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 you are accessing on your device, it offers glimpses of the different peoples who have used the land and water over time as well as brief observations about some of the park’s natural features.  

The map’s stories connect you with the significant historical and ecological landscape of Herring Run while walking trails and enjoying the natural beauty of the stream valley. Discover tales of Indigenous Americans, Black Americans, and European settlers and their descendants who camped, lived, played, and worked in and around the Herring Run. 

Some of the stories point you to existing physical landmarks and others ask you to use your imagination in a certain spot to see things as they were many years ago.  

We promise to keep adding more stories as we learn new things and extend the trail further into the park. In our research, we found themes of hidden truth, resilience, and surprising natural resources. We encourage you to give us your suggestions for park stories, including your own. There is so much more to explore! 

Below is the interactive map. To read the stories, you can click on an item on the left-hand list or click on the tabs on the map. If you are in the park and reading as you walk, you can geo-locate yourself within the map by clicking on the circle in the square (find my location), on the right-hand side on the map. Click on the circle when you move to locate yourself again on the map.

Locations marked on the map may or may not have something directly related to the story to see. In some cases, structures have been removed. The position of the marker in some instances is intentionally not precise to be respectful of the space and to keep you on the trail.  

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.

We sought early feedback from our researchers and our partners and later walked the park’s paved trail with them to share the stories we had collected and to again get feedback. 

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.  

The Friends of Herring Run Parks is a community-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit whose mission is to restore, protect, and promote the Herring Run stream valley as a place where nature and neighbors thrive. We focus primarily on Herring Run Park but also tend to other parks within the Herring Run Watershed. We envision clean and safe parks for everyone, offering the joy of nature and outdoor activity and contributing to a healthy ecosystem. 

Our partners, researchers, and supporters on this project have been:

• Maryland Heritage Areas Authority (MHAA)
• Preservation Maryland
• Baltimore National Heritage Area Association, Inc.
• Baltimore City Recreation and Parks
• City of Baltimore
• National Park Service - Rivers, Trails, and Conservation Assistance
• Herring Run Archaeology Project
• Alexandra Jones, Historian
• Eric Holcomb, Historian
• Belair-Edison Neighborhood Inc.
• Hamilton-Lauraville Main Street

There are numerous ways to get involved with the park and this project. To volunteer or share stories about the park, you can contact us at info@friendsofherringrun.org. Volunteers are the backbone of the Friends of Herring Run Park; we would love to have you!

We would also love to get you out in our park. We host lots of regular  events , including guided walks, birding, yoga, trash clean-ups, vine-removal parties, tree care, and more! Check out our  website , follow us on our  social media pages , or join our  email list  to stay up to date on happenings in the park and this project!

Acknowledgements

This Project has been financed in part with State Funds from the Maryland Heritage Areas Authority, an instrumentality of the State of Maryland. However, Project contents or opinions do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the Maryland Heritage Areas Authority. Funding for this project was also provided by Preservation Maryland.