Adelaide’s Legacy: How Perseverance is Paying Off in East Towson

Adelaide Bentley Park, like the story of East Towson, is a case in perseverance. Words alone cannot describe what the process of creating the park has been like and many do not understand how hard it is to maintain it. No matter what you do, water flows, wind blows and plants grow. A site like this not only requires constant vigilance, attention and work, but also a deep knowledge of the science behind the proper management of stormwater, soil, trees and plants. This story begins 11 years ago when Adelaide Bentley Park was nothing more than an idea…

May 21st, 2009 – Adelaide Bentley, granddaughter Nancy Goldring, and County employees Ray Heil and Tony Baysmore stand in front of a mass of vines and overgrowth at the future Adelaide Bentley Park.

October 19th, 2013 – A group of volunteers from the Church of Latter-day Saints participates in the first of a series of cleaning events, clearing out invasives, trash and dead trees

May 10th, 2014 – Long time board members, Marsha McLaughlin and John Alexander stand with one the church volunteers at a cleared-out Adelaide Bentley Park

November 19th, 2016 – The foundation is set at a clean, clear and landscaped Adelaide Bentley Park

April 8th, 2017 – Planting begins

June 21st, 2017 – The Ribbon Cutting Ceremony is held NeighborSpace board member Marsha McLaughlin awards a green jacket to Adelaide Bentley

June 1st, 2018 – Heavy rains bring to light the park’s substantial drainage issues, wiping away most of the clean and orderly landscaping and drowning or washing out many of the recent plantings

 

September 30th, 2018 – NeighborSpace, with the help of volunteers from Towson U., spreads mulch, plants flowers and hosts an event catered by  Chef Dave Magdeburger (Friends School ’12) as we unveil  the Joanna Hastings-Kiessling Memorial Garden

June 19th, 2019 – A more in-depth stormwater management system is installed to protect the park from future flooding

October 26th, 2019 – Back-to-back events with the Scouts and Alpha Sigma Phi (T.U.). aim to bring order to the invasive and aggressive plants that took over during the parks first year of unfettered growth

August 10th, 2020 – NeighborSpace installs new tree tags for members of the Donald C. Outen Urban Tree Society

August 10th, 2020 – The overgrowth of invasive and aggressive plants such as porcelain berry, mugwort, horseweed and trumpet vine are made possible by  gaps in the tree canopy.  Because the trees on the property had been covered in invasive vines for decades, many were dead, decaying, or dangerous and had to be removed. 

August 30th – Upon receiving expert guidance from native landscaper, Victor Bennett, we have taken the approach of smothering the invasive growth on the path and central area with cardboard paper and woodchips. A mix of native groundcovers will be added in the spring to prevent unwanted growth while the tree canopy recovers over the next few years

August 30th, 2020 – Nancy Goldring, granddaughter of Adelaide Bentley (center) and new head of the Northeast Towson Improvement Association talks with Michele Yendall head of the neighboring Harris Hill community (left) and Master Naturalist, Don Callihan, of the Gunpowder Valley Conservancy (right)

 

 

August 30th, 2020 – Program Manager, Patrick Filbert (left) gathers native plants with native landscaper, Victor Bennett (center) and University of Delaware Professor, writer and local environmentalist, McKay Jenkins (right)

August 30th, 2020 – Victor Bennett (in blue) shares a laugh with Executive Director, Barbara Hopkins, and board members, John Alexander and Marsha McLaughlin, after a long day of work

September 26th, 2020 – Board President, Klaus Philipsen, joins the likes of Master Naturalist and former board member, Nancy Horst, to continue adding woodchips to the path, pulling invasives and pruning trees

October 17th, 2020 – Community members and friends of NeighborSpace work together to tidy up the park

October 17th, 2020 – Board member, John Alexander works with Master Naturalist, Nancy Horst, as she continues her efforts to prune the Honey Locust trees, which have grown over 15 feet tall in only a couple years

October 17th 2020 – On the left, the great grandson of Adelaide Bentley, Chris Robinson (Dunbar ‘10, Morgan State), chats with Ben Halvorsen (Friends School ‘12) after a long day pulling porcelain berry, creeping charlie and the worst adversary of all, landscape fabric (never use this!!!)

October 17th, 2020 – Children play in the park before a community Bingo event

October 17th, 2020 – The community prepares for an outdoor Bingo event set up by Nancy Goldring

The purpose of this timeline is to tell the story of our journey with one particular park and all the ups and downs that come with it. The park’s journey, and our growth as an organization in learning how best to manage it, are ongoing, but we hope we have reached the point where Adelaide Bentley Park is enjoyable year-round. This work would not be possible without the help of the local community as well as all of our friends who continue to donate their time, money, energy and expertise to our causes. Thank you, again!