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Magothy River draws water lovers to Ulmstead Estates

2023-08-01 00:00:00.0 华盛顿邮报-华盛顿特区原网页

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Looking back on 26 years in Ulmstead Estates, Colleen Parr Winans said one of her most cherished memories is winning the neighborhood fishing tournament in 2019 with the largest rockfish of the day.

“I kind of felt bad that I won, because my husband’s the big fisherman,” she joked. “We almost felt like we had to abandon ship because [the water] got so rough.”

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Winans’s family spends plenty of time on their 18-foot Parker boat, named “The Gordo” after a late friend of her husband’s. “When the kids were younger we would do a little bit of water skiing,” she said. “We’re about a mile from the mouth of the [Chesapeake] Bay, so you can really do all those boating activities, kayaking, even swimming.”

The water is a big part of life for many residents of Ulmstead Estates, a 360-house community on the Magothy River in Arnold, about eight miles north of Annapolis.

The neighborhood has 110 boat slips in two marinas, with a waiting list to lease one. There is also a community pool, beach and waterfront places to store kayaks, paddleboards and small craft. Besides the water-based amenities, Ulmstead has tennis courts and community social events.

“The biggest thing in Ulmstead is that you’re buying a lifestyle,” said Long & Foster real estate agent June Steinweg. “There’s just so many things you can do in that neighborhood.”

Ulmstead Estates was built on what was once a 400-acre farm where tomatoes, watermelons and peaches were grown for shipment to Baltimore by sailboat, according to a community history written in 1994. When produce markets declined, Aberdeen Angus cattle were raised on the land and a barn was added for horses.

The Ulmstead Estates community was developed in the 1960s, but some of its past was preserved. The barn, used for boarding horses until 2017, is a venue for community gatherings.

“It’s this white [barn] with all kinds of wonky additions to it. They even put the original red tin roof on, it’s fabulous,” said Marion Ticknor, who used to run the neighborhood’s newsletter, “the Weathervane.” “We had our New Year’s Eve and Saint Patty’s Day parties there. We had a ball.”

The community does not have a traditional homeowners’ association. Instead, residents have the option to join the Ulmstead Club, pay an annual club fee and yearly fees for specific facilities.

Winans coaches the community swim team, the Ulmstead Mighty Ducks. Weekly meets in the summer have become a place for residents to catch up, grab a bite to eat and enjoy watching their children compete.

“It’s a great way for parents and kids to get to know each other. We have food trucks come in every Friday, so people will come down and picnic,” Winans said. “The pool is a very central area.”

Holidays present more opportunities for neighbors to come together. During May Commissioning Week at the Naval Academy, Ulmstead boaters cruise to Ego Alley, the nickname for the Annapolis dock area, to watch the Navy’s Blue Angels flight show.

“Everybody gets their boats and heads south underneath the Bay Bridge and watches them from Ego Alley,” said Kathleen Pruissen, who moved to the neighborhood in 1999. “It’s a magical moment for everyone here.”

Fourth of July festivities start a day early with an adults-only Ulmstead dock party and conclude with a parade through the neighborhood. Ticknor recalled stacking hay bales in the bed of her stepfather’s restored 1957 Chevy truck and letting kids ride in the back for the parade.

The neighborhood, she said, is “a good place to be. It’s a happy, happy place.”

Living There: Ulmstead Estates is bordered by the Magothy River to the north, Shore Acres Road to the south, Spriggs Farm Park to the east and Cool Spring Cove to the west.

There is one house for sale in Ulmstead Estates, a four-bedroom, three-bathroom, 2,792-square-foot rancher listed at $700,000, Steinweg said. It is one of just three houses in the neighborhood that have been on the market in 2023, she said.

Schools: Broadneck Elementary School, Magothy River Middle School, Broadneck High School.

Transit: The Maryland Transit Authority provides bus service to Washington and Baltimore from the Jones Station Road & Severna Park Park and Ride, about four and a half miles away. Ulmstead Estates is 21 miles from Baltimore/Washington International Airport.

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