This park and sculpture commemorates Revolutionary War hero, benefactor and statesman John Eager Howard. Howard entered the Revolutionary Army at age 24, and soon gained military fame for his skillful and heroic use of the bayonet in the Battle of Cowpens. After the war, he served as Maryland Surveyor, Judge, Senator and Governor.
This park represents but a small piece of the the forest that once belonged to Howard. His magnificent 260-acre estate covered most of downtown Baltimore, stretching irregulary from near Pratt Street north to Biddle Street and from the Jones Falls at Read Street west to Eutaw Street. The estate, popularly called "Howard's Park," was used for generations as a scene of promenades, picnics, military exercises, and even as a dueling ground. The dismantling of the estate was in large part due to the generosity of Howard himself, who gave land freely for causes in which he believed.
His gifts for civic causes include the land for the Washington Monument, Lexington Market, several firehouses and even a cemetery for strangers. To religious groups, he was as ecumenical as he was generous, giving land for the Cathedral and several churches. Howard Street was named for him, Eutaw Street was named for one of his battles.
The sculpture of Howard leading his infantry interprets a tribute paid to Howard by General Nathanael Green of Revolutionary War fame who wrote of him "He deserves a statue of gold, no less than the Roman and Grecian heroes." Howard died on October 12, 1827, at 75 years of age.
Mayor William Donald Schaefer and the Citizens of Baltimore
David L. Gerlach, Sculptor
Market Center Development Corporation,
Richard N. Stein, Chairman,
Robert Tennenbaum, President-Architect
The Delta Group, Landscape Architect
Municipal Arts Society of Baltimore
Glen-Gery Brick
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