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History of Patterson Park
Patterson Park, one of the oldest public parks in the nation, has a fascinating history. William Patterson donated the first six acres for a ‘public walk’ in 1827. Significant historic activities occurred on this site dating from the early 19th century when citizen soldiers deterred the British in the war of 1812. Between 1861 and 1864, the Park was used as a Civil War encampment for Union troops from New York, Wisconsin and Maine.

Frederick Law Olmsted’s philosophy that the urban park should provide sanctuary from the harsh realities of urban industrialization and offer opportunities for social encounters and recreation directly influenced John H. B. Latrobe – artist, architect, inventor, activist and member of the Baltimore Park Commission. Latrobe and his fellow commissioners oversaw the construction of promenades, installation of fountains, creation of a Boat Lake and architectural additions such as the conservatory and the Pagoda, which reflected the era’s interest in the exotic.

For almost two hundred years, the 155-acre park has been one of Baltimore’s most intensively used greenspaces, playing a vital role in the lives of the people of Southeast Baltimore. Its environmental significance may not be as obvious, but to those who treasure the Chesapeake Bay, its significance is well known - Patterson Park is situated in the Chesapeake Bay’s Patapsco Watershed, near Baltimore’s Inner Harbor.

Since 2002, Audubon Maryland-DC has been actively involved in the community, providing education programming in schools, recreation centers and in Patterson Park itself through the Patterson Park Audubon Center. From our current storefront office adjacent to the Park, we are a model program for Vision 2020, Audubon’s bold and ambitious campaign to establish nature centers across the United States, reach one in every four school children, and bring over one million acres of land under conservation.