When the state of Maryland purchased land in order to build the Maryland State Normal School to a new campus in Towson, the parcel was made up of five former farms with railroad tracks running along the western and southern borders. After the construction of the new campus was completed in 1915, a valley to the south of Stephens Hall became known as "the Glen". At the time the area consisted of unmanaged stream and flood plain. 

In 1933, the college was awarded a program by the Works Progress Administration (WPA), which constructed trails, buildings, and a botany pond in the Glen. The area was used by students of both the college and the campus Model Elementary School. It became a central gathering place for the campus community and inspired one of the early theater groups at the school, the Glen Players, which would sometimes stage performances in the Glen.

In the 1970s, the Department of Biological Sciences worked with an outside firm to create a master plan for the Glen, designating areas to represent different region of Maryland vegetation. 

In 2006, a Challenge Course was constructed and is operated by Campus Recreation Services. 

Currently, the 10 acres that compose this area are known as the Glen Arboretum and are maintained as both an educational site and a space for community engagement.

written by Felicity Knox, archives associate, Spring 2022.