This is Baltimore: Our Brigadoon

Dickeyville, a small neighbourhood in Baltimore, fits the dictionary definition of Brigadoon perfectly: a place that is idyllic, unaffected by time, or remote from reality. Dickeyville is off the beaten path, down a turn from a busy road, nestled in a small river valley, and completely, utterly charming!

As part of my #thisisbaltimore2017 exploration of the city, I took an afternoon to search out the village of Dickeyville, which is on the western edge of Baltimore City. I had planned to walk through the village, but it was misting heavily , so I just drove around, and will visit later for a walk-about. But I fell in love with this place and wanted to share it with you.

I’ve found that Sundays are a good day to go exploring, as commercial sites aren’t well-populated, and I can wander pretty freely. As I headed over from my first stop, an old mansion on some hospital grounds, where a loggia leads from the mansion to the actual hospital,

I spotted this perched on the hill above the valley.

Naturally, I had to follow the road and find out what it was. I think I could live there!

I finally wended my way down to the village and just fell in love. I have actually been to a few weddings in this church, but never went into the village to explore… mainly because every wedding I went to there, I got lost.

Let’s wander around.

Family friends owned this house when I was a child. It’s a converted church, with a ballroom on the top floor.

Many of the homes are constructed of local stone, and were built for utilitarian purposes, this one a small barn.

This was the Mechanics Hall and later a theatre. It still has the original stage and lights.

This is the last house in the village and was built for the mill supervisor.

You have to cross a scary bridge to get to the mills.

The mill buildings are still in use for other purposes. I LOVE the trimwork on this!

(Shhhh… I was totally trespassing for this shot!)

Here’s the Gwynns Falls which originally powered the mills.

This mill building was converted to an artist’s studio in the 1930’s, and has been occupied by artists ever since.

This was built as the first International Order of Odd Fellows hall, and now houses an art gallery.

This house is currently on the market for less than $300k.

I love the cheery yellow door on this one and I love that the village has these wonderful white picket fences throughout.

I know I’ve already shown this image, but seriously, isn’t that entrance just the most amazing thing!

There’s a annual garden tour of Dickeyville in May, and you can find more information about the village here. I hope that you enjoyed discovering Dickeyville, just as I did!

PS.. I am having issues with my blog platform, so please excuse the wonky formatting. Ugh!