The Glen Burnie House originated on land settled in the early 18th century by surveyor James Wood (d. 1759), who later donated portions of his property for the establishment of Winchester, Virginia, in 1744. The central portion of the house was constructed in the 1790s by his son, Robert Wood. Ownership of the property remained within the Wood and Glass families for several generations until it was acquired by Julian Wood Glass Jr. (1910–1992) in 1955.
Beginning in 1959, Glass, with the assistance of his partner R. Lee Taylor, developed the property as a private country estate and designed what became known as the Glen Burnie Gardens. Prior to his death in 1992, Glass established the Glass-Glen Burnie Foundation and directed that the property be preserved and opened to the public as a museum. The Glen Burnie House and Gardens opened to visitors in 1998.
Today, interpretive panels tell the story of those who lived in the house from 1796 to 1992, and exhibitions are presented annually in the drawing room.
The Glen Burnie Gardens were developed beginning in 1956 and expanded throughout the latter half of the 20th century. Designed for formal use, the gardens include sculptures, fountains, and ornamental structures. Identified areas include the Rose Garden, Statue Garden, Vegetable Garden, Asian Garden, and Perennial Garden. The Water Garden includes a pond stocked with golden trout. Each fall, the Gardens host an event called "Garden Lights," which allows visitors to take a self-guided walking tour of seasonal light displays.[6]
Museum
The Museum of the Shenandoah Valley was designed by architect Michael Graves and opened to the public in 2005.[3] In December 2024, Scott Stroh was named Executive Director and CEO of the museum.[7] The museum contains four main galleries: the Shenandoah Valley Gallery, Founders Gallery, R. Lee Taylor Miniatures Gallery, and a Changing Exhibitions Gallery.[8]
Shenandoah Valley Gallery
Founders Gallery
The Shenandoah Valley Gallery presents exhibitions on the prehistory and history of the region. Exhibition methods include multimedia presentations, interactive elements, images, maps, dioramas, and displays of decorative arts. Objects displayed include furniture, fraktur, silver and other metals, baskets, textiles, paintings, folk art, long rifles, and ceramics.
In 2021, the museum opened Contributions: African Americans in the Shenandoah Valley, an exhibition examining the historical experiences and contributions of African Americans in the region.[9]
Founders Gallery
The Founders Gallery displays changing exhibitions, including, or relating to, the private collection of MSV benefactor, Julian Wood Glass Jr.
R. Lee Taylor Miniatures Gallery
This gallery presents a collection of furnished miniature houses and rooms by R. Lee Taylor (1924–2000), who lived at Glen Burnie from the late 1950s until his death. Taylor completed fourteen fully furnished miniature rooms and houses. The gallery exhibits five houses and four rooms, representing work by more than seventy-five miniature artisans. It also includes four shadowbox works by Valley miniatures artist William P. Massey, created between the 1930s and 1940s.[8]
Changing Exhibitions Gallery
The gallery presents several temporary exhibitions throughout the year.
Selected highlights
18th-century chairs
A View on the Grand Canal with the Rialto Bridge (1754), Francesco Guardi
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