History of the Western Maryland Championships and the Mountain Lake Park Tennis Club
Katharine Smith
Mountain Lake Park was established in 1881 as a summer place for religious and cultural experiences. Considered the cultural center of the mid-Alleghenies, it flourished until the end of World War I. Recreational activities provided a diversion from lectures and study groups.
Under the auspices of a women's civic club, a building was constructed to house a library, bowling alley, and social room. Three red clay tennis courts, built shortly after the turn of the century, were located adjacent to the building, and the Western Maryland Championships Tennis Tournament began in 1915.
In the 1920's with a sanction from the United States Lawn Tennis Association and the Western Maryland Championships became an official tournament. Today, it is the oldest sanctioned tournament in the Tri-State area, which includes parts of New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut.
