While the Maryland Department of Natural Resources is primarily focused on protecting the environment, its role as caretaker of more than half a million acres means it is also guardian of the state’s deep historical roots.
Nearly every Maryland state park contains some piece of history, but several offer visitors the rare opportunity to literally walk the same ground as figures who shaped the American story.
One starting point is St. Clement’s Island State Park, located in the Potomac River off Colton’s Point in St. Mary’s County. This is where the Ark and the Dove arrived on March 25, 1634, carrying Maryland’s first English settlers. Like those original arrivals, today’s visitors can only reach the island by boat.
Jumping ahead to the French and Indian War era, Savage River State Forest in Garrett County features an unimproved trail with signage tracing the 1755 Braddock Military Road Expedition. That original road was constructed under British General Edward Braddock, with support from the Virginia Militia — which included a then-young officer named George Washington — in an effort to push the French out of Western Pennsylvania and gain access to the Ohio Valley. The mission ultimately failed, and the conflict dragged on for several more years.
As that war continued, Maryland’s colonial government erected the stone-walled Fort Frederick in 1756 to shield settlers from attack. The fort later served as a prison for British soldiers during the American Revolution and was used by Union troops to guard the C&O Canal during the Civil War. Its stone wall and two barracks have since been restored to their 1758 appearance, and the park regularly hosts historical reenactments and educational programming.
Maryland played a significant role in the American Revolution. Smallwood State Park is home to Smallwood’s Retreat, the plantation estate of Major General William Smallwood — a Continental Army officer who later served as governor of Maryland. The surrounding outbuildings reflect what is known or believed to have stood on the property, offering a window into daily life on an 18th-century tidewater plantation.
Earlier this year, the department accepted a land donation that included a historic African American cemetery — the final resting place of enslaved, skilled laborers at the Catoctin Furnace in Frederick County. The furnace was founded in 1776 by Thomas Johnson and three of his brothers; Johnson would go on to become Maryland’s first elected governor. The furnace produced iron goods for George Washington’s army, including cannonballs used in the Revolutionary War’s closing battle at Yorktown, Virginia. The site is now managed as part of Cunningham Falls State Park, with a commitment to honor this ground with dignity and share these stories truthfully.
During the War of 1812, British forces targeted Maryland communities throughout the Chesapeake Bay region. North Point State Park, located north of Baltimore, is home to the Defenders Trail — the same path soldiers traveled during that conflict.
In the early years of the United States, the ability to move people and goods was critical to the nation’s expansion, and Maryland was at the center of that effort. The National Road became the first highway built entirely with federal dollars, with construction kicking off in Cumberland in 1811. The road eventually stretched through central Ohio and Indiana before reaching Vandalia, Illinois in the 1830s, where funding ran dry, according to the National Park Service. One well-preserved remnant of that road is the Casselman River Bridge, now part of the state park that bears the same name. When it was built, its 80-foot span was the largest of its kind in the country. The bridge is currently being refurbished by the department and is expected to reopen within the next few years.
Maryland’s seafaring heritage is on display at the historic lighthouses found at Turkey Point within Elk Neck State Park and at Point Lookout State Park in St. Mary’s County.
The nation’s first major steam railroad — the Baltimore and Ohio — was responsible for building the Thomas Viaduct, which is still in use today. Completed in 1835, it holds the distinction of being the world’s largest multiple-arched stone railroad bridge with an arc. The structure played a strategic role during the Civil War and today stands above Patapsco Valley State Park near Ellicott City.
Civil War history is woven throughout Maryland’s landscape. South Mountain State Battlefield marks the site of the first major Civil War battle fought in Maryland — three days before Antietam. The Union victories there in September 1862 helped create the conditions that led President Abraham Lincoln to issue the Emancipation Proclamation. The battlefield is also the only major Civil War site that crosses the Appalachian National Scenic Trail.
In Southern Maryland, Point Lookout State Park stands on the site of a camp that held as many as 52,264 Confederate prisoners of war during the Civil War. Its serene surroundings today contrast sharply with the suffering that took place there.
Many of the state’s public lands also grapple with the history of slavery — what historians have called America’s “original sin” for the way it shaped the nation’s economy, culture, and politics. Several parks share the stories of enslaved Marylanders and their struggles, while also honoring those who fought for freedom and the African Americans who lived through emancipation.
On the Eastern Shore, the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad and Visitor Center brings to life the courageous journeys of Tubman and others who risked everything in pursuit of freedom.
One of the state’s newest parks tells the story of an African American family that rose from enslavement to become a prosperous and respected presence in northern Montgomery County. At Freedman’s State Park, visitors can explore the story of emancipation through the life of Enoch George Howard, his family’s resilience, and the community that formed around them. Their legacy stands as an inspiring chapter in the state’s stewardship of natural, historical, and cultural heritage.
These are only a handful of the countless historical moments preserved across Maryland’s public lands. Walking where history happened, these places remind us of how far the nation has come in its pursuit of liberty — and how much work remains.
As Secretary Josh Kurtz puts it, America’s story isn’t only etched in stone and marble — it is still very much alive and continuing to grow.
Josh Kurtz is Secretary of the Maryland Department of Natural Resources.
