Piscataway Park is a

National Park Service The National Park Service (NPS) is an agency of the United States federal government within the U.S. Department of the Interior that manages all national parks, most national monuments, and other natural, historical, and recreational propert ...

-protected area located southwest of downtown

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

in and around Accokeek,

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 ...

. It protects the National Colonial Farm, Marshall Hall, and the Accokeek Creek Site. The park is located across the

Potomac River The Potomac River () drains the Mid-Atlantic United States, flowing from the Potomac Highlands into Chesapeake Bay. It is long,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map. Retrieved Augu ...

from George Washington's

Mount Vernon Mount Vernon is an American landmark and former plantation of Founding Father, commander of the Continental Army in the Revolutionary War, and the first president of the United States George Washington and his wife, Martha. The estate is on ...

estate.

Piscataway Park is named after

Piscataway Creek Piscataway Creek is an U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed August 15, 2011 tributary of the Potomac River in Prince George's County, Maryland, Prince George's County, Marylan ...

, itself named for a Native American tribe. The park is home to bald eagles, beavers,

osprey The osprey (''Pandion haliaetus''), , also called sea hawk, river hawk, and fish hawk, is a diurnal, fish-eating bird of prey with a cosmopolitan range. It is a large raptor reaching more than in length and across the wings. It is brown o ...

, and other wildlife and encompasses areas of

wetland A wetland is a distinct ecosystem that is flooded or saturated by water, either permanently (for years or decades) or seasonally (for weeks or months). Flooding results in oxygen-free (anoxic) processes prevailing, especially in the soils. The p ...

meadow A meadow ( ) is an open habitat, or field, vegetated by grasses, herbs, and other non- woody plants. Trees or shrubs may sparsely populate meadows, as long as these areas maintain an open character. Meadows may be naturally occurring or arti ...

and woodland. It is administered by the

and is managed by

National Capital Parks-East 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:Those not noted as official units are ...

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 Piscataway may refer to: *Piscataway people, a Native American ethnic group native to the southern Mid-Atlantic States *Piscataway language *Piscataway, Maryland, an unincorporated community *Piscataway, New Jersey, a township *Piscataway Creek, Ma ...

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

for parkland, a transaction completed in the 1960s.Ann Cameron Siegal, "Quietly Tucked In Near the Potomac: Moyaone Residents Keep Close to Nature", ''The Washington Post'', 23 Jul 2010 This both protected the environment, as well as the historic

viewshed A viewshed is the geographical area that is visible from a location. It includes all surrounding points that are in line-of-sight with that location and excludes points that are beyond the horizon or obstructed by terrain and other features (e.g. ...

as seen from the Mount Vernon mansion, keeping the parkland as it was in

George Washington George Washington (February 22, 1732, 1799) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Appointed by the Continental Congress as commander of th ...

's day, and preventing modern development along the shore of the river.

References

External links

*, including photo, at Maryland Historical Trust website
National Park Service Piscataway Park official website

"Piscataway Park"
– Chesapeake Bay Gateways Network {{authority control Accokeek, Maryland Museums in Prince George's County, Maryland Parks on the National Register of Historic Places in Maryland Parks in Prince George's County, Maryland National Park Service areas in Maryland National Capital Parks-East Piscataway National Register of Historic Places in Prince George's County, Maryland 1961 establishments in Maryland