Baltimore Heritage

Cylburn began as the private estate of Jesse Tyson, president of the Baltimore Chrome Works Company that became Allied Chemical and occupied the site of Exelon’s new headquarters on the Harbor today. At Cylburn, Tyson began building his mansion in 1863 as a summer home for himself and his mother. He completed it in 1888 at age 61 after marrying the 19 year old debutante, Edyth Johns. At the time, Tyson is said to have remarked,  “I have the fairest wife, the fastest horses, and the finest house in Maryland." With its Italianate design, stone from Tyson’s own Bare Hills quarry (in Baltimore County), and interior of hardwood, grand fireplaces, and ornate plasterwork, he was at least correct about the quality of his house. After Edyth’s death in 1942, Baltimore City purchased the estate for $42,300. In 1954, the property became the “Cylburn Wildflower Preserve and Garden Center,” and a group of volunteers designed trails and gardens for the park. The name officially changed to “Cylburn Arboretum” in 1984, and the property now covers over 200 acres of grounds with many historic sites.

Please join us and our hosts from the Cylburn Arboretum Association on a tour of this wonderful historic mansion. We’ll meet at the Vollmer Center, the new visitors center just off the parking lot: the tour starts with a guided stroll through the gardens on the way into the historic mansion.