G is for Glen Echo, Maryland

G is for Glen Echo, Maryland. 

A less than 1 hour drive got me to this little hideaway along the Potomac River (click here for map). Incorporated in 1904, Glen Echo is one of the quaint, historical suburbs of Washington, DC. Additionally, the town boasts one of finest cultural resources in the Washington, D.C. area – Glen Echo Park. This Park is managed by the Glen Echo Park Partnership for Arts and Culture in cooperation with Montgomery County and the National Park Service (NPS). Glen Echo’s 255 residents are pretty much living among an educational goldmine.  

Allow me to tell you a bit more about the Park and everything else I experienced during my visit to this unforgettable place. Glen Echo Park was the” brainchild” of Edward and Edwin Baltzley, who came up with the name circa 1888. The Baltzleys were inventors, industrialists, and real estate developers hoping to build upon the banks of the Potomac River a suburban community free of the urban pollution of late-nineteenth century Washington. Their advertising booklet for the town was titled "Glen Echo on the Potomac: The Washington Rhine". 

Glen Echo Park was originally formed in 1891 as a National Chautauqua Assembly – the 53rd (an explanation of a Chautauqua will follow) and then operated as an amusement park until 1968. On 1 April 1970, it was transferred to the United States Government in a land exchange. It eventually became part of the Department of the Interior administered by the NPS. Since 1971, it has become a culturally renowned center; whereas, the NPS has been offering year-round activities in dance, theater, and the arts. The NPS resurrected the original plans for this Park making it a Chautauqua. Per Wikipedia, the definition of a Chautauqua is:

"An adult education movement in the United States, highly popular in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Named after Chautauqua Lake where the first was held, Chautauqua assemblies expanded and spread throughout rural America until the mid-1920s. A Chautauqua Assembly brought entertainment and culture for the whole community, with speakers, teachers, musicians, entertainers, preachers and specialists of the day. Former US President Theodore Roosevelt was quoted as saying Chautauqua is "the most American thing in America".

Intrigued? The NPS offers park history tours and other programs. Additionally, the Park offers hundreds of classes and workshops in the visual and performing arts and is home to thirteen resident artists and arts organizations. But, aside from the Park’s Spanish ballroom, many public festivals, children’s theaters, and a social dance program, the Park houses something which became the main reason for my trip to this small town……an antique Dentzel carousel.




I love carousels. I think it is because it is one of those rides which has been around forever – it stood the test of time. Anyway, I digress – my apologizes. I was happy to read Glen Echo Park has a carousel tour, so I called ahead to get on the list. Ranger Kevin was to be my guide. My 10:00 a.m. proved to be too early for some as I was the only person on the tour (rides did not begin until 12:00). Ranger Kevin let me in the building and proceeded to give me some interesting facts about this carousel and carousels, in general:

In the early 1800s, The Dentzel Carousel Company began as Michael Dentzel’s wagon making shop in southern Germany. It blossomed into a cabinet making and carousel making business in the 1850s when Michael’s son, Gustav Dentzel, immigrated to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Glen Echo Park Dentzel was made in 1921.

The Glen Echo Park carousel is called a "menagerie carousel" because it is made up of many different animals. The 40 horses, 4 rabbits, 4 ostriches, 2 bunnies, a giraffe, a deer, a lion, and a tiger stand in three concentric rings. The Dentzel carvers were noted for their realism with carving of the veins and muscles of the animals. 

As mentioned, there are three rows of animals. The larger animals are on the outside row. They are called “Standers” and normally used for adults. “Standers” do not move up and down. The two inside rows are normally used for children. These are the animals you typically see moving up and down.

Have you ever heard the phrase “Grab the Brass Ring”? Brass ring dispensers were developed during the heyday of the carousel in the United States — roughly 1880 to 1921. At one time, the riders on the outside row of horses were often given a little challenge as a way to draw interest, build excitement, or perhaps as an enticement to sit on the outside row of horses, which frequently did not move up and down. Most rings were iron, but one or two per ride were made of brass; if a rider managed to grab a brass ring, it could be redeemed for a free ride. As the carousel began to turn, rings were fed to one end of a wooden arm that was suspended above the riders. Riders hoped that the timing of the carousel rotation would place them within reach of the dispenser when a ring (and preferably a brass ring) was available. Unfortunately, with the liability of injury associated with the game, the brass ring dispenser is no longer used with today’s carousels.

The animals are highly decorated on the side facing outwards to attract more customers. 

When the park closed, the different rides were sent to different parks. When Ms. Nancy Long (now a Councilwoman in Glen Echo) heard a buyer was going to ship this carousel to California, she asked the buyer if it could remain in Glen Echo Park if she was able to raise $80,000.00 in one month. She was successful and handed it over to the NPS with their promise they would not use it as a museum piece – it would have to continue to be operational.

The carousel moves to the music of a Wurlitzer band organ. Only 12 Wurlitzer organs of this style are known to exist. It plays like a player piano, which uses paper rolls. The Glen Echo Park band organ has over 100 rolls with dozens of songs on each.


The “Bunny” seat on the carousel played a significant role in history. Due to the timing in our history, the Park was segregated. In June 1960, five black patrons attempted to ride the carousel, gathered/sat on the Bunny seat, and staged a sit-in. They were protesting the long-standing segregation policies of the amusement park. Those five individuals were arrested and charged with trespassing on private property. It became a summer-long picketing campaign following the arrests, which involved hundreds of citizens of all ages and backgrounds. In March 1961, the park opened on a fully-integrated basis. 

So, you know the little door in the middle of the carousel which is painted to blend with the scenery of the center wall? I, seriously, have always wondered what was in the room in the center of the carousel. It has been the secret I have been unable to solve for the entire “XX” years of my life…..UNTIL NOW!!!! I had a “connection” – I had an “in”! RANGER KEVIN!!!! I completely forgot about the door until he turned around to lock up the building after the tour was over and realized he left the lights on. He walked towards the carousel and I realized what he was going to do. HE…..OPENED………THE…..DOOR!!! I turned to look in the room - to see what I was dying to see for the last “XX” years, and?

I thanked Ranger Kevin for the wealth of information he provided and de…ci…ded……what? I failed to tell you what was in the room, didn’t I? Well, I have to tell you, I wasn’t sure what to expect but I certainly didn’t think it would be a light switch, maintenance equipment, and the unpainted insides/working of a carousel. What a bummer! But then, again, what else could there possibly be, right? 

With the Nancy Drew mystery solved, I ventured over to the Chesapeake and Ohio (C&O) Canal to visit Lock #7. If you are not familiar with how a canal and canal lock works, here is a short explanation. Canals are vital for allowing waterways to follow the terrain rather than having to cut through it. A canal lock (design from 1828) connects two bodies of water at different elevations by creating a sort of water elevator. The water inside the lock can be raised and lowered independently allowing ships to make the transition between elevations without the danger of traveling down rapids or the difficulty of motoring uphill. To raise a ship, the water in the lock is lowered to match the water in the lower canal. The ship moves from the canal into the lock, where a set of doors seals it off from the lower canal. Gates at the other end of the lock are opened, allowing water to flow down from above and raising the water level. When the water levels are equalized, the doors in the far end open, allowing the ship to move out into the upper canal. The process is simply reversed for ships traveling into a lower canal.


Some specifics about Lock #7 are as follows. The date indicates the date when the lock was completed. It often took a year to build the lock and cost about $10,000.00.



NAME. Chatuaqua Lock

NEARBY LANDMARKS. Glen Echo

DATE. September 1829

LIFT. 8 feet
        

Please click here for an informative, virtual tour of the locks on the C&O Canal.



I was getting hungry, but looked at the time and realized Ranger Kevin was giving a group tour of the Clara Barton House in 20 minutes. So, lunch was just going to have to wait! Clara Barton was the founder of the American Red Cross and lived the last 15 years of her life in Glen Echo. She lived until she was 90 years of age. Her house was amazing. This vast, 14,000 square foot house with 38 rooms was a house for Clara and her volunteers, was the first permanent house of the American Red Cross, and served as a warehouse to hold supplies (has more than 50 closets). Ranger Kevin provided some very interesting facts about this house:


Clara Barton was extremely frugal. She used muslin cloth to put on her ceilings and walls as plaster was too expensive.

She set-up/designed six shelters (massive) to house people misplaced during natural disasters. This house in Glen Echo mirrored the design.

The front room in the house was the Living Room for people who did not live in the house. They were guests who would drop by to pay her a visit. If the individual was seated in that particular room, the visit would last no more than 20 minutes. If she wanted the individual to stay longer, they would retreat to the Drawing Room.



The two red crosses in the windows were made of stained glass and made large enough so people from a distance knew where to go in time of need.



There are 408 National parks in the United Sates. This is the first one dedicated to a woman and it was dedicated back in 1975.



At the beginning of the account of my journey, I mentioned two individuals - Edward and Edwin Baltzley. In 1899, the Baltzleys rented the park to the Glen Echo Company, who put in a carousel (not today’s Dentzel), a bowling alley, a band pavilion, and picnic grounds. But in 1903, deeply in debt and with liens against the property, the brothers finally let it fall into the hands of the building association holding the first trust. Alonzo P. Shaw, who had built the huge elephant at Coney Island, was brought in to manage the park. He installed a Ferris wheel in Clara Barton's front yard and a roller coaster which would come screeching by her window. He was hoping to drive her out of her house so he could turn it into a hotel. Clara Barton was happy to see him replaced.




I feel extremely fortunate I had the opportunity to visit this house today as it will be closed for 1 to 2 years beginning next month for more restoration. Although there was not any furniture in any of the rooms, the picture boards provided me enough insight as to how the rooms looked when the house was occupied.


This was another exceptional tour given by Ranger Kevin. I thanked him, again, and wandered over to the Glen Echo Cafe, which was located by the carousel. The sandwich and small salad I ordered definitely did not disappoint. The staff was courteous, very accommodating, and took great care in making sure every order they filled was to the customer’s satisfaction. I finished eating and walked over to the carousel where it was filled with children laughing to their heart’s content. The adults looked like they were having a good time, as well. As I was looking at the carousel and listening to the Band Organ, I found myself experiencing a bit of the past in the present. I could only imagine the crowds the park drew when it was fully functioning as an amusement park back in the 1800s.


As I made the journey home, I kept thinking about the day’s events. Glen Echo is another one of those towns right down the road, waiting to be seen, acknowledged, and appreciated. Mission complete.