Chapel Point State Park is an undeveloped public recreation area located on the Port Tobacco River, a tributary of the Potomac, in Charles County, Maryland. The state park offers fishing and hunting and is under the management of Charles County.[3]
| Chapel Point State Park | |
|---|---|
 | |
  Chapel Point State Park Location in Maryland | |
| Location | Charles County, Maryland, United States |
| Nearest town | La Plata, Maryland |
| Coordinates | 38°27′50″N 77°01′44″W / 38.46389°N 77.02889°W[1] |
| Area | 821 acres (332 ha)[2] |
| Elevation | 20 ft (6.1 m)[1] |
| Established | 1972 |
| Administered by | Charles County |
| Designation | Maryland state park |
| Website | Official website  |
History
editChapel Point was once part of the 4,000-acre (1,600 ha) St. Thomas Manor patented by the Roman Catholic Church in 1638.[4] In the 1880s, the Jesuits, in partnership with J. C. and W. M. Howard, built a resort known as Hotel Belleview on Chapel Point, with guests brought in by steamboat from Washington, D.C.[5] In 1924, the site hosted the first Charles County Fair.[6] From about 1926 to 1948, Chapel Point was the site of an amusement park that offered picnicking, rollerskating, a restaurant, beach with bath houses, and hotel.[4][5][6] The site was acquired from the Corporation of Roman Catholic Clergymen by the Maryland Department of Natural Resources in 1972 to protect its scenic value and the open space associated with the state's early development.[4]
Features
editAdjacent to the park, St. Ignatius Church and cemetery, the oldest continuous Roman Catholic parish in the United States, offers a scenic river view.
References
edit- ^ a b "Chapel Point". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
- ^ "DNR Lands Acreage Report" (PDF). Maryland Department of Natural Resources. Retrieved October 15, 2024.
- ^ "Chapel Point State Park". Maryland Department of Natural Resources. Retrieved November 2, 2017.
- ^ a b c A. Levinthal; et al. (September 15, 2003). "Chapel Point State Park" (PDF). Maryland Inventory of Historic Properties Form. Maryland Historical Trust. Retrieved October 15, 2024.
- ^ a b Cathy Hardy (May 22, 2002). "Chapel Point" (PDF). Maryland Inventory of Historic Properties Form. Maryland Historical Trust. Retrieved October 15, 2024.
- ^ a b "Chapel Point Park". Historical Marker Database. Retrieved December 10, 2013.
External links
edit
- Chapel Point State Park Maryland Department of Natural Resources
- Chapel Point State Park Map Maryland Department of Natural Resources