Segregation at Gwynn Oak Amusement Park ended on August 28, 1963, after nearly ten years of protests that culminated in demonstrations on July 4 and 7, 1963, during which about 400 people were arrested, including over 20 Catholic, Protestant, and Jewish clergy. People of different faiths and ethnicities took part in the Civil Rights demonstration, and negotiations that followed resulted in the park finally opening to all on August 28, 1963, the same day Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered his “I Have a Dream” speech in Washington, D. C. The first African American child to ride that day went on the merry-go-round. In 1972, Hurricane Agnes destroyed the amusement park, but the merry-go-round survived and was later moved to the National Mall in Washington, near where Dr. King gave his famous speech.
