All Sykesville Parks Close At Dusk

BEACH PARK - (formerly Autumn Sky tot lot)

Historical Significance: The Springfield Academy, the first school in Sykesville, was opened in 1838 and was operated by members of the Springfield Presbyterian Church. By 1878 the school, now called the Springfield Institute, was headed by Suzanna and Jemima Beach and offered classes to boarding and day students. The park is located about two blocks from the location of this first school.

SHANNON RUN PARK - (formerly Brandenburg Circle)

Historical Significance: This park was set aside as open space as part of the Shannon Run subdivision built in the 1980’s and 1990’s. This section of the subdivision was designed using the town’s innovative Small Town Planning Guidelines. These guidelines encouraged traditional town design standards and marked a departure from the conventional subdivision design of the past thirty to forty years.

HAROLD BURKETT PARK - (known as Burkett Park)

Historical Significance: In the 1980’s Harold Burkett was instrumental in operating the Carroll County Food Bank out of the Town House kitchen. After a few years the distribution center became too large to be housed in the Town House and was moved to Westminster.

MILLARD COOPER PARK - (known as Cooper Park)

Historical Significance: Cooper Park, the town’s first, was named for Millard Cooper. “Coop,” as he was called, was the Chief of Police for the town; the Maintenance Superintendent, snow removal expert, and a friend to many Sykesville residents.

LEXINGTON RUN PARK - (formerly Jennifer Way Playground)

Historical Significance: This park is part of a subdivision that was constructed In the early 1980’s called Lexington Run Subdivision.

JONES PARK - (formerly Kalorama Tot Lot)

Historical Significance: Ida, Fanny, and Elsie Jones were local celebrities. They photographed people and places and later hand-tinted these photos. Landscapes, still life, and local buildings were favorite subjects for the Jones sisters. Their efforts contributed to a great photographic record.

SYKESVILLE LINEAR TRAIL - (formerly Linear Trail)

Historical Significance: In the late 1980’s, the Shannon Run and Hawk Ridge Farms Subdivisions were reviewed and approved by the town. The Linear Trail was carefully designed into both subdivisions to provide a pleasant walking trail that runs from Obrecht Road to the Patapsco River.

LITTLE SYKES RAILWAY PARK -

Historical Significance: In 1999 the Town acquired a 1949 12-gauge miniature train built by the Miniature Train Company. With the help of volunteers like Richard Doxzen, the town located the miniature train to town-owned land along Sandosky Road.

BLOOMFIELD PARK - (formerly Wimmer/Talon open space)

Historical Significance: Bloomfield Manor, a historic home is situated nearby. Bloomfield Manor farm originally included this park.

OLD MAIN LINE PARK - (next to Interlocking Tower)

Historical Significance: Train tracks are from the original train line, dating from the early 1830's. This line was known as the "Old Main Line".