The Director

**From the Director**

This page will be dedicated to correspondence to and from the director of Friends of Orianda House, Rick Smith.

Who is Rick Smith?

Meet Richard "Rick" Smith - Guardian and Keeper of Orianda
By Roberta Sharper

Sitting in his office surrounded by memorabilia reflecting the lives of former residents of the mansion, time tends to stand still. It takes very little time, however, in his presence to reveal much about the man who has undertaken the task of preserving the rich history of this magnificent house.

Rick grew up in a military family and lived in Frankfurt, Germany and other places in Europe from the ages of four to six. Aside from that experience abroad he has lived most of his life near the Leakin Park Crimea Estate.

As a child he spent much of his time playing and hiking in the park surrounding the mansion. He recalls his fascination with the huge boulders that were an integral part of the landscape, wondering what might be buried beneath them. His parents introduced him to gardening and he learned to understand the characteristics of various plants. His education reflects diverse institutions of learning both public and private, providing a broad perspective which influences his interest in many areas. Having grown up with few children, his life has been shaped by the adults who told stories about their lives which centered around the park. He recalls sitting on the porches of elderly neighbors and family friends sipping cool drinks and being enveloped in living history lessons.

From 1987-1991 he worked at the Carrie Murray Nature Center. During this time he fondly remembers the Fisher Family who lived near the Center and who often invited him to tea. They, and later other family members, were happy to share their stories of life in the park and many photographs with Rick. This material became the nucleus of the large collection he has acquired.

Rick worked for Parks and Recreation from 1991 until 1993 when the tailgate of a dump truck fell on him causing debilitating injuries, the aftermath of which persist to this day. From 1993-1996 he worked at the Conservatory and continued to educate himself by attending Catonsville Community College for Park and Recreation Studies and Goucher for Historical Preservation.

In 1996 Rick left city employment and started his own business but continued to connect with people who had lived in the park or knew others who came to the park for recreation and who might have historical information or materials they would like to add to his growing collection.

Sundays in the park were special times for him and he became such a fixture that Dave Starnes, past Director of Outward Bound, asked him to display some of his materials. By this time he had acquired a tremendous amount of valuable materials with no permanent place to house them. In 2006 Dave offered him office space in the mansion and Rick has become the ultimate volunteer and caretaker of the mansion for the past three years, where aside from his job he can be found daily at the mansion from 9:00-3:00. He also directs the planning for Christmas Open House and other special events when the mansion is open to the public.

His vision for the future of Orianda is its restoration to accommodate multiple usage, an additional building to house educational facilities for history, music, and an art gallery which reflects the period when the mansion was a family residence.

When asked how others may help now and in the future, he said by realizing that Orianda is an asset to the city and that its history should be kept alive. This can be done by becoming stewards who will continue to care for it.

And how does Rick care for the mansion? "Oh, mopping floors, taking care of trash, cleaning restrooms, cutting grass, historian, curator, etc." Without a moments hesitation when asked what has been most fulfilling about this labor of love, he said "The mansion has become a home for my enormous collection (which by the way continues to grow), it has inspired a strong belief in my ideals and afforded me an opportunity to give something back to the city."

Rick had the great fortune to be adopted by a loving family who instilled in him and nurtured his talents for decorating, singing and poetry, and a love of nature. He is a warm and caring individual and an adoring father whose life centers around his son Ricky, Jr. who was born in 1997. He says this is the most precious thing that has ever happened in his life. His love for his son and for nature are vividly expressed in this letter written to his son and buried in a time capsule in the park to be unearthed in 2057:

"Dear Ricky, I looked down at you the day we placed this box in the ground. A tear rolled down my cheek. Since you came home from the hospital as a baby, I have raised you on my own, loving you with all my heart and soul. You are my 'rock' in my life. If I am not here when you open this box, look around you, for I am in the trees, in the flowers, in the history of this park I loved, standing next to you always. (Can you feel me hugging you?) I hope you have grown into a great man. Love always and forever, Daddy."





Musings on a cold, snowy day in December
(when Rick was snowed in at the mansion by the blizzard of 2009)

Well here I am, still looking out the window of this 153 year old mansion in Leakin Park. I have lived in the Franklintown area all my life, hiked around the woods of the Gwynns Falls Leakin Park, and never have I seen views like this. I arrived yesterday about 9:45am to check on things and put out emails about the holiday open house. By the time I finished, my tire tracks were gone. I looked around, there were no birds in the holly, no deer picking at the ground, it was just silent falling snow flakes dancing about. Thinking about staying busy, I kept a path swept to the door and kept my van swept off. Why sweeping my van off, seemed silly-there was not to be a fast getaway at all. The funny thing was breaking the cheap plastic orange sherbet colored snow shovel. It was as if the snow said, "Where do you think you're going?" After a hot cup of tea, I walked to the top of the mansion, up the old spiral staircase. What a view! I could see all the way over to the Celeste Winans chapel, the old Kirk house, the carriage house, the Outward Bound building with its bright red roof, and the honeymoon cottage. Looking off towards the east, I looked down into the valley below the mansion towards the old waterwheel and Franklintown Road. Thinking back to childhood days of sledding down the vast hill behind the mansion, I never thought I would be on the inside looking out! As a child I would always wonder who lived up there-must be nice. The wind made its speech, blowing down the chimneys. I did find an open window on the 2nd floor-it seemed natural that the wisps of snow had blown onto the sill like it was returning to an old friend. Making my way down to the ballroom, I turned on all the trees and placed a chair in the center of the room. There was the Outward Bound tree, the Carrie Murray tree, the Parks and People tree, the Friends of Gwynns Falls tree, and the labyrinth tree, and in front of the mirror, all in silver and gold, the Orianda house tree, and another tree placed here by the city police department. Flowing out from the front room was Bing Crosby's "White Christmas" on the radio. How perfect! I thought. With a jolt and a thud on the floor, I realized I had dozed off in the chair-what a rude awaking of face becoming one with the floor! I laughed, shook it off, went outside again and swept a path to the front door like someone was coming, but no one was there, just the wind and the snow at my back. I sat in front of the fireplace in the green room watching the glow of the Christmas lights I had placed there to look like fire, another hot cup of tea in my hands. I thought how many times did someone sit here? 153 years have gone by and I know someone had to have sat in an old chair by this fireplace. Minutes turned into hours. I sang, wrote some cards, ate, and watched "It's a Wonderful Life" online and drifted off into dreamland. Now, looking out the front window of the green room, I can see daylight and faint blue sky like there was no storm at all. I guess I should sweep a path to the door again.

Rick Smith Orianda Mansion, Dec. 2009



		Baltimore Police Commissioner Bealefeld with Rick Smith in front of the mansion after the cocktail party before the Outward Bound Cornerstone Dinner on May 6th, 2010.