Piscataway Park
Piscataway Park is a National Park Service-protected area located southwest of downtown Washington, D.C. in and around Accokeek, Maryland. It protects the National Colonial Farm, Marshall Hall, 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 and encompasses areas of wetland, meadow and woodland. It is administered jointly by the Accokeek Foundation, which has a Cooperative Agreement with the National Park Service to steward about 200 acres of the park, and the National Park Service and is managed by National Capital Parks-East.
History
Henry and Alice Ferguson bought more than of land in the area in 1928. It includes the area of Moyaone, a Native American Piscataway village. 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. 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.
Piscataway Park includes the Marshall Hall amusement park, which was closed in 1980 due to financial issues. The outlawing of slot machine gambling and racism may have played a role in the demise of the park.
Plants and Wildlife
The park, because it encompasses woodlands, wetlands, meadows, and cultivated spaces, is home to a wide variety of plant and animal life. Many of these plants and animals have significant historic and cultural importance to the Piscataway people. On the portion of the park stewarded by the Accokeek Foundation, numerous trails offer access to these native plants and the animals that rely on them.
Hiking Trails
Piscataway Park has several hiking trails open to the public. Its Pumpkin Ash trail is one such trail.