Susquehanna State Park is a public recreation area located on the banks of the lower
Susquehanna River
The Susquehanna River (; Lenape: Siskëwahane) is a major river located in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, overlapping between the lower Northeast and the Upland South. At long, it is the longest river on the East Coast of the ...
north of the city of
Havre de Grace, Maryland
Havre de Grace (), abbreviated HdG, is a city in Harford County, Maryland, Harford County, Maryland. It is situated at the mouth of the Susquehanna River and the head of Chesapeake Bay. It is named after the port city of Le Havre, France, which ...
.
[ The ]state park
State parks are parks or other protected areas managed at the sub-national level within those nations which use "state" as a political subdivision. State parks are typically established by a state to preserve a location on account of its natural ...
's main area is on the west bank of the river; the park also manages land on the river islands and east bank. The park offers fishing, boating, camping, and trails for hiking and equestrian use. It is managed as a complex with Rocks State Park and Palmer State Park
Palmer State Park is a public recreation area located along Deer Creek two miles southwest of Dublin in Harford County, Maryland. The state park
State parks are parks or other protected areas managed at the sub-national level within those na ...
by the Maryland Department of Natural Resources.[
]
History
The park saw its genesis in 1958 when the former president of the Baltimore Museum of Art, J. Gilman D’Arcy Paul, offered to donate 300 acres to the state.[ The state began its acquisition of land for the park in 1960.][
]
Features
The park's Rock Run Historical Area includes: the Rock Run Grist Mill; the 1804 Carter-Archer Mansion, which was once the home of mill owner John Archer; remnants of the Susquehanna and Tidewater Canal; and the restored Jersey Toll House, where fees were collected for the historic Port Deposit Bridge
The Port Deposit Bridge (also known as the Susquehanna River Bridge or Rock Run Toll Bridge) was the earliest bridge crossing of the Susquehanna River below Columbia, Pennsylvania, providing the first reliable link between the northern and southe ...
.[ The privately run ]Steppingstone Museum The Steppingstone Museum is a non-profit educational and cultural institution on the Susquehanna River, northwest of Havre de Grace, Maryland, whose mission is to preserve and interpret the rural heritage of Harford County, Maryland.
The museum d ...
, which preserves and demonstrates Harford County's rural arts and crafts of the 1880-1920 period, is also located on the park grounds.[
]
Activities and amenities
The park's of trails include the Susquehanna Ridge Trail (), which offers views of the river valley, the Land of Promise (), the Farm Road Trail () and other named trails. The Lower Susquehanna Greenways Trail, which is co-located with the Mason-Dixon Trail, starts at the park and runs north along the river to the Conowingo Dam. The park also offers boating and fishing on the Susquehanna, campgrounds, and picnicking facilities.[
]
References
External links
Susquehanna State Park
Maryland Department of Natural Resources
Susquehanna State Park Map
Maryland Department of Natural Resources
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State parks of Maryland
Museums in Harford County, Maryland
Mill museums in Maryland
Historic house museums in Maryland
Parks in Harford County, Maryland
Protected areas established in 1960
IUCN Category III