Cromwell Valley Park: Lime Kiln and an Abandoned House

Since you've all been so good, I have a treat for you today! I am going to divulge one of my all time favourite secret adventure spots, the Lime Kiln and abandoned house at Cromwell Valley Park!



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Directions, photos, and hornets after the jump.

To get to Cromwell Valley Park, take I-695 and get off at the Loch Raven Blvd./Cromwell Bridge Rd. exit (dependent on which way you are coming from). Take Cromwell  Bridge Road west and follow it for about a mile. You'll see a white fence along your left; the turn for the park is two lefts after it. It kind of jumps out at you from out of nowhere, so be looking out for it after the white fence. Park in either of the lots to your left, then take the trail parallel to the stream. You'll hike for about five minutes before you see the Lime Kiln; it's impossible to miss.  
 

 Unfortunately, the Powers That Be (read: goobers) recently put up that awful orange netting, presumably to stop people from climbing on it (totally doesn't work!). It's still a pretty neat site though. The Kiln has been in disuse for 90 years. 

 You can still see lime covering the walls and the floor of the furnace, which is pretty nifty.

 But watch your step! There be hornets here! (I made that mistake... at least now I know that I'm not allergic to hornets)

Directly to the right of the Kiln is a very cool, only slightly spooky abandoned house. I have no idea how long it has been there for, but I have known about it for about three years. You guessed it; this is my super secret spot that I promised not to tell anyone about. Since I can't keep my mouth shut, you have to promise not to tell anyone! 

 Pssh... Might as well say "Warning! Extreme fun inside!"

 You can gain entrance to the house around the right side by climbing up that mason-work that Batman is standing next to. It takes you to the first floor bathroom window, which is covered with a loose board that can be easily lifted aside.

 Blast! Confound it and confusticate it! The Powers That Be have been here in the past month, and actually nailed the board to the window sill! This may seem an anticlimactic end to an otherwise awesome story, but you know not the wiliness of this adventurer. Sadly, I will have to put a "to be continued" on this one, but I shall return next week, ready with a prybar. Which is actually a great segue into the topic of my next article, "What to Put in Your Adventure Bag". 

You've won this round, abandoned house...

A side note: If you enjoy this park, and doing volunteer conservation work, then you can join the Habitat Restoration Team the second Saturday of every month. Contact info is on their website.