Piscataway Park is at the heart of the Piscataway world. With its ample natural resources, this land has been home to Native
American people for more than 400 generations. Today it remains the
cherished homeland of the Piscataway people of Southern Maryland. The
Piscataway people are alive and well. Like other modern Americans, many
Piscataways have moved to far-flung places, but the heaviest concentration
is still in Charles, Prince George’s, and St. Mary’s counties, particularly
in La Plata and Brandywine. The Piscataway community has been growing in
size since the nineteenth century. It is tied together by a common culture,
by neighborhood connections in Southern Maryland, through lines of kinship
extending to all Piscataway people, and by several tribal organizations.
This 200 acre National Park is located in Accokeek, MD, on the shore of the
Potomac River directly across from Mount Vernon. Our land serves as an
outdoor classroom for educational programs, research, agricultural and
conservation projects. The National Colonial Farm, an outdoor living
history museum, was established by the Accokeek Foundation in 1958. The
farm depicts life for an ordinary tobacco planting family in Prince
George’s County in the 1770s. Historic sites like George Washington’s home,
Mount Vernon, represent what many believe life was like in the colonial
period. However, large plantations were far from the norm. Very few
colonists enjoyed such luxury. The majority were poorer planters, tenant
farmers, indentured servants, and slaves. Skilled interpreters lead tours
of the National Colonial Farm, highlighting the colonial structures,
fields, gardens and animals. The park is free and open to the public year
around. Activities include: picnic area, fishing, nature trails, kayaks,
boat dock.
