Fountain Rock Park and Nature Center

Fountain Rock Park is a 22.5 acre park west of Walkersville and approximately 4 miles northeast of Frederick, Maryland. It is located at 8511 Nature Center Place near Walkersville.

Stroll along the deck overlooking the quarry pond where you’ll see sunbathing turtles. Enjoy a picnic in the pavilion by the playground. Bring your binoculars and spot native Maryland birds on one of our many hiking trails. Get a glimpse into the past when you tour our historic lime kilns, which are 25 feet deep and over 90 years old.

The park possesses one of the strongest springs in Maryland, and is rich in wetlands. Historically, the land has demonstrated a value in resources from limestone extraction, watercress farming, and fish farming. It is designated as an environmental park.

Former Park Naturalist, Alice Nemitsas, presented the idea for the park to the Frederick County commissioners for their approval in 1987. Alice was a local student and community member at the time. She was inspired by the presence of the spring because where there is water, there will be animals, and the idea for Fountain Rock Park was born.
 

The beautiful environment at the park fit Alice's concept for a nature center as there were existing buildings that could be modified. The building that is now the nature was originally built by a prior owner, McKendree Fulks, who used it for cleaning trout caught at his trout fishing operation.

Lime Kiln History

Limestone quarrying was an important industry in Frederick County 100 years ago because of the rich limestone fault that runs under the entire county. From examining the deeds recorded on the Fountain Rock Park property, it is evident that the land was used extensively for this industry. It has not been determined in exactly what year the kilns were built, but it is known that on November 18, 1907, it was referred to as the Fountain Rock Lime Company.

The battery of limestone kilns operated from approximately 1872 - 1955 and produced a powdered burnt lime that was used for field fertilizers and crushed stone for road surfacing.

Park visitors are now able to travel a self-guided interpretive trail around the remaining 6 of the original 8 kilns. The last 2 were never used because they were considered unstable and have now collapsed.

History of Trout Farming

The initial venture in trout farming was started in 1957, by John T. Quynn and Lee M. Buchanan. Both of them were Frederick engineers employed by the Army Chemical Corps at Ft. Detrick. The men leased the property from the Fountain Rock Lime and Brick Company, Inc. and again renewed their lease in 1960. In the fall of 1961, the operation ceased because the property was thought to be sold to the City of Walkersville as an alternative water source.
 

While Quynn and Buchanan operated the farm it was considered the 1st and only private commercial trout fishing facility in the state of Maryland. In addition to the trout pond which stocked rainbow, brown, and brook trout, the old quarry pond was stocked with bass and bluegills. Boating and fishing facilities were provided. To provide interest to children, 2 tame deer and some ducks were kept on the property.

Visit our Nature Center to enjoy interactive displays, natural object collections, and discovery areas. There are also many live animals that reside in the Nature Center, including Madagascar hissing cockroaches, Vietnamese walking sticks, an observation honey bee hive, a bearded dragon, snakes, a tarantula, toads, frogs, and many turtles.

The cache you seek is a small lock-n-lock in a large pile of logs. Please hide as well as found or better.

Access / Hours

• Hours of Operation
  • 8 AM to Sunset  / 7 days a week
• No Entrance Fee