Pen Mar Park

Pen Mar Park is a scenic area in Pen Mar, Washington County, Maryland. It is located on Pen Mar High Rock Road adjacent to the Mason–Dixon line. In 1877, the site was opened as an amusement park and resort area by the Western Maryland Railway. During the summer months the railroad offered frequent train service on its "Blue Mountain Express" from Baltimore to Pen Mar.: 244–6  The WM also ran trains from Hagerstown, Maryland to Pen Mar.By the turn of the century, the Pen Mar area had become one of the most popular resort destinations in the eastern United States. Weekday crowds in the summer were often 4,000 to 5,000. The single day park attendance reached close to 20,000 visitors. Many hotels and over 100 boarding houses were built to accommodate the visitors to Pen Mar.: 8  Prominent among these lodgings was the Blue Mountain House, built by the WM in 1883, which accommodated 400 guests.: 244