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Acorn Park facts for kids

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Acorn Urban Park
Acorn Park
A photograph taken in the year 2008, of Acorn Park
Acorn Park in 2008
Type Urban park
Location
Area 0.12470618-acre (0.050-hectare)
Established 1942 (1942)
Etymology Acorn–shaped gazebo
Owned by Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission (M–NCPPC)
Administered by Montgomery Parks
Open Sunrise to sunset
Public transit access
  • WMATA Red.svg Silver Spring Metro
  •   Brunswick Line
  • Bus transport Metrobus
  • Bus transport Ride On
For Arthur D. Little's office park in Cambridge, Massachusetts, see Cambridge Discovery Park.

Acorn Park is a small, special park in downtown Silver Spring, Maryland. It's about 0.1247-acre (0.050-hectare) in size. This park is famous for its unique acorn-shaped building, called a gazebo, and a cool artificial cave, known as a grotto.

Acorn Park is super important because it's believed to be the exact spot where a special "mica-flecked spring" was found in 1840. This sparkling spring inspired a man named Francis Preston Blair to name his large estate "Silver Spring." The park is located where East-West Highway and Newell Street meet.

History of Acorn Park

The history of Acorn Park goes back a long way! It's a place with many stories.

How the Park Started

The neat acorn-shaped gazebo you see in the park was built way back in 1842. A person named Benjamin C. King was responsible for its construction. Later, in 1894, Samuel Phillips Lee, who was Francis Blair's son-in-law, had the stone grotto built. This grotto was placed right where the famous spring was located. It even had a statue of a Greek nymph at first!

Park Ownership and Updates

The land for the park was bought by the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission (M-NCPPC) in 1942. This group helps manage parks and planning in the area. The park was then updated and officially opened again in 1955. In 1997, a small extra piece of land was added. This made the park the size it is today, which is about 0.1247-acre (0.05 ha).

Gallery

A photographic view of the park that illustrates the grotto.
A view of the park showing the "Grotto."
A picture of Acorn Park in the year 1917.  The acorn shaped gazebo is on the left side.
Acorn Park in 1917– the acorn-shaped gazebo is visible at left.
A photo of a commemorative plaque inscribed with the details of the founding of Silver Spring.
The commemorative plaque details the founding event.
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