dressed portion of the
grounds to their original beauty, and to complete
on grander scale what his predecessor in the art
has SO well begun. No man who has been accus-
TONED all his life to lay off the few acres which
usually compose the ornamented grounds of villa
residences should be permitted to undertake the
renovation and improvement of Druid HILL He
could no more grapple with the boder STYLE OF
treatment which such place requires, than a
painter OF family groups in miniature could grap-
pie with an historical picture. For landscape
gardener, accustomed to deal with large surfaces
or even for person familiar with the examples
presented by the place itself, Druid Hill offers
abundance OF scope for the display of his best skill
| 10 entrust It's Improvement to any other than a
man thoroughly accomplished in his profession
would be either to frtter away its natural beauty
by excessive ornamentation, to risk the marrino
OF some of its finest features by injudcious man
agement. In dwelling, have, upon wha
has been already done at Druid Hill towards
facilitating the formation of public park, and
more especially in illusions to the lawn and
the dressed grounds, and to the groups and masses
and single specimens of trees that are irregulary
yet most artisticay disposed over the area thus
described, we must not be understood as implying
that this portion of the place requires nothing
| more than the construction of walks and drives
TO make 1t all that park ought to be- On the
contrary, there is good deal of cleaning up to be
done, before it can be brought into use, and also
before its full beauty can be developed MANY oi
the original glades and vstas have grown up t.
brushwood, or have been planted out in pear
orchards and raspberry patches, or have been suf-
tered otherwise to run wild. But the picture,
such as we have imperfecty described it, is still
there, and only needs the band of the careful
restorer to bring it out with all its tints and har-
monious combinations melowed by time, and all
Its sharp outlines softened and rounded


Druid Hill may be roughly described as being
bounded on the east by the Northern Central Rail-
way; on the west by the Reisterstown road on the
north by the Woodberrv Mill road, and on the
south or city front by Newington lane. The pre-
sent terminus OF the Madison street passenger rail-
way, at Northern avenue, is within five minutes
walk OF the entrance gate of the place. The pas
senger railway ON the Reisterstovn road also an.
proaches to within the same distance of the west
ern boundary, and will doubtless be finally extend
ed to the entrance which must be constructed north
OF MIR. Orem's place, on that road. The Northern
Central Railway will also furnish another means of
approach, by landing passengers either at the
Clipper Factory or at Woodberry, and thus ena-
| Bile them to traverse the more secluded and
romantic portion of the domain, and from
thence to make their wav back to the city
! by any of the numerous walks which, following
the curvatures of the hills will lead through the
dressed grounds on the southern front, and finally
debo"ch upon Madison street at its point of inter-
section with Newington lane Assuming Charles
and Baltimore streets to be the present centre Of
population, the distance to the central entrance
gate at Druid Hill, will be few rods over two mile
and half, which, after making due allowance fol
the angles, would be quarter of mile more remote
! from the same centre than Mr.. Wyman's gate OF
Charles street IL will be seen that there arc
three modes of access to Druid Hill already projected
The first by way of Baltimore street to Eutaw, up
Eutaw to Madison street, and out the latter to its
present terminus at Northern avenue. The second
by Baltimore street to Green, up Green to Penn
sylvania avenue, and out the latter also to its inter
section with Northern avenue. The third is by
the Northern Central Railway to Woodberry-
From the eastern section of the city it will even
tualy be also accessible for pedestrians and Others
by the Northern avenue, which, crossing Jones
Falls by the contemplated wire bridge, whose con.
struction has been authorized by the Legislature
terminates at present at or near jenkins Lane or
the York road.


If the reader will now refer to the mar
| w ha had va6 Wit alu;au
tate his appreciation of those minor points which
otherwise will scarcely admit of clear description
he will perceive that the place is bounded in the
manner we have described, and that the Madison
lane, to which have already alluded, strikes of
from Madison street proper, at obtuse angle, al
the intersection of the latter with Northern
To carry out Madison street in direct line of ap
proach, it would exactly touch the southwestern
| corner of Druid Hill-tbe lands of Messrs. Orem
and others, cutting the property off at that point
from the Reisterstown road. The present entrance
to Druid Hill is not far distant from its western
boundary. If Bolton street were extended it would
strike its exact centre. Immediately on entering
the grounds we plunge into a thicket of WOOD
which skirts the place to the SOUTH Following the
curves of the old carriage drive which penetratet
the wood for some distance over level surface





considerable size This pond is fed by stream
that flows through the meadow from the north
west. Near to the upper end of the pond and
partly overshadowiug it of those fine trees
that are to be found scattered over the place in
considerable numbers.


! One of the hickories at this point measures nine
feet two inches in circumference, at the height OF
five feet from the ground; a grand old oak al
another point to the west of the mansion measures
fifteen feet in circumference and overshadowed an
immense area with the long sweep of its trailing
limbs. In one of the fine valleys leading to Jones'
Falls there hickories ninety feet in height and
ranging from eight to eleven feet in circumference,
and white oaks which also measure ten feet seven
inches in girth These, too, be it remembered, are
scarcely exceptional specimens for the whole domain
| abounds in trees of great magnitude. Following
! still the course of the carriage drive we reach,
almost Immediately, on the one hand, fine spring
which supplies the dairy, and on the other, the
house occupied by the overseer In the rear of the
latter the relics of what must have been at one
time remarkably spacious barn, the foundations
giving ground plan of which the frontage cannot
be less than one hundred feet From the level upon
which the overseers house is built the drive begins
to ascend towards the mansion whose terrace it
finally reaches by easy and graceful sweeps, which
bring into view, one after another, the series OF
verdant interspaces that have been formed by the
panied us to Druid Hill for previously hurried survey
and plat of the outlines of the place. and under still
further obligations him for jotting down perfectly
as the short time in which reconnaissance would
m the general typographical features of property
There roads and byepaths through
as well as over cultivated lands that could