thumb|The North Fork of Quantico Creek, from the North Valley trail

thumb|right|Map of Prince William Forest Park

Prince William Forest Park is a National Park Service (NPS) site in the U.S. state of Virginia within Prince William County (and very partially Stafford County), located adjacent to the Marine Corps Base Quantico near the town of Dumfries. Established as Chopawamsic Recreational Demonstration Area in 1936, the park is the largest protected natural area in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan region at over .

The park serves as the largest example of Eastern Piedmont forest in the National Park System. The park also protects the Quantico Creek watershed. It is a sanctuary for numerous native plant and animal species.

The park was developed by Works Progress Administration workers after the Great Depression. Landscaping and structures were designed by National Park Service architects. Four camp areas are listed individually on the National Register of Historic Places:

  • Goodwill Historic District, Chopawamsic RDA Camp 1
  • Mawavi Historic District, Chopawamsic RDA Camp 2
  • Orenda/SP-26 Historic District, Chopawamsic RDA Camp 3
  • Pleasant Historic District, Chopawamsic RDA Camp 4

The park also includes the Cabin Branch Pyrite Mine Historic District, listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2002.

History

The land on which Prince William Forest Park now resides was once used by Native Americans of the Archaic period. The Native Americans would use the area for hunting, gathering, and camping. Many artifacts from the archaic people have been found throughout the park.

The park was erected where once the town of Batestown stood. It was an enclave for freed slaves named for Mary Bates, the matriarch of the community.

Between 1933 and 1937, the Federal Government began implementing a Resettlement Administration program to form Chopawamsic Recreational Demonstration Area,

The park was surrounded by barbed wire and fences, and patrolled by dogs and armed guards. All remaining forty-four holdouts were evicted, some carried away screaming.

At the end of the war, the displaced residents hoped their land would be restored, but to date these families have received no compensation. Instead, the property was turned over to the National Park Service and renamed Prince William Forest Park.

  • Products of the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), which built the facilities, roads and lakes from 1936 to 1942. Deer in particular can be seen almost anywhere in the park. A variety of bird species, such as the hooded warbler, the wood thrush, and the red-shouldered hawk, can also be found. Reptiles such as eastern black rat snakes have been seen in and around logs and brush areas, and eastern box turtles can often be found, especially after a light rain. There are a number of amphibians that inhabit the park, such as the American toad, green frog, and Cope's gray tree frog, as well as salamanders such as the marbled salamander and the eastern red-backed salamander. Various skinks can be seen around sunny areas of the trails as well.

See also

  • Breckenridge Reservoir
  • List of parks in the Baltimore–Washington metropolitan area

References

  • National Park Service: Official Prince William Forest Park website
  • Friends of Prince William Forest Park
  • Prince William Forest Park, National Park Service at Google Cultural Institute