Spring 2006

Baltimore Statue Stories: What’s the Story with the Statues?

Anyone who has spent any time in Baltimore, especially in Baltimore’s parks, will notice that there are a lot of statues and monuments in this city. Did you know that there are over 80 statues in Baltimore? Before “Charm City,” Baltimore was known as the “Monumental City,” which is a reference to President John Quincy Adams’ remark when he visited the city in 1827. The statues and monuments of Baltimore are important parts of parks and public spaces. There is an interesting story behind each of these statues.

Perhaps the most famous monument is Baltimore’s Washington Monument in Mount Vernon. Every proud Baltimorean will quickly point out that the Washington Monument was the first monument to honor America’s first president. Our Baltimorean ancestors actually pitched in to raise the money for the monument through a $100,000 lottery; 35,000 tickets were sold at $10 a ticket with over 11,000 prizes available, ranging from $10 to $50,000. The monument ended up taking 14 years to complete and costing almost double that amount.

Originally, the Washington monument was meant to be put further downtown, where the Battle Monument stands today, but when the design was released, residents feared the height of the proposed monument and petitioned the legislature to move it. The land where the monument now stands was donated by General Howard, at the time ½ a mile outside of the city center. On Independence Day in 1815, the cornerstone of the Washington monument was put down at a celebration that drew 25,000 people. “Yankee Doodle” was played and a 100 gun salute marked the occasion. Robert Mills of Charleston, South Carolina, designed the monument. He was a student of Baltimore architect B.H. Latrobe, who was known for his classical designs. Henrio Causier designed the statue on top of the column.

The history of some of the statues in Baltimore reflects the ethnic groups of the city. In Druid Hill Park stands a replica of the Genoa statue of Christopher Columbus. The statue stands 18 feet tall and was dedicated by the Italians of Baltimore on Columbus Day in 1892. Another example of this is the Pulaski Monument in Patterson Park. The monument shows Count Casimar Pulaski, a Polish hero of the American Revolution who was the leader of the Maryland legion in the battles of Brandywine and Savannah. The Polish community in East Baltimore raised the money to build the monument to the American hero.

The monument to Col. George Armistead is one of many Baltimore monuments that have been moved several times. Originally, a tablet was erected to Col. Armistead in the area later known as City Spring. The tablet fell into disrepair and was thrown away. A second monument was erected on Eutaw Place, but residents protested that its height “did not harmonize with the loftiness of their homes.” In response to this protest, the monument was moved to Federal Hill, where it stands to this day.

For more about Baltimore’s statues, visit our sources for this article:

• Rusk, William Sener. Art in Baltimore: Monuments & Memorials. Waverly Press: 1924, Baltimore.
• Naylor, Henry and Caroline. Public Monuments & Sculptures of Baltimore: An Introduction to the Collection. 1987, Baltimore.
• Rinehart School of Sculpture 75th Anniversary Catalogue. 1971, Baltimore.

SuperKids, Super Scores

The results are officially in, and the 2005 SuperKids campers excelled. After six weeks of participation in literacy-infused enrichment activities, participants in SuperKids Camp showed improvement in a number of different areas. Epiphanies, Inc. conducted the evaluation of the program.

The outcome from the evaluation confirmed much of what everyone who plays a part in SuperKids Camp knows: the camp has a positive impact on reading ability. The test results showed that “students’ average test scores moved from below to above grade level.” This is a great improvement over the usual loss of reading skills that typically occurs to students in the summer. The evaluation also showed that students felt more motivated to read, presented more academic confidence and displayed a better attitude toward reading. Furthermore, Epiphanies, Inc.'s report reflected positively on enrichment partners which “were effectively meeting not only their own goals and objectives, but the camp’s goals as well.” Finally, both staff and students agreed that SuperKids Camp was a valuable experience.

SuperKids Camp 2006, sure to be another successful endeavor, will be gearing up shortly. Contact Monica Logan for details at (410) 448-5663 ext. 110.

Parks & People’s Tree “Hall of Fame and Hall of Shame”

Do you have a favorite tree in Baltimore city? Have you seen a city tree that has suffered from poor care? Send it to us at info@parksandpeople.org and we will feature it in the next edition of “Hall of Fame and Hall of Shame.”

Hall of Fame

Our Hall of Fame tree also shows Anne Draddy, the Jones Falls Trail Manager with Baltimore City’s Department of Recreation & Parks, in front of two beautiful flowering crabapple trees in Solo Gibbs Park located in the Sharp Leadenhall Historic District in South Baltimore. Be sure to head over there to see the ornamental tree in bloom when the weather warms for the spring, the season during which this picture was taken.

Hall of Shame

These Hall of Shame trees demonstrate the dangers of leaving the wires on trees long after supporting tree stakes are needed. Young, newly planted trees are usually staked when planted. After about a year, the stakes and supporting wires should be removed. If the wire is left on, as the tree grows larger in circumference, the trunk will be girdled by the wire and may eventually die. Recent studies have shown that it is ideal not to stake and wire newly planted trees at all because the tree roots will be stronger if allowed to react to the wind movement. But in urban tree plantings, the use of tree stakes and wires has proven to be a deterrent to vandalism. The stakes also help stabilize the bulb until it sets into the earth. Another material that can be used for staking a tree is cloth tree ties.

KidsGrow Kids Learn You Are What You Eat

KidsGrow students are embarking on a study of food and agriculture this semester. In these lessons, they will learn about the ecosystems that provide them with all of the food they eat and will learn about how they themselves have a role in the health of their personal ecosystem and all of the ecosystems that surround them.

Gardening and agriculture will be key themes this semester. Starting at their own school, students will plant and maintain an herb and vegetable garden and will learn about the ecosystem services it provides. They will also analyze the weeds from their garden, identify them and report them to the Garden Mosaics database. Garden Mosaics is a program developed by Cornell University that creates a partnership between scientists and kids to create a national inventory of community gardens in the online Garden Mosaics database.

Going beyond the classroom, KidsGrow students will visit Cromwell Valley Farm to learn about the agricultural ecology. Maryland Agriculture in the Classroom will visit to teach students about basic agriculture concepts and about agriculture in Maryland, and will also show the kids how to make butter. Students will learn about the environmental impacts of food production ecosystems as well. Back in the city, students will visit community gardens, interview a gardener and take an inventory of the garden to report to the Garden Mosaics database. At the end of the year, students will harvest the garden they planted at the school and will plan a healthy meal using their garden harvest, then prepare it and serve it to school administrators and their families while also presenting what they learned to their guests. If you would like an invitation to this event you may request one via email to Monica Logan.

Nutrition will be another theme this semester. To learn more about nutrition, students will survey their neighborhood for places that sell food and will talk about the type of products available and not available to their communities.  They will make a mural that will represent the amount of food one kid eats in a year and will talk about the implications of such consumption. To learn more about their own biology, they will visit the Maryland Science Center to visit the My Body and BodyLink exhibits.

Part of the KidsGrow program is to bring in role models from the community to teach the kids about science and to encourage students to see science as a possible career path. To celebrate Black History Month, Parks & People Foundation invited several local black scientists to visit and talk with the kids.  Ornithologist Dr. Charlie Nilon came in to talk about how he became a scientist and the work he does for the Baltimore Ecosystem Study (BES) sampling bird populations in urban areas. Dr. Steward Pickett, the BES Project Director, came in to talk about his work as an ecologist.  Dr. Quin Holifield from the U.S. Forest Service came in to perform soil tests with the kids. Next month, the kids will go to McDonogh farm to work with Dan Dillon, a BES Research Assistant, to test a stream for nutrient pollution and learn about agricultural runoff. Later next month, Becky Ramsing from University of Maryland’s School of Medicine is coming in to talk with the kids about general nutrition and health.  Finally, in May, the kids will visit Hollins Market to learn about making healthy food and snack choices with nutritionist Mark Rifkin.

All this may sound like a lot to learn in a semester, but that’s not all the KidsGrow students will be doing this spring. They will also be working on character building activities with the Boy Scouts. To experience the environment first hand, the students will be going sailing with the Chesapeake Bay Foundation and they will be going on an overnight camping trip at the Echo Hill Outdoor Education School. The students learned democracy in action by participating in Annapolis Advocacy Day, when they talked to legislators about the importance of after school programs. Click here to hear about the event and see lead teacher Hester Johnson giving her opinion about why after-school matters!

The tulip garden—which we mentioned in the December newsletter—that was planted at each school to predict the arrival of spring bloomed a little earlier than expected this year, possibly because the plants were planted near concrete which makes the ground warmer.

 
6 Spring Planting Tips

• Remove winter mulch from your perennial beds.
• Early April is a good time to plant cool season and leafy green vegetables that will be ready for a perfect summer salad.
• April is also a good time to start an herb garden; fresh herbs are a delightful addition to any dish.
• Spring is a great time for planting trees before it gets too hot to be outdoors. Planting a tree is also a wonderful way to celebrate Arbor Day on April 28 or Earth Day on April 22. Click here for Earth Day events in our area.
• Visit Parks & People Foundation’s table at the Flower Mart on May 5 & 6 on your way to buying something nice for your garden at home.
• As your plants begin to flourish this spring, be sure to check for signs of insects and disease. Just like with your health, catching a problem early on can make it easier to treat.

For more planting tips, contact our new Watershed Greening Coordinator, Jaleel Nash at (410) 448-5663 ext. 103.