Piscataway Park
| Piscataway Park | |
|---|---|
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IUCN category V (protected landscape/seascape) | |
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View of the Potomac River at Piscataway Park | |
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| Location | Prince George's County, Maryland, USA |
| Nearest city | Accokeek, MD |
| Coordinates | 38°40′43″N 77°05′34″W / 38.67861°N 77.09278°WCoordinates: 38°40′43″N 77°05′34″W / 38.67861°N 77.09278°W |
| Established | October 4, 1961 |
| Visitors | 176,174 (in 2005) |
| Governing body | |
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Piscataway Park | |
| Nearest city | Accokeek, Maryland |
| Area | 4,216.5 acres (1,706.4 ha) |
| Governing body | Federal |
| NRHP Reference # | 66000144[1] |
| Added to NRHP | October 15, 1966 |
Piscataway Park, located 20 miles (32 km) southwest of downtown Washington, D.C., near Accokeek, Maryland, protects Marshall Hall the National Colonial Farm, and the Accokeek Creek Site. The park is located across the Potomac River from George Washington's Mount Vernon estate.
Piscataway Park is named after Piscataway Creek, itself named for a Native American tribe. The park is home to bald eagles, beavers, osprey, and other wildlife[2] and encompasses areas of wetland, meadow and woodland. It is administered by the National Park Service and is managed by National Capital Parks-East.[3]
History
Henry and Alice Ferguson bought more than 100 acres (0.40 km2) of land in the area in 1928. It includes the area of Moyaone, a Native American Piscataway village last occupied in 1623. The Fergusons bought more property and encouraged friends to settle nearby, where they could protect the environment. After Alice's death in 1951, Ferguson created the Alice Ferguson Foundation, which administered the land. The foundation made arrangements to donate property to the National Park Service for parkland, a transaction completed in the 1960s.[4] This both protected the environment, as well as the historic viewshed as seen from the Mount Vernon mansion, keeping the parkland as it was in George Washington's day, and preventing modern development along the shore of the river.
National Colonial Farm
The National Colonial Farm is a living history example of a 1770s tobacco farm typical of a common planter. Many of the structures on the site are open to visitors, including a barn, smokehouse, out-kitchen, and the farm house. Costumed interpreters demonstrate various techniques, including candlemaking, gardening, and sewing.
References
- ↑ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. 2010-07-09.
- ↑ "Piscataway Park". Accokeek Foundation.
- ↑ "Piscataway Park". National Park Service. Retrieved June 2, 2011.
- ↑ Ann Cameron Siegal, "Quietly Tucked In Near the Potomac: Moyaone Residents Keep Close to Nature", The Washington Post, 23 Jul 2010
External links
- National Park Service Piscataway Park official website
- "Piscataway Park" – Chesapeake Bay Gateways Network
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