Winter Fun in 1876 Baltimore

On Monday, January 1, 1877, The Baltimore Sun described the one of the last nights of 1876 as a beautiful winter night filled with activity:

“Saturday night was glorious for sleighing and coasting. The moon was at meridian and the snow shone like silver, while the air was still and bracing. … On every road leading from the city the silence was broken by the sleigh bells and the laughter of merry sleighing parties. Druid Hill Park, which was as silent as a grave for all else, re-echoed this music through its shaded dells and over its bright savannas. … Woodberry, from Prospect Hill, and the village of Hampden, and the fine villas to the north with glimmering lights, were never so picturesque as under the full moon.  It was indeed silvery Saturday night over as well as in the sheltered villages, where peace and happiness prevailed, after the week’s labor in the mills and machine shops, which lay silent and deserted until after the rest of the Sabbath.”

The eastern section of the city was also popular for sledding enthusiasts, especially McElderry Street and the hills around Broadway: 

“There were sleds of all sizes, and men as well as boys, young women and girls, all joined in the exciting sport. On some of the larger sleds, as many as eight or ten young women were packed. Others had outriggers, or planks laid crosswise, filled with sledders, and the rough sport was intensified whenever, in the melee of crowding coasters, one or more were upset and spilled their freight on the shining snow.”

Source: Baltimore Sun, January 1, 1877