Wilson Park, Baltimore facts for kids

Row homes in Wilson Park

Wilson Park is a neighborhood in Baltimore, Maryland. It's special because it was one of the first communities in the city built for African-American families. This area is located in northeast Baltimore.

Wilson Park is bordered by 43rd Street to the south and The Alameda to the east. Two groups help the community: the Kimberleigh Road Community Association and the Wilson Park Improvement Association. The homes here are different styles, including large single-family houses, semi-detached homes, and townhouses. Most people who live in Wilson Park own their homes.

Who Lives in Wilson Park?

According to information from 2000, about 1,355 people live in Wilson Park. Most residents, about 97.8%, are African-American. A small number, 0.7%, are White.

Most of the houses in Wilson Park are lived in, about 86%. And out of those, about 78.5% are owned by the people who live there.

Schools in the Area

Wilson Park has several schools nearby for students of different ages.

Elementary and Middle Schools

• Guilford Elementary/Middle School: This is a public school for students from kindergarten up to 8th grade.
• Walter P. Carter Elementary School: Another public elementary school in the area.
• Winston Middle School
• Chinquapin Middle School

High Schools

After middle school, students from Wilson Park usually go to one of these high schools:

• Mergenthaler Vocational Technical Senior High School (often called "Mervo")
• Baltimore City College (often called "City")
• Reginald F. Lewis High School (often called "Lewis")

History of Wilson Park

Single-family homes in Wilson Park

Wilson Park holds an important place in Baltimore's history. It was the very first community in the city that was built specifically for black people.

A man named Harry Wilson, who was African-American, started building houses here as early as 1917. Many parts of the neighborhood are important for their cultural history. Some of the buildings are also very special because of their architecture.

Growing the Community

In the early 1950s, Harry Wilson's family began selling large areas of land. Developers then built many new homes on streets like St. Georges Avenue and Coldspring Lane. Kimberleigh Road was created in 1953 as part of this new development.

These new homes were bought by many African-American families who were moving up in their careers. This included people who worked at the Sparrows Point Shipyard, postal workers, teachers, and administrators from Morgan State College.

How Wilson Park is Represented in Government

The people of Wilson Park have representatives who speak for them in different parts of the government. These representatives help make decisions that affect the community.