Perry Hall: The Maryland State Fish and Game Protective Association
by David Marks
Historian, Perry Hall Improvement Association
It's one of Perry Hall's hidden treasures, a collection of woods, ponds, and winding
trails tucked inconspicuously along one of the busiest thoroughfares in our community.
When the Maryland State Fish and Game Protective Association opened at its present site in
1963, White Marsh was nothing but quarries and old mines, Belair Road was a country lane,
and deer roamed the great expanse in between. Today, this refuge is one of the last
undeveloped areas in Perry Hall, although many residents drive by it on Honeygo Boulevard
without ever realizing its hidden beauty
The Maryland State Fish and Game Protective Association is a twenty-six acre wildlife
refuge in eastern Perry Hall adjacent to Honeygo Boulevard and north of Silver Spring
Road. It borders Honeygo Park, which will be developed by the Baltimore County Department
of Recreation and Parks into a nature and community center for Perry Hall. The Association
ceded three of its original twenty-nine acres to the county for Honeygo Park.
I was fortunate to take a tour of this property on a cold Sunday morning one February.
Al Thompson, a member of the Association Board of Directors, pointed out the extensive
trails, ice covered lakes, and wildlife tracks made through the snow-covered hills. Except
for the low, faint hum of Silver Spring Road, the only sounds were those of Honeygo Run
gurgling in the distance, doves taking flight, and geese returning from their winter
retreat.
This was exactly how the founders of the Association wanted it. The club traces its
history to a meeting on May 8th, 1874, when a group of Maryland businessmen gathered at
Lehman's Hall in Baltimore to form the "Maryland Association for the Protection and
Preservation of Fish and Game." The club thinned out, but twenty-one years later, it
was resuscitated by another group of sportsmen and community leaders. The first meeting of
the revived club was held at Baltimore's Carrollton Hotel on March 5th, 1895. Subsequent
events were organized at the Maryland Academy of Science. The Maryland State Game and Fish
Protective Association now claims itself as the oldest conservation club in the United
States. It predates the modern environmental movement, which began with President Theodore
Roosevelt, by nearly a generation.
The Association moved to its present location in 1963, when the Samuel Pistoria family,
former owners of Turf Valley Country Club, donated twenty-nine acres of land they owned in
the remote Perry Hall area. Shortly thereafter, two ponds were were constructed by the
Campbell Company, which operated quarries and construction in White Marsh. The ponds were
stocked with fish and used for the recreation of the club's members and local youth
groups.
On August 25th, 1963, ground was broken by Col. William H. Triplett on a permanent hall
and caretakers residence. Before this, the members used a 16 x 16 army tent. In the three
decades since, the club has developed an extensive archery range and full camping
facilities, which are used by members, their guests, and local Scouting and conservation
groups. The main hall has been used for bull and oyster roasts, wedding receptions, and
special events like the club's 100th anniversary in 1995. There are also seasonal
fund-raisers and picnics, including a Super Bowl/Wild Game Feast, a fishing rodeo, an
Easter egg hunt, and a family crab picnic.
The property is home to the Vignt Neuf Archery Club, which was formed in the 1950's and
boasts one of the most active archery programs in the United States. The club holds seven
tournament shoots every year, with a fourteen-target outdoor range, an eighteen-lane
heated indoor range, and a three-target broad head range. The archery course is open to
experts and beginners. The Association hall is home to the White Marsh squadron of the
Civil Air Patrol.
An oasis in the middle of suburbia, the Maryland State Game and Fish Protective
Association reminds residents of a wilder, freer past. As development continues, it is
important to have this final link to the. way Perry Hall used to be. It is also critical
for residents to take part in the many activities which this-hidden treasure makes
possible.
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