Historic Cylburn Arboretum Mansion

    

Cylburn Arboretum History

              
volunteering

History of Cylburn Baltimore Maryland

 

Tysons In 1863 Jesse Tyson, a Baltimore businessman and importer, began contruction of Cylburn Mansion as a summer home for his mother and himself.

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Mansion The Mansion is a luxurious post-Civil War dwelling, built of gneiss from Tyson's quarries at Bare Hills, Maryland, with mansard roof, a tower and a cupola of Italianate design. Its fireplaces, inlaid floors, mosaics, tapestries and ornate plaster work have been preserved.

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Historic Grounds In 1954, The Board of Recreation and Parks founded the Cylburn Wildflower Preserve and Garden Center. A group of volunteers designed trails and gardens and developed the Cylburn grounds as a center for environmental education and horticulture. In 1982, the Preserve was renamed Cylburn Arboretum Association, Inc.


 

In 1954, a citizen's group working with the Board of Recreation and Parks incorporated itself as the Cylburn Wildflower Preserve and Garden Center with the intent of making Cylburn Park a center for environmental education and horticulture. Within this corporate organization, volunteers began designing, developing and maintaining nature trails and gardens on the park property.

In 1982, Cylburn Park officially became Cylburn Arboretum, thereby clarifying its mission for Baltimore City as the city's horticultural center for the preservation, maintenance and expansion of Cylburn's existing trees and shrubs as well as maintenance of its woodlands and gardens. The organization of volunteers that was already assisting the city in that effort became the Cylburn Arboretum Association, Inc.

The Association has its office on the second floor of Cylburn Mansion as does the Horticultural Division of the Baltimore City Department of Parks and Recreationom. From there, it coordinates volunteer activities in the gardens, on the trails and in the Museums.

The Association publishes a quarterly Newsletter for its membership. It also hosts horticultural lectures and demonstrations as well as guided tours of the Mansion and the gardens led by trained Garden Guides. It sponsors such Baltimore events as Market Day, Chamber Music Series and the December Holiday Tea in the decorated Mansion.

The spacious rooms on the first floor are available for reservation by garden clubs and other groups for meetings, receptions, retreats, flower shows, lectures and workshops. The Mansion and its grounds make lovely settings for weddings and other celebrations. All reservations are handled by the City of Baltimore Department of Recreation and Parks - Horticultural Division on the second floor of the Mansion. 410-396-0180    Office Hours: 7:30AM-3:30 PM

Book CoverFormer Board Member and author Eden Unger Bosditch's recently published book Baltimore's Historic Parks and Gardens is available at the Association office at $19.95 plus tax . Eden will autograph all the copies sold by Cylburn and a portion of the sales will be donated to the Cylburn Arboretum Association