Maryland Off the Beaten Path

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Swallow Falls State Park is a peaceful woodland park which is located on the rocky banks of the Youghiogheny River. This park is a favorite with campers. There is a plaque that marks the spot where John Burroughs, Thomas Edison, Harvey Firestone, and Henry Ford camped in 1948. The park has two large camping areas. There are hiking trails that run through a stand of 300-year-old virgin hemlocks which tower above the ferns, mountain laurel, and rhododendrons below.

Swallow Falls State Park is home to the oldest grove of white pine and eastern hemlock in Maryland with some trees over 360 years of age. The Canyon Trail is

considered to be one of the most beautiful in the state and leads from Swallow Falls to

Muddy Creek Falls. Another hiking trail crosses a swinging bridge which stretches above sparkling Muddy Creek Falls. This fall is the highest vertical waterfall in Maryland with a plunge of 53 feet. The water feeding the falls originates from the Cranesville Swamp in West Virginia and merges with the Youghiogheny River within the park.

Here one can observe deer, wild turkeys, beavers and occasionally a fox. Black bears also roam the forest. A favorite with fishermen is the Youghiogheny River which is stocked with trout several times a year.

Washington Monument State Park and Appalachian Trail Crossing – In 1827, several hundred townspeople from Boonsboro, including three veterans of the Revolutionary War built a stone tower atop of nearby South Mountain in memory of George Washington. In 1882 the monument had to be restored. Finally, when the monument fell in disrepair the present 35-foot monument was built by the Civilian Conservation Corps and was dedicated on July 4, 1936.

South Mountain

The tower can be reached by a steep trail lined with plaques highlighting George Washington’s life. Inside the monument is a winding staircase which leads to the top offering a spectacular view of the countryside to the northwest. The Appalachian Trail goes by the tower. The Cumberland Valley is on a major north-south flyway for migrating hawks and eagles, which can be seen from about the middle of September through November. The visitor center houses a small collection of firearms, Indian relics and Civil War memorabilia.

Montpelier Mansion on Rte. 197, Laurel one can find this Georgian mansion which was built for Maj. Thomas Snowden just after the Revolutionary War. Its English boxwood gardens, planted in the 1700s are considered to be among the loveliest in America. When Major Snowden married Ann Ridgely in 1774 the vast plantation was named Montpelier in honor of his bride’s birthplace in Anne Arundel County. George and Martha Washington occasionally visited Montpelier. Another visitor was Abigail Adams who had nothing but praise for the plantation. Montpelier was acquired by the state in 1961.

Courthouse

Port Tobacco – As early as 1608 an Indian settlement called Potopaco was shown on a map drawn by Captain John Smith. In the 1630s an English community was established and some 100 years later the town of Port Tobacco became the seat of the colonial government in Charles County. Planters profited from the tobacco trade and were able to build stately homes. Some have been restored and can be seen today around the village green and scattered through the town.

The reconstructed Old Courthouse now includes a 19th-century courtroom and a museum of Indian artifacts, Civil War relics, and local memorabilia. The canal and river that once provided access to the Potomac and the sea are now filled with slit. However, Port Tobacco still retains the quiet charm of an 18th-century seaport village and is worth a visit.

Port Tobacco Historic District is on the National Register of Historic Places. Here you can see five surviving 18th and 19th-century buildings, four of which are single family residences.

Two buildings the Chimney House and Stagg Hall are adjacent to one another at one corner of the town square.

Crisfield – This large marina has a public boat landing, wholesale and retail fish markets, and numerous crab houses and restaurants. This waterside community is the southernmost town in Maryland and is located on the Eastern Shore of the Chesapeake Bay.

Crisfield is famous for its seafood especially the Maryland blue crab. There are three small museums. One is the Ward Museum, a branch of the North American Wildfowl Art Museum, which displays decoys and related items. The famous decoy carvers The Ward brothers lived and worked in Crisfield.

Jane’s Island State Park beach which is accessible by ferry offers swimming, crabbing, and fishing. The park campground is on the mainland side. Crisfield is also the point of departure for boat trips to nearby islands like Smith Island which has three quaint fishing villages. Tangier Island has a number of restaurants, craft shops, and guesthouses and can be toured by six-passenger beach buggies.