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The Friends of the Patapsco Female Institute was formed in 1965 to discuss steps to save the Patapsco Female Institute from demolition. While successful in convincing the private owner to sell to the Howard County government, it would be another 19 years before the Friends would be able to finally pinpoint a use that would seem appropriate and financially feasible. Those years would be spent on planning studies and inaction while Howard County focused instead on new growth and historic preservation of less daunting structures. In the meanwhile the old school continued to deteriorate, losing its roof and structural beams to the weather and becoming a haven for vandals. In 1984 the Friends found renewed resolve when Dr. Marc Cathey, then director of the National Arboretum, toured the PFI. His concept of an historic park against the backdrop of a stabilized ruins captured the imagination of government officials as well as Howard County citizens. By 1987 the first phase of stabilization, under the direction of the National Park Service was begun. The Friends’ unswerving commitment to the Patapsco Female Institute has resulted in a private-public partnership between the Howard County Department of Recreation and Parks and the Friends. On September 30, 1995, 30 years to the day that the Friends were organized, the park was opened to the public. |
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