Accokeek in Prince George's County, Maryland — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
Science and History Together
The National Colonial Farm
— Accokeek Foundation at Piscataway Park —
Photographed By Devry Becker Jones (CC0), August 14, 2020
Here at the National Colonial Farm, you will see a realistic portrait of everyday life in Prince George’s County 250 years ago.
Welcome to the National Colonial Farm, one of the Accokeek Foundation’s first educational programs. Created in 1958, the National Colonial Farm originally emphasized preserving heirloom crops with ties to colonial era Maryland. This scientific focus is still important, but the Farm’s mission has since expanded. Today, the Farm depicts life on a small tobacco farm in the mid-to-late 1700s. Most farmers in colonial Maryland lived on small farms like this, rather than big plantations like 8000-acre Mount Vernon. Come take a journey through history, agriculture, and ecology.
History Comes Alive-Actor-interpreters portray ordinary life on a small family farm between 1760 and 1775. The family story presented at the National Colonial Farm is a composite. The individual’s daily labor, interactions, possessions, and crops are based on the historical records of twelve local colonial families.
Laurel Branch
Originally built around 1770; this house had people living in it until 1950. Small and comfortable yet easily expandable houses like this suited the lifestyle of families on small farms. The Accokeek Foundation moved it here and reassembled it using colonial methods in the 1990s.
Tobacco Barn
This tobacco barn is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. The Accokeek Foundation moved it here from near Annapolis in 1981 and spent two years reassembling it using colonial methods. The high roof, a feature of colonial Maryland barns, provides a clue to the structure’s age.
Heritage Breeds
The National Colonial Farm is a demonstration of colonial agriculture. The Milking Devon Cows, Hog Island Sheep, Ossabaw Hogs, Dominique Chickens, and Black Spanish Turkeys are among the few remaining of their kind. They are representative of farm animals you would have seen in the 1700s. From their home to yours, what can you do? You’ll see how this family lived long ago. Families have interesting stories. Ask older relatives about their childhoods. Did they grow up near here, or come from another state or another country? Do some family history research of your own.
Erected by Accokeek Foundation.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Agriculture • Animals • Colonial Era. A significant historical year for this entry is 1958.
Location. 38° 41.604′ N, 77° 4.17′ W. Marker is in Accokeek, Maryland, in Prince George's County. Marker is on Bryan Point Road (Entrance to the Park). The marker
Photographed By Devry Becker Jones (CC0), August 14, 2020
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Heritage Breeds (within shouting distance of this marker); Hog Island Sheep (within shouting distance of this marker); Leaf, Land, and People (within shouting distance of this marker); American Milking Devon Cattle (within shouting distance of this marker); The National Colonial Farm (approx. 0.2 miles away); The Potomac Heritage (approx. 0.2 miles away); The Hon. Frances Payne Bolton (approx. 0.2 miles away); People Shaping the Land (approx. ¼ mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Accokeek.
Credits. This page was last revised on August 14, 2020. It was originally submitted on December 6, 2013, by Don Morfe of Baltimore, Maryland. This page has been viewed 421 times since then and 4 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on August 14, 2020, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. 3, 4, 5, 6. submitted on December 6, 2013, by Don Morfe of Baltimore, Maryland. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.