Last updated: March 27, 2025
Place
Cherry Blossom Groves
NPS/ Tim Ervin
Quick Facts
Location:
Baltimore, MD
Significance:
Memorial cherry blossoms add to the scenic beauty of the site.
Amenities
5 listed
Accessible Sites, Cellular Signal, Historical/Interpretive Information/Exhibits, Scenic View/Photo Spot, Wheelchair Accessible
Blossoming cherry trees are a welcome sight for visitors each spring at Fort McHenry on the banks of the Patapsco River. These trees were planted in 1931 by 1,500 Baltimore school children to commemorate the bicentennial anniversary of George Washington’s birth.
Each of the 152 cherry trees were planted to represent a Baltimore public school. The schools were highly segregated at the time, and the groves reflect this segregation. Trees planted by the African American students, make up the East Cherry Blossom Grove, while the trees planted by white students were planted on the west side of the fort to create the West Cherry Blossom Grove. The cherry blossoms have been replanted over the years, and still bloom annually.
Originally plans to establish these groves at Fort McHenry were proposed to attract visitors to Baltimore in the same vein as the popular cherry trees that were planted around the Potomac Park Tidal Basin in Washington D.C. in 1912. Today visitors are invited to walk among these beautiful trees each spring to experience the rebirth of the season.
Each of the 152 cherry trees were planted to represent a Baltimore public school. The schools were highly segregated at the time, and the groves reflect this segregation. Trees planted by the African American students, make up the East Cherry Blossom Grove, while the trees planted by white students were planted on the west side of the fort to create the West Cherry Blossom Grove. The cherry blossoms have been replanted over the years, and still bloom annually.
Originally plans to establish these groves at Fort McHenry were proposed to attract visitors to Baltimore in the same vein as the popular cherry trees that were planted around the Potomac Park Tidal Basin in Washington D.C. in 1912. Today visitors are invited to walk among these beautiful trees each spring to experience the rebirth of the season.