Santa Heim, Merryland: Savage’s Year-Round Christmas Village Walking Tour

8600 Foundry St,Savage MD 20763

04 December, 2022

Description

Join us for this walking tour highlighting the Santa Heim years of Savage Mill and the surrounding community. From 1948-1951, the former cotton mill and the town of Savage were transformed by Harry Heim, a Baltimore businessman, into a year-round Christmas village. Highlights of the tour will include the Bollman Truss Bridge, a railroad spur that brought tens of thousands of people to the town; Carroll Baldwin Hall, the town community center turned toy store; houses and businesses in town that played a role; and the over-the-top entertainment inside the Mill’s New Weave building. The Santa Heim years will also be juxtaposed against the backdrop of the mill's founding and original purpose. The tour will end at a display of authentic Santa Heim Christmas ornaments owned by a Savage resident and Savage Historical Society member who will share what she has learned about the years when Santa Heim produced ⅓ of the country’s hand-blown ornaments. Special thanks to the Savage Historical Society for loaning items for the Santa Heim display. Organized in cooperation with Carroll Baldwin Hall, Savage's community center, and the Savage Historical Society. Participants are encouraged to bring a canned food donation for the Savage Food Bank. Distance covered is less than a mile and includes descending/ascending a hill. Meet at the Paymaster's Office with Savage Mill. The Sunday Star Pictorial Magazine, Washington, D.C., December 5, 1948