Today’s park was acquired from four property owners from March 1993 to the present, primarily with “Program Open Space” funds from the state. The easternmost 220 acres, Willow Grove Farm, was purchased from the heirs of Robert Merrick, a prominent Baltimore banker. The house on this farm, built in the mid to late 1800s by A.W. Shanklin, is now the Nature Education Center. The center 102 acre farm, Sherwood Farm, was purchased from the heirs of Mrs. Frances Wellington Sherwood. The gorgeous Sherwood House on this property, dating from 1935, was designed by the firm of Palmer and Lambdin. Running it as a gentleman’s farm, the Sherwoods operated an apple and peach orchard, sold eggs and chickens to the public, and raised farm animals for the family’s own kitchen. The third property, Fellowship Farm, was purchased from Mr. Franklin Eck, who operated a Christmas tree farm. Finally, the most recent acquisitions were the 50 acre Barrans’ Property and the 20 acre ” Betty’s Gardens”, hilly parcels near Providence Road.

Sherwood History

Frances Sherwood acquired the majority (80 acres) of Sherwood Farm in 1934 from Eben Finney, being a part of a much larger tract (256 acres) that Finney had just acquired from John Lindsay Clark.
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Willow Grove Farm

In 1993, the 179 acre Willow Grove farm and another 38 acre parcel near Loch Raven Rd were purchased by the State of Maryland from the Robert Merrick estate, ending a plan to develop the valley into residences.
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Lime Kiln Bottom

Frances Sherwood acquired the majority (80 acres) of Sherwood Farm in 1934 from Eben Finney, being a part of a much larger tract (256 acres) that Finney had just acquired from John Lindsay Clark.

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Apple Orchard

This apple orchard is on the site of the original apple orchard, planted during World War II by the Sherwood Family. The original orchard was located between Wellington Woods and the farm manager’s house.
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Hike through History

The Sherwood-Eck Trail will take you throughout Cromwell Valley Park while interpreting many of the park’s most interesting and historical structures and sites. This trail is about 2 miles long and will take about 1-2 hours to complete, depending on your walking speed. If you are unable to walk for 2 miles or for 2 hours, then the Southern portion of the trail can be easily skipped by simply stopping at the Sherwood House (station #15). Below are some audio files to help guide you on key areas of the trail.

Spring House

The Spring House (circa 1860) was built to provide water for the Shanklin family and the keep dairy products cool. When the city of Baltimore constructed a tunnel from Loch Raven Reservoir to Montebello Water Works, the city undermined the Shanklin Property and this Spring House went dry.

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Cider House

The Cider House or log storage house is a converted corn crib and an excellent example of a log structure that would have been found on a farm in 1800’s Baltimore County.

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Merrick Barn

This two story bank barn was built with adze-hewn, square logs, assembled in the 1860’s at the corners with V-notches. This is the only style of joinery ever noted in this County for log buildings.

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Apple House

The apple business boomed during the early part of the 20th century. The resident farm manager at Sherwood, Fred Ingram, helped Mr. Sherwood plan an apple & peach orchard. If an apple tree died, it was replaced with a peach tree.

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Corn Crib

The farm was divided up into fields to grow hay, corn, wheat, and vegetables. This ventilated building was used for the storage of husked corn. These corn bins were built to store corn and other garden vegetables grown on the farm.

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Sherwood Graveyard

This graveyard is one of the more interesting and mysterious structures here. There is little to nothing known about its history, but for a few oral stories. A mention is in the 1840’s deed to Plaskett Farm (Good Fellowship).

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