Welcome to
Adelaide Bentley Park
in Historic East Towson
Come see how our garden grows in the Land of Pleasant Living!
Adelaide C.V. Bentley
“Everybody was connected … everybody knew each other. Your parents could correct me, my parents could correct you. It was that kind of relationship. Everybody looked out for each other … We were one big knit.” - Adelaide Bentley
Born and raised in East Towson, Adelaide Bentley was a strong advocate for the preservation of the land AND of the community.
History
& Design
2006
The Baltimore County Office of Community Conservation and Mount Calvary AME Church approached NeighborSpace about acquiring a site in Historic East Towson “as open space for the usage of community residents and visitors.”
2007
$40,000 grant from Baltimore County Office of Community Conservation and $40,000 funding from NeighborSpace. Site purchased from St. Ambrose Housing Aid Center.
2008
Volunteers from the local Mormon Church, and Harmony Herd goats, worked to clear invasive species from the area.
Consultation with master gardeners and landscape architects
2013
The County Council, at the urging of 5th District Councilman, David Marks, passed a resolution to name the park after Adelaide Bentley.
2016 - 2017
Worked with students from Morgan State University’s graduate program in Landscape Architecture to develop a design for the park. The winning layout was designed by Ashley Jones and Abby Leonard.
2017
Local Baltimore County firm, Pinehurst Landscaping Co. began and completed the original design of the space.
2018
Addition of the memorial garden, recognizing the life and work of Master Naturalist, Johanna Hastings-Kiessling.
Received a gift of native plantings from her family.
2019
Stormwater management features added
Park Management: A Partnership with NeighborSpace of Baltimore County
• NeighborSpace is a nonprofit land trust that seeks to enhance the livability of the older communities inside Baltimore County's Urban-Rural Demarcation Line by protecting and improving the land with small parks, gardens, trails, and natural areas.
• Among the benefits of working with NeighborSpace is that its land trust role means that the land is protected for the benefit of the community "in perpetuity," that is, forever!
• NeighborSpace also purchases liability and conservation defense insurance for the park and provides expertise concerning the park's design, management, and programming.
• In return, NeighborSpace expects its stewardship partners, including the Northeast Towson Improvement Association, to help care for the park.
• It also hopes that members of the surrounding community will support the organization financially by becoming an annual member of NeighborSpace. For a monthly contribution of $2 or a one-time contribution of $30, donors receive a NeighborSpace Logo T-shirt, shown below.
This project was funded through the NeighborSpace Portals for Our Partners Program and the United Way of Central Maryland