Forest Glen Seminary Main Page

Forest Glen is situated in the Maryland suburbs of Washington, D.C. It was named for the wooded glen that channels a small creek from Carroll Springs to Rock Creek. The area is about 400 feet higher than most parts of Washington, with better drainage. It was cooler, less humid, with fewer insects and less danger of malaria. Just the thing that would appeal to a D.C. city dweller in the late 1880's, particularly in July or August -- or at least that's what the real estate promoters hoped!

The history of the site can be divided into six distinct phases:

	Early history	pre-1887
	The Forest Inn hotel	1887-1894
	National Park Seminary (the Cassedy years)	1894-1916
	National Park Seminary (the Ament years)	1916-1937
	National Park College	1937-1942
	Walter Reed Army Medical Center annex	1942-present

The story of the school is intimately interrelated with the stories of a number of interesting people:

Another perspective on the story is that of the students. Campus life was full of traditions, events, rules and regulations, and routines.

All that's left now are the buildings and a few of the statues, which only hint at their earlier grandeur. A few of them are gone, and all of them are suffering from years of neglect in spite of being designated a Historic Site in 1972. But enough remain to show why this is considered to be a prime example of an architectural "folly."

You can see the buildings three ways:

you can read a historical narrative and then take links to find out more about specific buildings,
you can use a clickable map of campus to locate more information on individual buildings, or
you can choose from a simple list of buildings. If you know what building you want to read about, this is your quickest option since there is no large graphic to reload each time.

You may even decide to take a trip out to Forest Glen and see the buildings for yourself. If so, there's a map to help you find your way.

Finally, you may want to find out more about the current status of the property and the efforts to preserve what's left. PLEASE get in touch with the people who are working to halt the deterioration, and offer your help!

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