Imagine attending school in a castle. No, we’re not talking about Harry Potter and the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The majestic structure we’re speaking about is located in Forest Glen, Maryland, and is known as the National Park Seminary. The finishing school was home to over 48 students in its first year of operation. During World War II, the Army bought it to serve as an annex and rehabilitation site for injured soldiers. Today, it’s in the development phase for condo, apartment, and single-home construction, but still makes for a Maryland adventure into the past like no other.

The preserved castle in Forest Glen's National Park Seminary was once a girl's private school.
Jack Parrott/Flickr
Students attended classes there from 1894 to 1942. Today, it's a time capsule of a bygone era.
The young ladies attending the school spent May Day of 1907 enjoying floral wreaths and the colorful Maypole installed in the National Forest.
Leet Brothers/Wikimedia Commons
Dressing up for the occasion wasn't abnormal because the school taught more than reading, writing, and arithmetic. A classic finishing school, girls learned to be polished and poised.
A windmill house is also visible on the property. John and Vesta Cassedy created the school with an incredible array of landscaping techniques, architecture, paintings, and stained glass to create a rich cultural and artistic experience for its students.
Jack Parrott/Flickr

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The classically inspired marble fountain is an example of the luxurious world created by the Cassedys.
Jack Boucher/Wikimedia
It wasn't your ordinary finishing school, which is why people have fought to protect it for decades.
The National Park Seminary Gymnasium still stands tall, despite beginning to show its age.
Rudi Riet/Flickr
It's visible from the street and serves as a reminder of days past. You'll see a wide range of materials used to create the beautiful park.
The Pagoda remains an attraction that people love to visit. The variety of the architecture throughout the park provides plenty of inspiration.
Preservation Maryland/Flickr
It's a wonderful, winsome little world waiting to be discovered.

 

Did you know about this former private school? Doesn’t it make for a unique Maryland adventure in the past? We sure think so!

Are you ready for the next chapter of your storybook adventure in Maryland? There may not be dragons to slay, but there are some Maryland castles hiding in the unlikeliest of places. Go have an adventure!

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