Everything about Rock Creek Park totally explained
Rock Creek Park is a large urban natural area with
public park facilities that bisects
Washington, D.C. The park is administered by the
National Park Service.
Rock Creek Park
The main section of the park contains 1754
acres (7 km²) along the Rock Creek Valley — more than twice the size of
Central Park in
New York City. In addition to 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's over 2,000 acres (8 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. A later addition of the Rock Creek and Potomac Parkway extended the park along a narrow corridor from the zoo to the mouth of
Rock Creek at the
Potomac River. In 1933, Rock Creek Park, along with other National Capital Parks, was transferred to the jurisdiction of the National Park Service, and it's patrolled by Federal Park Police. Legislative language from its establishment, and the character of the park itself, suggests that it's among the oldest of America's national parks.
Recreation facilities include 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, as well as the path of a major traffic thoroughfare, the Rock Creek and Potomac Parkway, especially along the portion south of the zoo.
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.
"Rock Creek Historic District" was listed on the
National Register of Historic Places on
October 23,
1991.
In May of 2002, the remains of missing
Federal Bureau of Prisons intern
Chandra Levy were found in Rock Creek Park. Police had been searching for her for over a year.
Battleground National Cemetery
Battleground National Cemetery, located at 6625
Georgia Avenue, NW, was established shortly after the
Battle of Fort Stevens in the summer of 1864. The battle marked the defeat of General
Jubal A. Early's Confederate campaign to launch an offensive action against the national capital. The Battle of Fort Stevens was notable as only the second military action in which a sitting
President of the United States (
Abraham Lincoln) came under direct fire from an enemy force.
The cemetery was administratively listed on the National Register on
October 15,
1966 and is one of the smallest national cemeteries.
Meridian Hill Park
Montrose and Dumbarton Oaks Parks
Montrose Park occupies land that belonged to Robert Parrott. Adjacent to it's Dumbarton Oak Park, which preserves the grounds of the former
Dumbarton Oaks estate. The house isn't part of the park.
Both parks were listed on the National Register on
May 28,
1967.
Old Stone House
The Old Stone House, one of the oldest known structures remaining in the nation's capital, is a simple 18th century dwelling built and inhabited by common people. Its beautiful English garden is a popular and tranquil oasis in the busy shopping district of Georgetown . The house itself is a popular museum to everyday life of middle class colonial America.
The house was listed on the National Register on
November 30,
1973.
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 further 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 when the park was created in the 1890s.
The family consistently spelled their name "Peirce" (except for some of Isaac Peirce 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 on
March 24,
1969.
The mill is currently not open for tours because of repair work.
Rock Creek and Potomac Parkway
Administrative history
Congressional authorizations:
Trivia
"Rock Creek Park," a 1975 song by the R&B-jazz-funk fusion group
The Blackbyrds, from their
City Life album, immortalized the space as a site for nighttime trysts; for example, "Doing it in the park / Doing it after dark, oh, yeah / Rock Creek Park, oh, yeah / Rock Creek Park."
A major character in
Kim Stanley Robinson's 2005 novel
Fifty Degrees Below lives in a
tree house in Rock Creek park as an experiment in "intentional
Paleolithic living".
Rock Creek Park is the location in which
Chandra Levy's decomposed corpse was found.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Rock Creek Park'.
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