Map of the Heritage Trail is HERE.
Welcome!
We invite you to use our story map to explore the people and places that over thousands of years have made this Baltimore stream valley unique. All you need are curiosity, a digital device, and comfortable shoes!
The trail is self-guided and so allows you to go at your own pace and direction along the park’s paved path. Through the story map on your device, the trail offers glimpses of Indigenous people, African Americans, and people of European descent who have used the land and water over time. It also provides brief observations about some of the park’s natural features.
Update: Phase 2 from Belair Road to Sinclair Lane is in the works! More to come soon.
How the Heritage Trail Came to Be
In July 2020, the Friends of Herring Run Parks was awarded a grant from the Maryland Heritage Areas Authority of the Maryland Historical Trust to create a Herring Run Heritage Trail. This phased project is intended to introduce and connect park visitors of different backgrounds to the history, archaeology, and cultural landscapes of Herring Run Park, while benefiting the retail corridors of Belair and Harford roads in Northeast Baltimore. The trail is an extension of our work with the Herring Run Archeology Project, which explored the park's rich history through archaeological discovery. Our research objective was to build on this work by seeing what more we could find about Indigenous people and African Americans using the park throughout the 19th and 20th centuries. With funding from Preservation Maryland, we commissioned a report on African Americans and the park.
In 2022, we applied for and were awarded a technical assistance grant from the National Park Service’s Rivers, Trails, and Conservation Assistance Program. The National Park Service team assisted us in developing a narrative landscape that appeals to people of different backgrounds with research from the archeological and historical reports.
The National Park Service team worked with a small committee from the Friends of Herring Run Parks to understand and break down the reports. Together we began pulling out relevant stories and organized them into three themes:
- Discovering the Truth -- stories that may have been hidden or covered over by a different narrative throughout history.
- Resilience -- stories about the resilience of the people and the landscape in Herring Run and nearby.
- The Land and Water -- stories that help you read the natural landscape around you in the park.
Using an ArcGIS mapping tool, we marked locations in the park corresponding to the stories we identified. We wrote and peer-edited story text and sought out graphic elements to accompany each story. We shared a draft of the map with our board and our partners, gathering additional feedback through a survey. Feedback has been an essential part of the process.
Finally, with the help of a graphic designer and the National Parks Service team, we completed the first phase of our digital “story map.” Through editing and reviewing, some of our stories became stronger, and some were put aside until more research can be done. We still have many identified (and unidentified) stories to research, write, edit, and map in the next phase, which will take us further southeast in the park. We also hope to add an oral history component to the map.
Map of the Heritage Trail is HERE.
Many thanks to our supporters.
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Check out these other fascinating heritage tours and trails in Baltimore.
Heritage Walk
Pennsylvania Avenue Heritage Trail
East Baltimore’s Historic American Indian Reservation
Heritage Walk
Pennsylvania Avenue Heritage Trail
East Baltimore’s Historic American Indian Reservation
