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CDSG REPRESENTATIVE SITE VISIT REPORT

Fort Name: Fort Howard
Date of Visit: Summer 2015
Current Site Name: Ft. Howard Park
9500 North Point Road (21052)
410-887-7529
Site Use: County Park.
Is the Site open to the Public?: Yes
Dates and Hours of Operation: Parks are open from sunrise to sunset.
What type of programs are offered at the Site?:
Living History:
Defenders Day-Battle of 1812 (9 Sept) – Dundalk-Patapsco Neck Historical Society & Museum, Inc
Tours: Self Guided.  (http://esprec.com/FOFHP.html
Museum Shop: None
Restoration Projects: County or State – None.
The Edgemere Sparrows Point Recreation Council is supporting installation of signage by its affiliated Friends of Fort Howard Park
What is the overall condition of the Site: Good
What is the condition of the Individual Elements?:
Batteries:
Good- Except Battery Lazear Demolished at an earlier date
Buildings: Some of the brick buildings are still standing on the site of the former VA Hospital which is next door to the batteries. (Officer Quarters, NCO Quarters, Bakery, Post Exchange, and Ordnance Storage House). The installation movie theater may be the former reading room and cafeteria from the 1921 survey map.
What is the protective status of the Site?:
National Park:
No
National Register: No
State Historic Site: No

Baltimore Representatives report.

As a first report on the status of the Baltimore forts this will only cover Fort Howard.  Baltimore County Department of Recreation and Parks owns the park land which encloses the remaining batteries. The Department works thru its local offices with geographically based volunteer recreation and parks councils.  In this case the Edgemere-Sparrows Point Recreation Office serves the Edgemere Sparrows Point Recreation Council.  It is this group which has initiated a program called Friends of Fort Howard Park (FoFHP).  The intent of the program is to improve the park grounds, expand the range of activities, and to make visitors aware of the historical significance of the property.  (http://esprec.com/FOFHP.html)  This friends group is the most likely partner on the ground for the CDSG as it consists of people interested in the history of the coast defense fort and the military presence in the area.

The FoFHP President is Mr Ray Scott a new member to the CDSG. I would like to thank Terry McGovern and Elliot Deutsch for including me in their arrangements to meet with the FoFHP in July.  The three of us provided some personal resources on forts as well as advice on how to proceed.   Elliot discussed the history of previous efforts and Terry brought up what successful parks enclosing coast defense batteries have done.  We had the presence of the local State Delegate so our presence and story did resonate.

The following came out of that meeting.  Park maintenance is the responsibility of the County.  The park receives a minimal level of care related to the recreation and pavilion structures and such things as cutting the grass.  The battery structures receive no maintenance though there is evidence of some concern for safety as there is the use of cyclone fencing on some of them.  There is no onsite manager for the park and security is minimal.  Several of the structures on the ex-VA hospital property have been destroyed or damaged by fire so a level of security was observed there during the visit.

For those who attended the 2009 CDSG Baltimore – Washington conference there is nothing dramatically different in the status of the battery structures.  FoFHP and possibly others have undertaken initiatives on their own to make the military story better known, opened up sight lines, cleared trails and put together an online self guided tour of the fort to educate visitors.  The FoFHP has an initiative to put up signage that is progressing.   FoFHP operates off of support from the Recreation Council.  The Council makes its money off of things such as running a Halloween Haunted House in the 12 mortar battery structures.

Other interested organizations in the area.  The Fort Howard Community Association.  It has launched the “Keeping the Promise for Another Hundred Years,” restoration project of the US Army field artillery pieces from 1906 displayed in the park. Fort Howard Community Association and its auxillary group, Friends of Fort Howard are  spearheading collecting money.  The Maryland National Guard and County have shown interest in that project.
The local history association, the Dundalk-Patapsco Neck Historical Society & Museum, Inc sponsors the events around Defenders Day the commemoration and reenactment of the British invasion of Baltimore during the War of 1812 that uses the Park.

By the next newsletter I hope to  have met with the owners/government officials and friends groups of one or more of the other of the forts in Baltimore and report on them.