Matapeake State Park is a public recreation area on

Chesapeake Bay The Chesapeake Bay ( ) is the largest estuary in the United States. The Bay is located in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region and is primarily separated from the Atlantic Ocean by the Delmarva Peninsula (including the parts: the ...

occupying the site of a former

ferry A ferry is a ship, watercraft or amphibious vehicle used to carry passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo, across a body of water. A passenger ferry with many stops, such as in Venice, Italy, is sometimes called a water bus or water taxi ...

landing in Matapeake,

Kent Island 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 sepa ...

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...

. The landing served the state-owned

Chesapeake Bay Ferry System Chesapeake often refers to: *Chesapeake people, a Native American tribe also known as the Chesepian * The Chesapeake, a.k.a. Chesapeake Bay *Delmarva Peninsula, also known as the Chesapeake Peninsula Chesapeake may also refer to: Populated plac ...

before the

Chesapeake Bay Bridge The Chesapeake Bay Bridge (also known locally as the Bay Bridge) is a major twin bridges, dual-span bridge in the U.S. state of Maryland. Spanning the Chesapeake Bay, it connects the state's rural Eastern Shore of Maryland, Eastern Shore regio ...

opened. The park is leased and managed by Queen Anne's County.

History

The park occupies the site of a

landing that had served the

on its run across the bay from

to what is now

Sandy Point State Park Sandy Point State Park is a public recreation area on Chesapeake Bay, located at the western end of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge in Anne Arundel County, Maryland. The state park is known for the popularity of its swimming beach, with annual attenda ...

. The park land was first acquired by the state in 1941 with the purchase of the Claiborne-Annapolis Ferry Company, which became the Chesapeake Bay Ferry System. The Sandy Point-Matapeake Ferry was discontinued in 1952. Afterwards, uses for the land by the state included a shooting range and a building housing a scale model of the

. The bay model was made obsolete by computer simulations, and the building was left vacant. Following the 2003 collapse of the building during that year's Presidents' Day snowstorm, the county resumed renovation of the ferry terminal building and renamed it the Matapeake Clubhouse. The Matapeake Clubhouse and adjoining public beach opened to the public in May 2009.

Activities and amenities

Park grounds include the restored ferry house and former ferry landing, which is used as a fishing pier. The park offers a swimming beach, amphitheater, trails, picnicking area, dog beach, and views of the Bay Bridge. It is the northern terminus of the paved

Kent Island South Trail Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces the ...

, which extends from the park to Romancoke Pier.

References

External links

Matapeake Beach & Clubhouse
Queen Anne's County {{authority control Kent Island, Maryland State parks of Maryland Parks in Queen Anne's County, Maryland Protected areas established in 2009 2009 establishments in Maryland