Rock Creek Park

Rock Creek Park
IUCN category V (protected landscape/seascape)
Maryland border entrance
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Location	District of Columbia, USA
Nearest city	Washington, D.C.
Area	2,820.34 acres (11.4135 km2)
Established	September 27, 1890
Visitors	2,115,516 (in 2004)
Governing body	National Park Service

Rock Creek Park is a large natural area with public park facilities that bisects the northwestern urban areas of Washington, D.C. The park is administered by the National Park Service.

Overview

Rock Creek

The main section of the park contains 1,754 acres (7.10 km²), or 2.75 square miles (7.1 km²), along the Rock Creek Valley. Including the other green areas the park administers (Glover Archbold Park, Montrose Park, Dumbarton Oaks Park, Meridian Hill Park, Battery Kemble Park, Palisades Park, Whitehaven Park, etc.), it is more than 2,000 acres (8.1 km²). The major portion of the area lies north of the National Zoo, and was established by act of Congress made law by President Benjamin Harrison on September 27, 1890, the same year that Yosemite National Park was established.

Legislative language from its establishment, and the character of the park, suggests that it is among the oldest of America's national parks. In 1913 Congress authorized creation of the Rock Creek and Potomac Parkway and extended the park along a narrow corridor from the zoo to the mouth of Rock Creek at the Potomac River. The parkway is a major traffic thoroughfare, especially along the portion south of the zoo. The park is patrolled by the United States Park Police.

The parklands follow the course of Rock Creek across the D.C.-Maryland border to connect with Rock Creek Stream Valley Park and Rock Creek Regional Park in Montgomery County. The Maryland parks are operated by the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission.

The Rock Creek Historic District was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on October 23, 1991.

Beach Drive in the fall

Park management

As originally authorized by Congress, the park was governed by the Rock Creek Park Commission, comprising the Chief of Engineers of the Army, the engineer commissioner of the District of Columbia, and three presidential appointees. In 1933, the park, along with other National Capital Parks, was transferred to the jurisdiction of the National Park Service.

Recreation facilities

Rock Creek Nature Center and Planetarium

Recreation facilities include a golf course; equestrian trails; sport venues, including a tennis stadium which hosts major professional events; a nature center and planetarium; an outdoor concert venue; and picnic and playground facilities. Rock Creek Park also maintains cultural exhibits, including the Peirce Mill and Civil War fortifications, such as Fort Stevens and Fort DeRussy. Rock Creek is a popular venue for jogging, cycling, and inline skating, especially on the long, winding Beach Drive, portions of which are closed to vehicles on weekends.

Peirce Mill

Main article: Peirce Mill

Peirce Mill

Peirce Mill is a water-powered grist mill in Rock Creek Park. There were at least eight mills along Rock Creek within what is now Washington D.C., and many more farther upstream in Montgomery County, Maryland. Of those eight, only Peirce Mill is still standing.

It was built in the 1820s by Isaac Peirce, along with a house, barn, and other buildings. It was later owned by a son, Joshua Peirce, and a nephew Peirce Shoemaker. It became part of Rock Creek Park in 1892.

The family consistently spelled their name "Peirce" (except for some of Isaac Peirce's ancestors who went by Pearce). Others often use "Pierce" but not the family. Evidence includes family gravestones, family Bible, and estate book from Joshua Peirce, and living descendants who still use the old spelling.

The mill was listed on the National Register in 1969 as Pierce Mill. It was repaired and re-opened October 15, 2011. The Peirce Carriage Barn, adjacent to the mill, usually is open every day. The barn is the National Park Service point of contact. The barn was part of the Peirce estate built in 1810 and used as a tack room and carriage barn. The barn is now a mini museum containing information on the milling process, the Peirce family estate and other mills along the Rock Creek Valley.

Montrose and Dumbarton Oaks Parks

Main article: Montrose Park

Montrose Park occupies land that belonged to Robert Parrott. Adjacent to it is Dumbarton Oaks Park, which preserves the grounds of the former Dumbarton Oaks estate. The house and its formal garden are not part of the park.

Both parks were listed on the National Register of Historic Places on May 28, 1967.

Old Stone House

Main article: Old Stone House (Washington, D.C.)

The Old Stone House, the oldest building in Washington, D.C., is a simple eighteenth century dwelling. The house is a popular museum, showcasing the everyday life of middle class colonists. It was purchased by the federal government in 1953 and has been open to the public since the 1960s. The house is located in the Georgetown neighborhood, not on land contiguous with Rock Creek Park, but the property is managed by park staff.

Administrative history

Congressional authorizations:

• Rock Creek Park – September 27, 1890
• Meridian Hill Park – June 25, 1910
• Montrose Park – March 2, 1911
• Rock Creek & Potomac Parkway – March 4, 1913
• Dumbarton Oaks Park – December 2, 1940

See also

• Battleground National Cemetery
• Fort Stevens
• Linden Oak
• Meridian Hill Park
• Old Stone House (Washington, D.C.)
• Pierce-Klingle Mansion

External links

• National Park Service: Rock Creek Park
  • Battleground National Cemetery
  • Meridian Hill Park
  • Montrose and Dumbarton Parks
  • The Old Stone House
  • Peirce Mill
• Dumbarton Oaks
• Friends of Peirce Mill
• Rock Creek Conservancy
• Rock Creek Park Documentary produced by WETA-TV