Ammendale Normal Institute

The Ammendale Normal Institute is a U.S. historic location in Beltsville, Maryland. It was a school and novitiate operated by the Congregation of Christian Brothers. The Ammendale area is named after Daniel Ammen, a local landowner and naval officer.

History

Also known as "Christian Brothers" and "Ammen Institute," this building had seen several uses over its lifetime. It is mainly known for being a sort of "retirement home" for aging and otherwise idle priests and clergy.

In the late 1970s and early 1980s, it was used as a summer day camp for children.

The main building suffered a devastating fire in April, 1998. Its ruins stood until late 2006 when what was left of the building was demolished. However, the statue that greets visitors on the main entrance drive still stands. Where the drive begins at US 1 sits a large "No Trespassing" sign.

Numerous ghost stories have wrapped the history of this place. There is a graveyard out back which contains mostly (if not only) priests and other members of the clergy. The nearby St. John's Chapel is a recognized historic site.

Some local residents in and around Beltsville, Maryland have reported seeing mysterious spirits of cloaked monks in and around an old mansion. That mansion, the "Ammen Institute," was owned by a Catholic organization from about 1900. It reportedly "looks like a place that should be haunted."

References

*Gnis|597008
* [http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/ampage?collId=pphhphoto&action=browse&fileName=md/md1100/md1166/photos/browse.db&recNum=0&itemLink=D?hh:2:./temp/~pp_xxLs::&title2=Ammendale+Normal+Institute,+6101+Ammendale+Road,+Beltsville,+Prince+George's+County,+MD&displayType=1 Photos at Library of Congress, American Memory Project, Historic American Buildings Survey/Historic American Engineering Record]
* [http://www.hmdb.org/Marker.asp?Marker=2984 HMdb - Ammendale Normal Institute]

External links

* [http://eastghost.com/haunt/727 Information and pictures]