List of National Park System areas in Maryland

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This list of National Park System areas in Maryland includes the lands, trails, or park networks maintained by the National Park Service of the United States within the U.S. State of Maryland. The National Park Service controls 24 units in the state of Maryland. They range from sites of historical interest to sites of ecological interest to portions of the parkway system around Washington, DC. Many of the sites currently under the control of the National Park Service in Maryland were previously under the control of other agencies in the federal government, such as Antietam National Battlefield, which was originally managed by the Department of War. [1] There are eight units administered by the National Park System as part of the National Capital Parks. The most recent unit created in Maryland is the Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Trail, which was authorized by Congress in 2006.

Contents

National Park System areas

A view of Antietam National Battlefield, site of one of the bloodiest battles of the American Civil War Antietemnb.jpg
A view of Antietam National Battlefield, site of one of the bloodiest battles of the American Civil War
The C&O Canal at Swain's Lock. The canal runs between Washington, DC and Cumberland, Maryland. Canal swains lock 20040911 121236 2.jpg
The C&O Canal at Swain's Lock. The canal runs between Washington, DC and Cumberland, Maryland.
The sally port, or main entrance, to Fort McHenry in Baltimore. The Battle of Fort McHenry in the War of 1812 inspired Francis Scott Key to write the Star Spangled Banner. FtMcHenryEntrance.JPG
The sally port, or main entrance, to Fort McHenry in Baltimore. The Battle of Fort McHenry in the War of 1812 inspired Francis Scott Key to write the Star Spangled Banner.
Close-up view of sign on the former bumper car pavilion at Glen Echo Park GlenEcho BumperCarPavilionSign.JPG
Close-up view of sign on the former bumper car pavilion at Glen Echo Park
Farmhouse and slave quarters at Hampton National Historic Site. Photo by James G. Howes. Hampton NHS 03-cropped.jpg
Farmhouse and slave quarters at Hampton National Historic Site. Photo by James G. Howes.
View of the Potomac River at Piscataway Park Piscataway park.jpg
View of the Potomac River at Piscataway Park
Haberdaventure, the home of Thomas Stone, a signer of the Declaration of Independence, centerpiece of the Thomas Stone National Historic Site. Thomasstonenhs.jpg
Haberdaventure, the home of Thomas Stone, a signer of the Declaration of Independence, centerpiece of the Thomas Stone National Historic Site.
NameLocationDescriptionEstablishedNotes
Antietam National Battlefield Washington County Site of the Battle of Antietam (Civil War)1890 [B] [2]
Appalachian National Scenic Trail Washington County 2,175 mi (3,500 km) footpath stretching through 14 eastern states from Maine to Georgia. [3] 1970 [4]
Assateague Island National Seashore Worcester County 37 mi (60 km) long barrier island managed to conserve its plants and animals. [5] 1965 [6]
Baltimore–Washington Parkway [A] Anne Arundel and Prince George's Counties29 mi (47 km) highway connecting Washington, DC with Baltimore, Maryland. [7] 1954 [6]
Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Trail Chesapeake Bay Water trail tracing Smith's explorations of the Chesapeake Bay, accessible from many points on Maryland's Chesapeake shoreline. [8] 2006 [8]
Catoctin Mountain Park Frederick County 5,810-acre (23.5 km2) forest park in the Appalachian Mountains. [9] 1954 [6]
Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park Montgomery, Frederick, Washington, and Allegany CountiesPark paralleling the Potomac River, preserving remains of the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal. [10] 1938 [6]
Chesapeake Bay Gateways Network Chesapeake Bay shorelineNetwork of sites of historic and environmental interest across the Chesapeake Bay watershed. [11] 1998 [11]
Clara Barton National Historic Site Montgomery County Home of Clara Barton (1821–1912), the founder of the American Red Cross.1975 [12]
Fort Foote Park [A] Prince George's County Wood and earthwork fort on the Potomac River that formed part of Washington, DC's military defenses in the Civil War era.c. 1946 [13]
Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine Baltimore City Star-shaped fort that successfully defended Baltimore Harbor from an attack by the British navy during the War of 1812, in the battle that inspired Francis Scott Key to write The Star-Spangled Banner.1925 [6]
Fort Washington Park [A] Prince George's County Had a long history of military use as a defensive fort protecting Washington, DC 1946 [6]
George Washington Memorial Parkway Montgomery County Parkway in Virginia and Washington, DC; the short Clara Barton Parkway section connects to Glen Echo Park and the Clara Barton National Historic Site in Maryland1930 [6]
Glen Echo Park Montgomery County Park was first established in 1891 as a National Chautauqua Assembly; later it became an amusement park, which closed in 1968.1971 [14]
Greenbelt Park [A] Prince George's County A 1,176-acre (476 ha) recreational area within an urban environment. [15] 1950 [6]
Hampton National Historic Site Baltimore County 18th century estate including Georgian manor house, gardens and grounds, and original stone slave quarters1948 [6]
Harmony Hall [A] Prince George's County 18th-century country house surrounded by 65 acres (26 ha) of parkland. [16] 1966 [17]
Monocacy National Battlefield Frederick County Civil War battlefield straddling the Monocacy River southwest of Frederick.1976 [6]
Oxon Cove Park and Oxon Hill Farm [A] Prince George's County Located in Washington, DC and Prince George's County, Maryland, Oxon Cove Park provides recreational activities. [18] 1959 [19]
Piscataway Park [A] Prince George's County Across the Potomac River from Mount Vernon, established to protect the view from Mount Vernon.1961 [6]
Potomac Heritage National Scenic Trail Potomac River shorelineNetwork of trails along the Potomac River and its tributaries, from the mouth of the river near St. Mary's County to the headwaters.1983 [6]
Suitland Parkway [A] Prince George's County 9.35 mi (15 km) historic parkway built during World War II to connect Washington, DC-area military facilities1944 [6]
Thomas Stone National Historic Site Charles County Home and estate of Thomas Stone, a signer of the Declaration of Independence 1978 [6]

See also

Notes

A ^ Part of the National Capital Parks. [7] [20] [21] [22] [23]
B ^ Antietam National Battlefield was originally two separate units, a cemetery established in 1865 and the battlefield established in 1890 under the War department. Both the battlefield and the cemetery were transferred to the National Park Service from the War Department in 1933, and the two units were combined in 1974. [1]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sharpsburg, Maryland</span> Town in Maryland, United States

Sharpsburg is a town in Washington County, Maryland. The town is approximately 13 miles (21 km) south of Hagerstown. Its population was 560 at the 2020 census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Patuxent River</span> River in Maryland, United States

The Patuxent River is a tributary of the Chesapeake Bay in the state of Maryland. There are three main river drainages for central Maryland: the Potomac River to the west passing through Washington, D.C., the Patapsco River to the northeast passing through Baltimore, and the Patuxent River between the two. The 908-square-mile (2,352 km2) Patuxent watershed had a rapidly growing population of 590,769 in 2000. It is the largest and longest river entirely within Maryland, and its watershed is the largest completely within the state.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Natchez Trace Parkway</span> National parkway in the southeastern U.S.

The Natchez Trace Parkway is a limited-access national parkway in the Southeastern United States that commemorates the historic Natchez Trace and preserves sections of that original trail. Its central feature is a two-lane road that extends 444 miles (715 km) from Natchez, Mississippi, to Nashville, Tennessee. Access to the parkway is limited, with more than 50 access points in Mississippi, Alabama, and Tennessee. The southern end of the route is in Natchez at its intersection with Liberty Road, and the northern end is northeast of Fairview, Tennessee, in the suburban community of Pasquo, at an intersection with Tennessee State Route 100. In addition to Natchez and Nashville, larger cities along the route include Jackson and Tupelo, Mississippi, and Florence, Alabama.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of South Mountain</span> Battle of the American Civil War

The Battle of South Mountain, known in several early Southern accounts as the Battle of Boonsboro Gap, was fought on September 14, 1862, as part of the Maryland campaign of the American Civil War. Three pitched battles were fought for possession of three South Mountain passes: Crampton's, Turner's, and Fox's Gaps.

Monocacy National Battlefield is a unit of the National Park Service, the site of the Battle of Monocacy in the American Civil War fought on July 9, 1864. The battlefield straddles the Monocacy River southeast of the city of Frederick, Maryland. The battle, labeled "The Battle That Saved Washington," was one of the last the Confederates would carry out in Union territory. The two opposing leaders were General Jubal Early, fighting for the South, and General Lew Wallace, fighting for the North.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park</span> Historic site in Maryland and Washington, D.C.

The Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park is located in the District of Columbia and the state of Maryland. The park was established in 1961 as a National Monument by President Dwight D. Eisenhower to preserve the neglected remains of the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal and many of its original structures.

The Potomac Heritage Trail, also known as the Potomac Heritage National Scenic Trail or the PHT, is a designated National Scenic Trail corridor spanning parts of the mid-Atlantic region of the United States that will connect various trails and historic sites in Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and the District of Columbia. The trail network includes 710 miles (1,140 km) of existing and planned sections, tracing the natural, historical, and cultural features of the Potomac River corridor, the upper Ohio River watershed in Pennsylvania and western Maryland, and a portion of the Rappahannock River watershed in Virginia. The trail is managed by the National Park Service and is one of three National Trails that are official NPS units.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Monocacy River</span> River in Maryland, United States

The Monocacy River is a free-flowing left tributary to the Potomac River, which empties into the Atlantic Ocean via the Chesapeake Bay. The river is 58.5 miles (94.1 km) long, with a drainage area of about 970 square miles (2,500 km2). It is the largest Maryland tributary to the Potomac.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kent Island (Maryland)</span> Largest Island and historic place in the Chesapeake Bay, United States

Kent Island is the largest island in the Chesapeake Bay and a historic place in Maryland. To the east, a narrow channel known as the Kent Narrows barely separates the island from the Delmarva Peninsula, and on the other side, the island is separated from Sandy Point, an area near Annapolis, by roughly four miles (6.4 km) of water. At only four miles wide, the main waterway of the bay is at its narrowest at this point and is spanned here by the Chesapeake Bay Bridge. The Chester River runs to the north of the island and empties into the Chesapeake Bay at Kent Island's Love Point. To the south of the island lies Eastern Bay. The United States Census Bureau reports that the island has 31.62 square miles (81.90 km2) of land area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clara Barton Parkway</span> Parkway in Maryland and Washington D.C.

The Clara Barton Parkway is a parkway in the U.S. state of Maryland and the District of Columbia. The highway runs 6.8 miles (10.9 km) from MacArthur Boulevard in Carderock, Maryland, east to Canal Road at the Chain Bridge in Washington. The Clara Barton Parkway is a two- to four-lane parkway that parallels the Potomac River and the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal (C&O) in southwestern Montgomery County, Maryland, and the far western corner of Washington. The parkway provides access to the communities of Cabin John and Glen Echo and several units of the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park. The Maryland portion of the George Washington Memorial Parkway was constructed from Carderock past Interstate 495 (I-495) to Glen Echo in the early to mid-1960s. The parkway was proposed to continue west to Great Falls and east to Georgetown. However, these proposals never came to fruition and the parkway was extended only to the Chain Bridge in the early 1970s. The Maryland portion of the George Washington Memorial Parkway was renamed in 1989 for Clara Barton, the founder of the American Red Cross, and whose original headquarters is located in Glen Echo.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Antietam National Battlefield</span> Historical area from the American Civil War

Antietam National Battlefield is a National Park Service-protected area along Antietam Creek in Sharpsburg, Washington County, northwestern Maryland. It commemorates the American Civil War Battle of Antietam that occurred on September 17, 1862.

National Capital Parks-East (NACE) is an administrative grouping of multiple National Park Service sites east of the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C., and in the state of Maryland. These sites include:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Streetcars in Washington, D.C., and Maryland</span>

Streetcars and interurbans operated in the Maryland suburbs of Washington, D.C., between 1890 and 1962.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Centennial Parkway</span> Road in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

Centennial Parkway is an arterial road in southeastern Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. It is best known as the western terminus of the former King's Highway 20, now maintained by the City of Hamilton. It starts off as Upper Centennial Parkway, a mountain-access road in the City right before the Canadian Pacific Railway line at the backend of Battlefield Park, and is a two-way street throughout that extends north over the Queen Elizabeth Way and ends at Beach Boulevard/Van Wagners Beach Road in front of Confederation Park.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Seneca, Maryland</span> Unincorporated community in Maryland, United States

Seneca is an unincorporated community in Montgomery County, Maryland, United States. It is located near the intersection of River Road and Seneca Creek, not far from the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal and Potomac River. Its history goes back before the American Revolutionary War and it thrived when the canal was operating—having several warehouses, mills, a store, a hotel, and a school. Fighting occurred in the area on more than one occasion during the American Civil War. The community declined as the C&O Canal declined.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Environment of Virginia</span>

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Miller's Cornfield</span>

Miller's Cornfield is a section of the Antietam battlefield of the American Civil War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oxon Run</span> Stream in Maryland, USA

Oxon Run is a tributary stream of Oxon Creek and the Potomac River in Prince George's County, Maryland, and Washington, D.C.

References

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  2. "1930 through 1939". National Park System Timeline. National Park Service. Archived from the original on 2008-02-10. Retrieved 2007-07-10.
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  14. "About Glen Echo Park". Glen Echo Park Partnership for Arts and Culture, Inc. Archived from the original on 2007-07-29. Retrieved 2007-07-10.
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  22. "National Capital Parks-East". National Park Service. Archived from the original on 2008-02-15. Retrieved 2008-02-14.
  23. "Suitland Parkway". National Park Service. Archived from the original on 2008-03-13. Retrieved 2008-02-14.