Deer Park Hotel
Encyclopedia
Following the American Civil War
, the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad
(B&O) created a vacation resort in the Appalachian Mountains
of Western Maryland
, in the small town of Deer Park, Maryland
. Constructed in 1873, the Dear Park Hotel was heavily promoted by the B&O railroad and became a favorite resort for the wealthy and prominent citizens of the Baltimore/Washington area. Presidents Ulysses S. Grant
, Benjamin Harrison
, and Grover Cleveland
were among its guests; William McKinley
visited the establishment before he became president. Even President Grover Cleveland spent his five day honeymoon with his wife the new Mrs. President Grover Cleveland of the United States
The Deer Park Spring
, which had produced pure mountain water that was sold commercially, supplied the hotel, its swimming pool, and Turkish baths. Deer Park's popularity declined after 1900. and the resort finally closed after the onset of the Depression
in 1929. the grand hotel itself was razed in 1944 due to a fire. although a few of the opulent cottages remain as reminders of the park's faded majesty.
During the boom years, East Coast railroads were finding that a lucrative passenger business could be built up by transporting people from a city to railroad-owned hotels in the mountains. Thus, B&O Railroad ventured into the “resort hotel” business in 1869, when they purchased several 100 acres (404,686 m²) of Perry family’s “Anchorage Farm.” In 1872, the railroad built the center section of the Deer Park Hotel; and it opened for the first time on July 4, 1873. The east and west wings of the hotel were added in 1881-82 bringing the total number of rooms to 300. (According to tradition, “The Anchorage” house stood beside the present Pysell Crosscut Road; the location is marked by two sailing ship anchors on the lawn of a house that is there now.)
During the early 1870s, H. G. Davis contracted to build a series of cottages on the hotel property, with the first one becoming John W. Garrett
’s cottage. Later, this became the caretaker’s cottage, and Garrett had a more sumptuous summer home built to the west side of the hotel; he died there in the summer of 1884.
The Deer Park Hotel was one of Five Combination Station-Hotels Built by the B&O during the 1870s, including the Queen City Hotel
in Cumberland, Maryland
.
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
, the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad
Baltimore and Ohio Railroad
The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad was one of the oldest railroads in the United States and the first common carrier railroad. It came into being mostly because the city of Baltimore wanted to compete with the newly constructed Erie Canal and another canal being proposed by Pennsylvania, which...
(B&O) created a vacation resort in the Appalachian Mountains
Appalachian Mountains
The Appalachian Mountains #Whether the stressed vowel is or ,#Whether the "ch" is pronounced as a fricative or an affricate , and#Whether the final vowel is the monophthong or the diphthong .), often called the Appalachians, are a system of mountains in eastern North America. The Appalachians...
of Western Maryland
Western Maryland
Western Maryland is the portion of the U.S. state of Maryland that consists of Frederick, Washington, Allegany, and Garrett counties. The region is bounded by the Mason-Dixon line to the north, Preston County, West Virginia to the west, and the Potomac River to the south. There is dispute over the...
, in the small town of Deer Park, Maryland
Deer Park, Maryland
Deer Park is a town in Garrett County, Maryland, United States. The population was 399 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Deer Park is located at ....
. Constructed in 1873, the Dear Park Hotel was heavily promoted by the B&O railroad and became a favorite resort for the wealthy and prominent citizens of the Baltimore/Washington area. Presidents Ulysses S. Grant
Ulysses S. Grant
Ulysses S. Grant was the 18th President of the United States as well as military commander during the Civil War and post-war Reconstruction periods. Under Grant's command, the Union Army defeated the Confederate military and ended the Confederate States of America...
, Benjamin Harrison
Benjamin Harrison
Benjamin Harrison was the 23rd President of the United States . Harrison, a grandson of President William Henry Harrison, was born in North Bend, Ohio, and moved to Indianapolis, Indiana at age 21, eventually becoming a prominent politician there...
, and Grover Cleveland
Grover Cleveland
Stephen Grover Cleveland was the 22nd and 24th president of the United States. Cleveland is the only president to serve two non-consecutive terms and therefore is the only individual to be counted twice in the numbering of the presidents...
were among its guests; William McKinley
William McKinley
William McKinley, Jr. was the 25th President of the United States . He is best known for winning fiercely fought elections, while supporting the gold standard and high tariffs; he succeeded in forging a Republican coalition that for the most part dominated national politics until the 1930s...
visited the establishment before he became president. Even President Grover Cleveland spent his five day honeymoon with his wife the new Mrs. President Grover Cleveland of the United States
Frances Folsom Cleveland
Frances Clara Folsom Cleveland Preston was the wife of the President of the United States Grover Cleveland and the 27th first lady of the United States from 1886 to 1889 and again from 1893 to 1897. Becoming first lady at age 21, she remains the youngest first lady to this day...
The Deer Park Spring
Deer Park Spring Water Co.
Deer Park Spring Water Co. is a company that produces natural spring water. It is a division of Nestlé and was established in 1873. The bottled water was originally primarily sold in the New York market, but now can be found along most of the East Coast....
, which had produced pure mountain water that was sold commercially, supplied the hotel, its swimming pool, and Turkish baths. Deer Park's popularity declined after 1900. and the resort finally closed after the onset of the Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
in 1929. the grand hotel itself was razed in 1944 due to a fire. although a few of the opulent cottages remain as reminders of the park's faded majesty.
During the boom years, East Coast railroads were finding that a lucrative passenger business could be built up by transporting people from a city to railroad-owned hotels in the mountains. Thus, B&O Railroad ventured into the “resort hotel” business in 1869, when they purchased several 100 acres (404,686 m²) of Perry family’s “Anchorage Farm.” In 1872, the railroad built the center section of the Deer Park Hotel; and it opened for the first time on July 4, 1873. The east and west wings of the hotel were added in 1881-82 bringing the total number of rooms to 300. (According to tradition, “The Anchorage” house stood beside the present Pysell Crosscut Road; the location is marked by two sailing ship anchors on the lawn of a house that is there now.)
During the early 1870s, H. G. Davis contracted to build a series of cottages on the hotel property, with the first one becoming John W. Garrett
John W. Garrett
John Work Garrett was an American banker, philanthropist, and president of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad ....
’s cottage. Later, this became the caretaker’s cottage, and Garrett had a more sumptuous summer home built to the west side of the hotel; he died there in the summer of 1884.
The Deer Park Hotel was one of Five Combination Station-Hotels Built by the B&O during the 1870s, including the Queen City Hotel
Queen City Hotel
The Queen City Hotel was constructed in 1871 by the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad in Cumberland, Maryland to serve both as a train station and as a destination. Hosting 174 rooms, it also had such features as formal gardens with a fountain, a ballroom and 400-seat dining room...
in Cumberland, Maryland
Cumberland, Maryland
Cumberland is a city in the far western, Appalachian portion of Maryland, United States. It is the county seat of Allegany County, and the primary city of the Cumberland, MD-WV Metropolitan Statistical Area. At the 2010 census, the city had a population of 20,859, and the metropolitan area had a...
.