Entry No. 52 — the Washington, D.C. file — filed under: ruins
Glen Ellen Castle Ruins
Built in 1833 for Robert Gilmor III, Glen Ellen was a grand Gothic Revival mansion designed by architect Alexander Jackson Davis to resemble Sir Walter Scott's Scottish estate, Abbotsford. The estate was abandoned in the late 19th century due to the construction of the Loch Raven Reservoir, which flooded the surrounding valley. In 1929, the decaying structure was dynamited for safety, leaving behind only stone foundations, cellar walls, and scattered masonry hidden in the woods.
The story
In 1833, Robert Gilmor III decided he needed a Scottish romance on the banks of Maryland's Gunpowder River valley. He hired prominent architect Alexander Jackson Davis to design a sprawling Gothic Revival manor modeled directly after Sir Walter Scott’s Abbotsford estate in Scotland. For decades, Glen Ellen stood as a grand flex of stonework, pointed arches, and turrets overlooking the countryside.
Then Baltimore got thirsty. In the late 19th century, civil engineers dammed the valley to construct the Loch Raven Reservoir, drowning the surrounding farmland—and the nearby mill town of Warren—under millions of gallons of water. Glen Ellen wasn't completely submerged, but its isolated position and ruined surrounding land led to its abandonment.
By 1929, the abandoned mansion had fallen into dangerous decay. City officials brought in dynamite to collapse the structure for safety, blowing the upper stories to pieces. What the explosives couldn't erase was the subterranean heavy lifting: the deep stone foundations, cellar pits, and massive dressed wall blocks that remain embedded in the forest floor today, swallowed by ivy and hardwood trees.
What it's like
You'll head out on foot along the public Glen Ellen Trail off Loch Raven Drive inside the Loch Raven Reservoir Cooperative Wildlife Management Area. Manage your expectations: you aren't walking into standing castle turrets, but rather hunting for unnatural right angles cutting through the forest floor. You'll find stone cellar pits choked with leaf litter, low foundation walls, and moss-covered masonry scattered like ancient Lego bricks. Wear sturdy boots since the trail along the reservoir edge gets slick, and watch your step around the edges of the open cellar depressions.
The move: Hike the scenic Glen Ellen Trail through the Loch Raven Reservoir Cooperative Wildlife Management Area to search for the hidden stone foundations and photograph the historic ruins.
📍 Before you go The ruins are located within the Loch Raven Reservoir Cooperative Wildlife Management Area and are legally accessible to hikers via the public Glen Ellen Trail.
- 📍 Parkville
- 💸 Free
- ⚡ Low-key
- 🌗 Outdoors
Where: Loch Raven Dr, Parkville, MD 21234, USA
Hours: Added 2026-07-20 — confirm current access before you go.
Pair it with
- Bank Historic Barn Ruins — Pair one set of overgrown foundation ruins with another massive 19th-century rubblestone shell ten miles east in Joppatowne.
- Terra Maria Ruins — Double down on Maryland's woodland ruin-hunting by heading west to Ellicott City to see the stabilized remains of St. Charles College.
- American Visionary Art Museum (AVAM) — Trade quiet, damp forest foundations for raw, vibrant outsider art in downtown Baltimore.
Good to know
How do you legally access the ruins?
The ruins sit within the Loch Raven Reservoir Cooperative Wildlife Management Area and are legally accessible to hikers via the marked public Glen Ellen Trail.
Is any part of the original building still standing above ground?
No grand walls or towers survive. Because the city dynamited the estate in 1929, only stone cellar walls, foundation footprints, and loose masonry remain.
Why was the mansion abandoned in the first place?
The construction of the Loch Raven Reservoir in the late 19th century flooded the surrounding valley and displaced the neighboring community, rendering the estate uninhabitable.
Plan a visit & invite your people →
Further reading: hmdb.org · YouTube · bithiker.wordpress.com
last checked: 2026-07-20