James Carey originally sold the generous country estate that became Loudon Park Cemetery in 1853. The new owner, James Primrose, built a stone wall with an ornamental railing at the cemetery entrance and enlisted an engineer to map out lots for purchase at twenty-five cents per square foot. The cemetery’s popularity grew quickly, leading to reburials from Green Mount Cemetery, Loudon’s greatest competitor. The cemetery made a series of large land purchases including William F. Primrose’s nearby “Linden” estate. In 1895, the cemetery purchased the last parcel of land bordering on Wilkens Avenue to build a main entrance to the grounds. This still serves as the main entrance to this day.

Loudon Park Cemetery became the first cemetery to have its' own trolley system, opening a railway line in 1905. Baltimore City used a special trolley car named the “Dolores” to transport caskets and grieving family members to the cemetery gate. From there, the family transferred to the cemetery’s personal trolley and a horse-drawn hearse carried caskets to the grave. Baltimore City sold the cemetery two rail cars, later renamed “Loudon” and “Linden”. Equipped with oak finishes and velvet lining, each car seated up to thirty.

The National Cemetery and Confederate Hill also occupy space at Loudon Park. During the Civil War, Maryland contributed around 63,000 Union forces and about 22,000 Confederate forces. As a “border state” families from both sides needed to bury their loved ones. Loudon Park sold a portion of its land (5.28 acres) on the eastern boundary to the government for the burial of Union soldiers. Lots sold at ten cents for soldiers and twenty-five cents for officers. Confederate Hill came about as lot-holders with southern sympathies donated their plots for the burial of Confederate veterans. On the southwest corner of the Loudon Park National Cemetery, a stone monument marks the burial place of twenty-nine Confederate soldiers who died at Fort McHenry as prisoners.

Cemetery monuments mark more famous plots such as the Jerome Bonaparte Monument by the remains of Napoleon’s nephew, niece-in-law, and several other members of the Bonaparte family. The family of Charles Weber, who established the Fifth Regiment Band, erected a mausoleum lined in Japanese Hollies with his likeness etched in stained glass. Richard B. Fitzgerald’s striking monument contains beautiful statues and large urns while the Weisskittels built a silver-painted, cast-iron one. Lastly, the Weissner Monument, for the family that once owned the American Brewery, stands tall with detailed angels and urns.

3620 Wilkens Avenue, Baltimore, MD 21229

The Grove of Remembrance Pavilion has stood nestled amongst the trees on Beechwood Drive near the Maryland Zoo for nearly a century. Designed by architect E.L. Palmer, the rustic pavilion’s placement within the Grove of Remembrance is fitting. The grove was planted on October 8, 1919 to honor those who had died in World War I and the pavilion is a monument to First Lieutenant Merrill Rosenfeld, a prominent Baltimore attorney, killed while serving in the military during World War I. Lieutenant Rosenfeld was born in Baltimore in 1883 as the eldest son of Israel Rosenfeld and Rebecca Rosenfeld, née Stern, second generation German Jewish immigrants. Israel Rosenfeld owned a successful clothing retail business and achieved the rank of colonel serving as an aid-de-camp to Governor John Walter Smith. Merrill Rosenfeld was much like his father. He graduated from the Johns Hopkins University in 1904 and joined the Maryland Bar in 1906. He fought during the Mexican Revolution of 1910, earning the rank of top sergeant, and joined the 115th Infantry Regiment, 29th Infantry Division during World War I. Having attained the rank of first lieutenant, he was leading his men during the Meuse-Argonne Offensive when he died October 16, 1918. The U.S. government recognized his sacrifice by awarding him with a Distinguished Service Cross for “extraordinary heroism” and praised him for his “display…[of] the greatest bravery and heroism” before his death. He received further honors in 1919 when the Court of Appeals commissioned architects J.B. Noel Wyatt and William Nolting to build a bronze memorial honoring him and five other Baltimore attorneys who had died in the war and in 1921, when the Maryland Bar Association commissioned a similar memorial. When Israel Rosenfeld died on October 10, 1925, he left $10,000 for the pavilion’s construction in Druid Hill Park. Baltimore was a city with a history of tolerance towards the Jews, particularly those of German heritage, in the early 1900s. The Rosenfelds had thrived in this environment, and Israel wanted to ensure that Baltimoreans would remember his late son’s military achievements and sacrifice for years to come.

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Beechwood Drive, Baltimore, MD 21217