\

t •

~

f.o;,.lNo 10- 306 IA'"' 10- 7..tl ~.c_.. CH-668 f ": .• Ul'ITl::.U ST ATLS OLP.-\RT~ll-.'.'\l OF THI: I:'\ l ER IOR

NATIONAL PARK SERVICE

NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES RECEIVED '. .• • 1 . ), ,.-....

/. I -·

t

INVENTO~Y--NO:rt-1INATlON FORhl . • . L-s:7 (. DATE ENTERED ('- ') /h.

i !

'

[£j DESCRIPTION

-

-

_EXCELLENT

XGOOO

_FAIR

CONDITION

_OETERIO!'IATEO

_RUINS

_ UNEXPOSED

CHECK ONE

_UNALTERED

XALTE!lED

CHECK ONE

X..ORIG1NAL SITE

_MQ\tEO DJ.;f ___ _

DESCRIBE THE PRESENT AND ORIGiNAL llF KNO"NNJ PHYSICAL APPEARANCE

From the prehistoric period to the present, the Pisc~~away area has con~ained a mixture of woodland and cultivated- cropland-With a scattering of low d~~llings and farm buildings.

Of note within the boundaries of Piscataway Park are

(1) The Accokeek Creek Site, an archeological site which has yielded evidence of prehistoric occupation through as ~uch as 5500 years and has been desig~ated a National Historic Landnark;

I I ••

(2) The National Colonial Farr.i, a project of the Accokeek Foundation to study and -interpret agricuJciral practices of the late 18th century. However, r:one of the structures or fields is specifically related to conditions onsite in the historic past. Most of the buildings are of recent construction and do ~ot replicate late 18th-century architecture in anything but scale;

(3) Marshall Hall, added to the park in 1975 to co~plete the protection of the Maryland shoreline visible from }!cunt Vernon and to phase out the a:nuse:;mnt park there. The Marshall Hall residence dates from c.1725. (It and the Accokeek Creek Site have been listed individually in the National- Register and

-- are a'i§c~"t6ed -and evaluated - sep;rr-;ff"el-y.)

.. -

-------------------

II SIG NIF I CAN CE -

1

'ERIOO AREAS OF SIGNIFICANCE·· CHECK ANO JUSTIFY BELOW

_ PREHISTCRiC

_1~00-1499

_ARCHEOLOGY PP.F r11S":"ORIC _COM!l.1UN1TY PL.ANNING _L.:ll'l:DSC..l.P£ ~RCHITECTURE

_ lS00-1599

__ 1600 16S9

-X 1700-1799 _1800 1699

~·900

_..AP.CHEOLOGY-HISTORIC

_JI.GR; CUL ":"URE

___,.),RCHllECTURc

_.it.RT

SPECIFIC DATES

.,XCONS~i'IVA TION _.LAW

_ECONOMICS _LITERATl!RE

_EDUC.\ TION _M1u('.o.R¥·

_Eili:PLOR..l. T!O~i SETTLEMEN- _PHILOSOPHY

_1~.0USTRY _?OLITICS-GOVcRN:W.ENT

_IN'.'ENllCN

BUILDER, ARCHITECT

_RfLIGiON

_SCiENCE

_SCULPTURE

_SQC!AL H:.;'w,Al'l.1-:' .1R;A '-

_THE .. iER

_ TR .. NSPORT A 110!1.

~OTHER ISPcr•CV•

Scenic protection

Piscataway Park is principally significant for its role in ~aintai~ir.g tr.e historic vista across the Poto:::zc River frot:i :iount Vernon. As the only unit of the i\ational Park Syste~ establishec specifically to protect the environment of a privately owned historic property. i_t i_;; secondarily important as a new departure in the re-cent his~ory of Federal conservation activity. The park itself is not significant for particular on-site land~arks or fe~tures (excepting the separately noninated features referenced in Section 7); its value derives fro= its general scenic character as viewed fron across the Potonac.

·:No :st~_:_.,.~nc ~X:it_ed A-:i2r_~~C: _is ~o_!_e __ ~e;_san~l~ situated than t~is," wrote Geo:ge l'Jashingrnn of=Moun't Vernon in 1793. !~oteo visitors to the mansion echoed '~ashington' s adni ration. "To••ard the east nature has lavished l!:agnificence," Benjamin Latrobe wrote of the prospect from the famous portico in 1796, and he recorded in ink and watercolor the scene of the Potomac and the opposite shore. Julian Niemcewicz described the view even wore enthusiastically in 1798: "It is from there fhe portico] that one looks out on perhaps the most beautiful view in the ~orld .••. It is there that in the afternoon and evening the Gl., his fa~ily and the tuests] go to sit and enjoy the fine weather and the beautiful view. The op-posite bank, the course of the river, the dense woods all combined to enhance this sweet illusion. What a remembrance!"

Although the Piscataway area was occupied in Washington's time, the predominant impression from }Iount Vernon, as recorded in Latrobe's sketch, was of a natural scene. Except for ~1arshall Hall, no structures of the period have survived. By the middle of this century, proposals by private developers to build high-rise offices and apartments and by public authorities to construct a giant sewage treatment facility on the property threatened the vie~ from Mount Vernon. In

- 1961 Con~~ess authorized the National Park Service to acquire lands and scenic easements to preclude such esthetically intrusive develop~ents. As a result, Piscataway Park now preserves the approximate character of the landscape as seen

___ from Washington's esta~e, thereby safeguarding a vital and historic aspect of the enviro~7.ent of one of A~erica's greatest shrines.

,if]MAJOR BIBLIOGRAPHICAL REFERENCES

Anna Coxe Toogood, "Piscataway Park, Maryland, General Historic Background Study," ...-. National Park Service, 1969. Contains bibliography.

-

:0. H. Latrobe. The Journal of Latrobe. New York, 1905. J. µ. Niemcewicz. Under Their Vine and Fig Tree. Elizabeth, X.J. Geoz:ge Washington. Writings of Washington.

EnjGEOGRAPHICAL DATA .,,

ACREAGf OF NOMINATED PROPERTY 4 > 21 6 53 UTM REFUiENCES

A l.!..&j I 31 2, 4l L 6 d I 4 , 2 l 8, sl s, 8· ~ s l..i.s..aJ b ~ .s f? ,2 ,n I le, ? ! s, Af.2._s_d ZONE EASTING NORTHING ZONE EASTING NORTHll'liG

c l!.&J h ~ Q b '° ·0 I ~8 I 3 lz, , , al olL.fil h h {,, !:; \!, .n I It., ?Is,?! L,, i; d ~A.:'~~;QC;{ ~i.R.'..'.:K~:.i:t~{!P.-!:!~

E 18/323440/4282260 F 18/321080/4282240 I 18/316850/4282720 J 18/316890/4283680

G 18/318320/4282580

K 18/322170/4285530 H 1S/317560/428lScO

VERBAL BOmIDARY DESCRIPTION: Tne National Register boundary is that o: the pc.r:~. See .. ericlosec land acquisition map (tw-o sheets).

LIST ALL STATES At,;i) COUNTIES FOR PROPERTIES OVERLAPPING STA7= OF; COU:\iY BOUNDAF.:ES

STATE CODE COUNT" cco:: Harylar-d 24 Charles 149

STATE COOE COUNTY coo;: ~~..-i:~:·.- -- ~~~-- - - --~--...... -~ Prince Geo roe~ nn

[MFORrvI PREPARED BY NAME / TITLE

Paul Goeldner, Historical h-ch; tprt-; Bar...-y '~ar'i.-; ~tnch, ORGANIZATION

National Canital Re2ion. National Park ~p...-yjrP STREET & NUMBEF

1100 Ohio Drive S R CITY OR lOW"'

[E·cERTIFICATION OF NOMINATIONC~ark autooatic~11? li:ted in ~ational F.c.-~ister uoon aut~orization by Con~ress.)

STATE HISTORIC PRESERVATION OFFICER RECOMMENDATION ° YES__ NO__ NONE __

STATE htS!OR!C PRESERVATION OrF!CEP. SIGl

! I'

..

+ ACctl hi 11 lVUl.

1 "For Co

..

~c~~_._-+~~~~\U,__·_- ~r-.-:-,1 __ ~~~-==;=~~~~~\-~:..:..+~----+---+-~l----..:....

L.L HALL ROA

+

14000-l

Feel Meters

I .3048 2 .6096 3 .9144 4 l.2192 5 1.5240 6 1.8288 7 2.1336