Tour the Park
Mountain Lake Park is a registered Historic District with 61 original structures on a self-guided tour map. The town's uniqueness is the array of architectural styles.
Unlike a modern planned development, each lot was sold to individuals beginning in 1881. People from Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Baltimore, and beyond would build their summer residences to reflect the aesthetic of the area from which they came. Some of the cottages were modest, while others were quite large to serve as boarding homes or to accommodate multiple family members and extended family.
Some of the more ornate summer homes were understated in comparison to an owner’s full-time residence. More humble cottages also remain and carry forward the charm of summer life in Mountain Lake Park.
Tour maps next to the front door of the Ticket Office Museum.
Julia Walker Ruhl Roadside Marker Dedication, located at 305 G Street.
29 The Assembly Hall
[Spruce St.]
The Assembly Hall was one of the first Association buildings to go up. It served many purposes including a public meeting place and a large open amphitheater on the back with tent flaps. It was enlarged from seating 300 to seating up to 500 people. The huge lawn acted as a public park for visitors to relax in the numerous tall shade trees.
53 Thompson Rest Home for Deaconesses
[H St.]
This cottage was built in 1882 by Rev. John Thompson who gave the first sermon in Mountain Lake Park. The building was eventually joined at the back to the Burlington Hotel next door, creating an ample facility that housed a School of Missions and a girl’s camp until the 1930s. It is the oldest remaining cottage and the first rest home of its kind.
46 The Colonial
[G St.]
The Association had a library in the Town Hall that also featured a two-lane bowling alley. In the winter months, all the books were moved to The Colonial where the librarian resided. Winter residents, and there weren’t many, could make arrangements to borrow books to entertain themselves through the long cold season.
17 Carr Cottage
[502 Allegany Dr.]
The Carr Cottage is estimated to have been built around 1884. The Association required that a home had to be constructed on a purchased lot within the first year at a minimum cost of $300. Many of the earlier cottages were built by founding members and are named after them.
25-28 Cosy Row
[E St.]
What was called Cosy Row began with a corner restaurant at Journey’s End. It was just a short walk from the Assembly Hall and the original Amphitheater. The famed building featured a unique log and stick-style porch that has been partially restored. It is now a charming private residence.
10 Clayton Cottage
[I St.]
U.A. Clayton, a B&O Railroad official built this cottage in 1889 in the Missionary Gothic style. It has a distinctive turret and is perched on a hillside overlooking the train tracks. It was briefly owned by Dr. John Franklin Goucher who was a founding member of Goucher College in Baltimore, MD.
Historic Homes Directory
21 Ida Lee House
22 Paige House
23 Ida Lee House
24 Cosy Row (pictured)
25 Journey’s End
26 Pritchard Cottage
27 Herring Cottage
28 Blamble Cottage
29 The Assembly Hall (pictured)
30 Beehive House
31 Teagarden Cottage
32 Rudisill Cottage
33 Richardson Cottage
34 Unter Walden
35 Elberon
36 Armstrong Cottage
37 Cecil Cottage
38 The Gables
39 Mehollan Cottage
40 Edward Stone Cottage
41 Day Cottage
1 Lee Cottage
2 Baldwin Cottage
3 Chautauqua Cottage
4 Bethel United Methodist Church
5 Creedmore
6 Tennis Courts and Town Hall
7 Maxwell Cottage
8 Blake Cottage
9 Hauk Cottage
10 Clayton Cottage (pictured)
11 Seldon Cottage
12 General Jarvis House
13 Yoder Home
14 Mick Cottage
15 Maplehurst Cottage
16 Rowan Cottage
17 Carr Cottage (pictured)
18 Fernleigh Cottage
19 Martin House
20 Boulard Cottage
42 Sumner Stone Cottage
43 Ruhl Cottage
44 Gilbert Cottage
45 Hayden Cottage
46 The Colonial (pictured)
47 Connor House
48 Baumgartner Cottage
49 Ryan Cottage
50 Bardall Cottage
51 McClaine Cottage
52 Mountain Lake Park Association Museum
53 Memorial Statue
54 Watson Cottage
55 Deaconess Home
56 Maryland Home
57 Laughlin Cottage
58 Tarr Cottage
59 Winslow Cottage
60 Allegany Cottage
61 Little Monte Vista