Former Enchanted Forest Site Being Cleared

The Enchanted Forest in Ellicott City was previously home to castles, princesses, bears, a big bad wolf and Little Red Riding Hood.

Now, behind the gleaming white "Enchanted Forest" sign will be a bank.

Grading and clearing is already underway at the site where construction workers can be seen clearing trees around dilapidated old structures. A spokesperson for the department of planning and zoning said work on the bank is expected to last until spring or summer of 2014.

The once popular 20-acre theme park located at the corner of Route 40 and Bethany Lane hosted families for decades after opening in August of 1955. But after being bought by a developer in 1989 part of the park was torn down for the shopping center that stands there now.

It never quite recovered. There were attempts to re-open the theme park in the 90s, and a community-led effort to preserve the fiberglass structures at the site in the woods fell short.

In 2005, the owners of the property, Kimco, agreed to allow many of the structures to be moved to Clark's Elioak Farm in Ellicott City. Clark's, with the help of community members, hauled items including Mother Goose, Papa Bear, the giant Mushrooms, the Gingerbread Man, Wille the Whale, the Little Red Schoolhouse and many others to the farm, where they are now maintained and preserved. 

The other parts of the site not under construction remain fenced-in with no trespassing sings posted. Crumbling structures can still be seen in parts of the remaining woods.

What do you remember about the Enchanted Forest?

Editors note: Originally a spokesperson for the Howard County Department of Planning and Zoning told Patch the bank would be a Chevy Chase Bank. However, as readers have pointed out, Chevy Chase was bought in 2009 by Capital One. We're checking to see which bank will be put in the location.