Near West Glen in Baltimore County, Maryland — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)

Gwynn Oak Park and the Civil Rights Movement

Photographed by Don Morfe, August 4, 2013

1. Gwynn Oak Park and the Civil Rights Movement Marker

Inscription. On August 28, 1963, Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered his “I Have a Dream” speech in Washington, D. C. On that same day a victory for equal rights occurred here, as segregation ended at Gwynn Oak Amusement Park, which used to occupy this site. Achieving this milestone took nearly ten years of protests, culminating in two demonstrations on July 4, and 7, 1963. About 400 people were arrested, including over 20 Catholic, Protestant and Jewish clergy. It was a memorable time when people of different faiths and ethnicities took part in a Civil Rights demonstration. Negotiations followed that resulted in the park finally being open to all on August 28, 1963. The first African American child to go on a ride that day took a spin on the merry-go-round. In 1972, Hurricane Agnes destroyed the amusement park, but the merry-go-round survived and was later moved to the National Mall in Washington, near where Dr. King gave his famous speech.

(Plaque at the base of the marker) Dedicated July 2013 by Baltimore County, Gwynn Oak Community Association and Security Woodlawn Business Association.

Topics. This historical

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marker is listed in these topic lists: Civil Rights • Entertainment. A significant historical month for this entry is July 1836.

Location. 39° 19.583′ N, 76° 43′ W. Marker is near West Glen, Maryland, in Baltimore County. It is on Gwynn Oak Avenue (Maryland Route 126) 0.1 miles west of Park Drive. The marker is about 50 feet in from the parking lot of Gwynn Oak Park. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 5900 Gwynn Oak Avenue, Gwynn Oak MD 21207, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Central Maryland.

It is also in the American Mid-Atlantic,

in the Chesapeake Bay Region,

and on the Eastern Seaboard. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region,

North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once one of the original Thirteen Colonies

and also the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Leakin Park at the Crimea Estate (approx. 1½ miles away); Gateway to Leakin Park (approx. 1.6 miles away); Caretaker House (approx.

Photographed by Don Morfe, August 4, 2013

2. Gwynn Oak Park and the Civil Rights Movement Marker

Plaque at the base of the marker

1.6 miles away); Chapel (approx. 1.6 miles away); Franklintown's Historic Roots (approx. 1.6 miles away); Norman Van Allan Reeves (approx. 1.6 miles away); Dickeyville's Historic Legacy (approx. 1.7 miles away); Crimea Mansion (approx. 1.7 miles away).

Photographed by Don Morfe, August 4, 2013

3. Gwynn Oak Park and the Civil Rights Movement Marker

Photographed by Don Morfe, August 4, 2013

4. Gwynn Oak Park and the Civil Rights Movement Marker

Sign at the entrance to the park

Credits. This page was last revised on November 2, 2020. It was originally submitted on August 7, 2013, by Don Morfe of Baltimore, Maryland. This page has been viewed 2,502 times since then and 100 times this year. Last updated on March 3, 2018, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on August 7, 2013, by Don Morfe of Baltimore, Maryland. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.