Sherwood Forest, Anne Arundel County, Maryland
Encyclopedia
Sherwood Forest is an unincorporated community
in Anne Arundel County
, Maryland
, United States
.
In the early 1900s, oriental rug salesman William Cochran was joined a group that planned to build an amusement park on what was Startzman Farm, outside of Annapolis
. After the plan fell though, Mr. Cochran began clearing trees to build a bucolic summer resort for middle-class families. 341 homes were built in the planned community along with a golf course, club house, softball field, general store, post office, swimming pool, bowling ally, library, pier, marina, and tennis courts. Homes sites in the community are leased for 99 years, from the community association. Demand for the homes is high and most of these homes, when available, are leased by current residents or their relatives. Approval to lease a home site requires sponsorship from current residents.
The community, which is gated, is split in terms of control between the Sherwood Forest Club, and the Sherwood Forest Company. The Club controls the community acitivities and bylaws of the community, while the Sherwood Forest Company has control of maintenance of the roads, piers, amenities, waterfront and other physical aspects of the community. The community has restrictive bylaws intended to ensure the cottages and homes within the community blend into the surrounding woods. Houses can be painted brown, white or green, with green being a shade known as "Sherwood Green" developed by Bruning Paint Co. in Baltimore
.
The 9-hole Sherwood Forest Golf Course was designed by Herbert Strong and opened in 1919. The community had an additional 18 hole gold course, which was sold, and later added to the neighboring community, The Downs on the Severn.
The Sherwood Forest Club runs a summer camp for the children of its residents. The camp began in the 1920s, and has changed little since that time.
Unincorporated area
In law, an unincorporated area is a region of land that is not a part of any municipality.To "incorporate" in this context means to form a municipal corporation, a city, town, or village with its own government. An unincorporated community is usually not subject to or taxed by a municipal government...
in Anne Arundel County
Anne Arundel County, Maryland
Anne Arundel County is a county located in the U.S. state of Maryland. It is named for Anne Arundell , a member of the ancient family of Arundells in Cornwall, England and the wife of Cæcilius Calvert, 2nd Baron Baltimore. Its county seat is Annapolis, which is also the capital of the state...
, Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
In the early 1900s, oriental rug salesman William Cochran was joined a group that planned to build an amusement park on what was Startzman Farm, outside of Annapolis
Annapolis, Maryland
Annapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Maryland, as well as the county seat of Anne Arundel County. It had a population of 38,394 at the 2010 census and is situated on the Chesapeake Bay at the mouth of the Severn River, south of Baltimore and about east of Washington, D.C. Annapolis is...
. After the plan fell though, Mr. Cochran began clearing trees to build a bucolic summer resort for middle-class families. 341 homes were built in the planned community along with a golf course, club house, softball field, general store, post office, swimming pool, bowling ally, library, pier, marina, and tennis courts. Homes sites in the community are leased for 99 years, from the community association. Demand for the homes is high and most of these homes, when available, are leased by current residents or their relatives. Approval to lease a home site requires sponsorship from current residents.
The community, which is gated, is split in terms of control between the Sherwood Forest Club, and the Sherwood Forest Company. The Club controls the community acitivities and bylaws of the community, while the Sherwood Forest Company has control of maintenance of the roads, piers, amenities, waterfront and other physical aspects of the community. The community has restrictive bylaws intended to ensure the cottages and homes within the community blend into the surrounding woods. Houses can be painted brown, white or green, with green being a shade known as "Sherwood Green" developed by Bruning Paint Co. in Baltimore
Baltimore
Baltimore is the largest independent city in the United States and the largest city and cultural center of the US state of Maryland. The city is located in central Maryland along the tidal portion of the Patapsco River, an arm of the Chesapeake Bay. Baltimore is sometimes referred to as Baltimore...
.
The 9-hole Sherwood Forest Golf Course was designed by Herbert Strong and opened in 1919. The community had an additional 18 hole gold course, which was sold, and later added to the neighboring community, The Downs on the Severn.
The Sherwood Forest Club runs a summer camp for the children of its residents. The camp began in the 1920s, and has changed little since that time.