Smallwood State Park is a public recreation and historic preservation area located on Mattawoman Creek near Marbury,

Charles County Charles County is a county located in the U.S. state of Maryland. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 166,617. The county seat is La Plata. The county was named for Charles Calvert (1637–1715), third Baron Baltimore. The ...

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It borders the states of Virginia to its south, West Virginia to its west, Pennsylvania to its north, and Delaware to its east ...

. The

state park State parks are parks or other protected areas managed at the sub-national level within those nations which use "Federated state, state" as a political subdivision. State parks are typically established by a state to preserve a location on accou ...

preserves Smallwood's Retreat, the plantation home of former

Continental Army The Continental Army was the army of the United Colonies representing the Thirteen Colonies and later the United States during the American Revolutionary War. It was formed on June 14, 1775, by a resolution passed by the Second Continental Co ...

officer and

Governor of Maryland The governor of the State of Maryland is the head of government of Maryland, and is the commander-in-chief of the state's National Guard units. The governor is the highest-ranking official in the state and has a broad range of appointive powers ...

, Major General

William Smallwood William Smallwood (1732February 14, 1792) was an American planter, soldier and politician from Charles County, Maryland. He served in the American Revolutionary War, rising to the rank of major general. He was serving as the fourth Governo ...

. The park's include a marina, boat ramps, picnicking facilities, campsites, cabins, trails, and nature center.

History

After a succession of occupants left Smallwood's Retreat a "standing ruin", a group of local citizens organized the Smallwood Foundation to restore the historic house. The house and ten surrounding acres were acquired in 1938. In 1957, the state began property acquisition for Smallwood State Park, purchasing 323 farmland acres from three owners. The park saw its formal dedication in 1958, when the Smallwood Foundation transferred the ten acres containing the restored Smallwood's Retreat to the state.

Gallery

File:Historic American Buildings Survey Thomas T. Waterman, Photographer 1940 SIDE WALL - Smallwood's Retreat, State Routes 224 and 484, Marbury, Charles County, MD HABS MD,9-MARB.V,1-4.tif, Pre-restoration ruins File:Smallwood house SE facade.jpg, Southeast facade File:Gravestone of Gen William Smallwood.jpg, Gen. Smallwood grave

References

External links

Smallwood State Park
Maryland Department of Natural Resources
Smallwood State Park Map
Maryland Department of Natural Resources {{authority control State parks of Maryland Historic house museums in Maryland Museums in Charles County, Maryland Parks in Charles County, Maryland Houses in Charles County, Maryland Protected areas established in 1957 1957 establishments in Maryland