by Lisa Schauer
For the first time, the historic Woodmont Lodge is open to the public for monthly history and conservation tours, and an open house this summer.
The lodge and its surrounding 1,400-acre grounds are owned by the Maryland Department of Natural Resources and managed by the Woodmont chapter of the Izaak Walton League of America, and Fort Frederick State Park. 
Tours of the rarely seen interior will be held on the last Saturday of the month, on July 27 and August 31, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
An open house will be held on Sunday, September 8 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Visitors must register in advance for the tours by calling Fort Frederick State Park at 301-842-2155. No registration is required for the open house.
Park rangers and historical interpreters will be on hand to describe the significance and origins of Woodmont Lodge and its illustrious history.
The stately lodge was built in 1930 using thick ax-hewn ceiling beams cut from Woodmont’s forests, large stones, and sand for mortar mined on the property.
It originally served as a clubhouse for the Woodmont Rod and Gun Club of Washington, D.C., established in 1870, and is the fourth clubhouse that was built, after others burned or were replaced.
Three massive fireplaces, each with stones of historical significance, tower in the large dining room, great hall and trophy room. Expansive verandas opening off of 20 guest rooms evoke the glamour of a bygone era.
Guest registers are on display, notably including President Franklin D. Roosevelt and his presidential party, one of six American presidents who visited Woodmont Lodge.
Before Camp David, Woodmont Lodge served as the president’s retreat. In addition to FDR, presidents James Garfield, Chester Arthur, Benjamin Harrison, Grover Cleveland, and Herbert Hoover were honored guests.
See the President’s chair, where each one sat, rescued from a fire in 1903, on display in the lodge.
Peek into a closet designed to hoist Roosevelt in his wheelchair to the second story and back down.
View oil paintings and artifacts, such as the Woodmont bell, dating back to the time of George Washington. Assorted taxidermy collected from around the world adorn the wood walls, floors and tables.
Baseball great Babe Ruth, vaudevillians Amos and Andy, and prominent Supreme Court justices were among the privileged and wealthy visitors, including senators, congressmen, military officers, and businessmen of their time. Women were only invited for an annual dinner.
Justice William O. Douglas, the longest-serving justice in the history of the Supreme Court, stayed at the lodge in 1954 during his famous conservation walk from Cumberland to Georgetown on the C&O Canal, which saved it from becoming I-70, and was the nation’s first environmental march.
A train station, and later an air strip, on the grounds provided easy access for dignitaries from Washington, D.C. and points beyond.
With the Potomac River practically on its doorstep, and lush forests, there was ample game, fish and fowl for hunting and fishing. Wild turkey, still being raised today on a wild turkey farm since the 19th century, were, and still are, abundant.
Woodmont Lodge is located at 11761 Woodmont Road, along Sideling Hill, in a rural area outside of Hancock.
The lodge has restricted access, only during public events and by rental to private rod and gun clubs during hunting season.
The surrounding property and nearby parking lot are open to the public. Hiking trails wind through the grounds and picnic tables are scattered on the lawn.
Woodmont Lodge is adjacent to the Western Maryland Rail Trail, where most visitors these days originate, according to seasonal rangers there.
