National Park Seminary

This place is on private property. Listing for informational purposes only. Please do not visit without express permission from the land owner. National Park Seminary — later called National Park College — was a private girls' school open from 1894 to 1942. Located in Forest Glen, Maryland, its name alludes to nearby Rock Creek Park. The historic campus is slated to be preserved as the center of a new housing development. Stories of hauntings are not uncommon on the grounds, and ghost hunters regularly report sightings of 1960's era soldiers roaming the grounds. The campus began in 1887 as "Ye Forest Inne," a summer vacation retreat for Washington, D.C. residents. The retreat did not succeed financially, and the property was sold and redeveloped as a finishing school, opening in 1894 with a class of 48 female students. The architecture of the campus remained eclectic and whimsical. In addition to various Victorian styles, exotic designs included a Dutch windmill, a Swiss chalet, a Japanese pagoda, an Italian villa, and an English castle. Many of these small homes with international designs were built from blueprints obtained by competing sororities. The campus also featured covered walkways, outdoor sculptures, and elaborately planned formal gardens. Among the administration was Assistant Dean of the College, Miss Edna Roeckel. In 1936 it was renamed "National Park College" and its focus was realigned with more modern education trends; it remained one of the most prestigious women's schools in the country. On September 14, 1972, a 27-acre National Park Seminary Historic District was listed as a national historic district on the National Register of Historic Places. In the following years, the historical integrity of the property was threatened by neglect and vandalism. The Greek Revival Odeon Theater was lost to arson. Local preservation groups took action and "Save Our Seminary" (SOS) was formed in 1988. In the late 1990s, Senator Paul Sarbanes was instrumental in encouraging the Army to make repairs to some of the buildings and, ultimately, in releasing the property for development. With private donations, SOS began an exterior restoration project of the pagoda in 1999, completed in 2003.