Gary Ditto Newsletter - Local Information and News - Kensington, Chevy Chase, Silver Spring & Bethesda

Kensington’s Parks and People

April 1989

“Our favorite walk was the old dirt road to Forest Glen up Kent past the gate to the Alfred Ray Farm, past the overhead bridge to Capitol View then straight down the hill through the woods to Stoney Brook Creek where Bluets and Myrtle climbed the steep cliff to Look Out House above Indian Rock. Below the cliff, Rock Creek had left rich sandy soil when its banks overflowed and there bluebells grew everywhere.”

Bertha Clum

“Where Are The Wildflowers”

1986

It may not be possible to take such a walk in Kensington today. After all, the Alfred Ray Farm no longer exists. Homes and businesses march up and down lush hillsides, inhabit the hidden glens, and lodge along the dirt roads of 50 years ago.

But it is Springtime and it still is Kensington. Kensington is, after all, a town rich in traditions. One of there traditions is to foster public parks and gardens. The other is to appreciate the people who have contributed to the life of this small town begun almost 100 years ago.

Here is a guide for a tour of the 5 public parks and gardens of Kensington, together with the stories behind their names: Clum-Kennedy Garden, Flinn Park and the War Memorial, the Howard Avenue “pocketpark,” and Reinhardt Park.

CLUM-KENNEDY GARDEN. Located at the junction of Kensington Parkway and Howard Avenue. This one-acre garden was originally tended by three Clum sisters, Helen, Mary, and Bertha, daughters of Cornelius Clum, editor of the Montgomery Press. The last surviving daughter, Bertha, was an accountant by profession, an avid gardener, and a talented amateur artist. When Miss Clum sold the garden to the Town of Kensington she stipulated that it be named to honor her neighbor. Frank Kennedy, who had been a great help in her old age. After her death in late 1987, the garden’s name was changed to Clum-Kennedy Garden.

Around the corner on Howard Avenue across from the U.S. Post Office is FLINN PARK. Flinn Park was named after Nancy Rutherford Flinn, whose 1-week stint as a substitute teacher in the Kensington Elementary School in 1918 became a 35-year career by the time she retired. A very popular teacher with generations of Kensington school children, Mrs. Finn was also known for her crocheting and raising of African violets. After her death, the Town purchased her home. Discovering it was termite-ridden, the Town had it torn down and created Flinn Park in her memory.

REINHARDT PARK on Armory Avenue between Knowles Avenue and Warner Street. Situated behind the headquarters building of the Bakery, Confectionery & Tobacco Workers International Union, this children’s play park was named to honor Anna C. Reinhardt who ran the Home School for Deaf Children from 1921 until her death in 1935. The school continued operation until 1946. Miss Reinhardt taught deaf children lip reading in her boarding school which first operated on the northwest corner of St. Paul Street and Metropolitan Avenue, but moved to Hermann House in the 1920’s. Called “The Spruces,” Hermann House was destroyed by fire in 1963. The new union building opened in July 1980. The park was dedicated in 1984.

ERNEST PARK and WAR MEMORIAL at the junction of Connecticut Avenue and Baltimore and Armory Streets. The park was named after a mayor of Kensington. The War Memorial, dedicated on November 12, 1948, honors those residents of Kensington who served in World Wars I & II.

HOWARD AVENUE PARK is a mini-park boasting a bench and several lush plantings in front of 3716 Howard Avenue, the Society for the Prevention of Blindness Antique Shop. This building was originally the site of the Montgomery Press, the newspaper established by B.H. Warner, developer of early Kensington and edited by Cornelius Clum.

-Diane T. Ursano

(Many thanks to Miss Edith Ray Saul for her assistance in the preperation of this article.)