{"id":47993,"date":"2026-07-21T13:34:51","date_gmt":"2026-07-21T17:34:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/dnr\/?p=47993"},"modified":"2026-07-21T14:01:54","modified_gmt":"2026-07-21T18:01:54","slug":"maryland-dedicates-wetipquin-creek-state-park-historic-landscape-to-become-first-state-park-in-wicomico-county","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/dnr\/2026\/07\/21\/maryland-dedicates-wetipquin-creek-state-park-historic-landscape-to-become-first-state-park-in-wicomico-county\/","title":{"rendered":"Maryland Dedicates Wetipquin Creek State Park, Historic Landscape to Become First State Park in Wicomico County"},"content":{"rendered":"<div style=\"width: 1034px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/live.staticflickr.com\/65535\/55408326307_6b6bc0f26a_b.jpg\" alt=\"House and grounds including a large creek and wooded area\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" \/><p class=\"wp-caption-text\">Wetipquin Creek State Park in Wicimico County includes the house and grounds of the historic Long Hill house, the creek for which the park is named, and more than 400 acres of marsh and forest showcasing the Delmarva Peninsula&#8217;s natural features. Maryland Department of Natural Resources photo<\/p><\/div>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The Maryland Department of Natural Resources offered local officials and special guests a preview of Wetipquin Creek State Park on Tuesday, as the state celebrated the acquisition of the 445-acre property that will become Wicomico County\u2019s first state park.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The Maryland Park Service named this newest park in honor of the creek that flows through it and empties into the Nanticoke River.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Wetipquin Creek State Park, currently in the planning phase, will conserve and foster an appreciation of the natural resources of the Delmarva Peninsula. The property contains the historic and architecturally significant house known as Long Hill, which dates back to the mid-18th century and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974.<\/span><!--more--><\/p>\n<div style=\"width: 410px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/live.staticflickr.com\/65535\/55409403203_77b2aca890.jpg\" alt=\"People in a room examining papers and artifacts\" width=\"400\" height=\"267\" \/><p class=\"wp-caption-text\">DNR staff and guests examine historic artifacts inside Long Hill, the 1700s-era house that is the centerpiece of Wetipquin Creek State Park. Maryland DNR photo<\/p><\/div>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u201cPlaces like Wetipquin Creek State Park remind us that conservation is about more than protecting land. It is about protecting memory, culture, and opportunity for future generations,\u201d said Maryland DNR Secretary Josh Kurtz. \u201cThis bucolic and historic site will conserve and foster an appreciation of the natural resources and history of Maryland\u2019s lower Eastern Shore.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The Park Service plans to offer a variety of interpretive and educational programs, tours, and events exploring the region\u2019s history, including the Long Hill plantation house, the lives of enslaved people at Long Hill, the history of Indigenous peoples in the region, and 18th- and 19th-century farm life on the Eastern Shore.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u201cMaryland State Parks are managed to reflect the natural and historic character of the communities they represent for the enjoyment of our residents and visitors,\u201d said Maryland Park Service Director Ranger Angela Crenshaw \u201cThat\u2019s what we will provide here at Wetipquin Creek State Park.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Upon Wetipquin Creek State Park\u2019s opening, every county in Maryland will contain at least one state park.<\/span><\/p>\n<div style=\"text-align: center\">\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Wetipquin Creek State Park -  Park Announcement - Maryland Department of Natural Resources\" width=\"540\" height=\"304\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/_e360sA-QcE?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">DNR received approval to purchase the 445-acre property in 2024 and completed the $3.3 million transaction earlier this year. Previous owner Donald Graham was in attendance and delivered remarks. Long Hill derives its historical significance from its long association with the Dashiell family, several of whom took an active role in the affairs of colonial Maryland. Graham, a descendant of the Dashiells, acquired the property because of its historical and personal significance. He and his family meticulously cared for the home\u2019s historic features and also protected the environmental significance of the property, including working with DNR\u2019s Maryland Environmental Trust to <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/dnr\/2016\/01\/20\/historic-property-conserved-on-the-lower-eastern-shore\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">create a conservation easement in 2016<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<div style=\"width: 417px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/live.staticflickr.com\/65535\/55409403218_19085782ef.jpg\" alt=\"Man holding a young boy on his shoulders as they view a creek and marsh\" width=\"407\" height=\"271\" \/><p class=\"wp-caption-text\">The park&#8217;s 445-acre property has been preserved for its historic and natural features. Maryland DNR photo<\/p><\/div>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">As with many large Maryland farms in colonial times and the early years of the republic, Long Hill used many enslaved African Americans for labor. Local descendants of these enslaved workers were in attendance for Tuesday\u2019s event. The park\u2019s historic presentations and signage will tell the stories of those enslaved and the importance of sharing the honest and complete history of American slavery. Dr. Bryant Mitchell of the University of Maryland Eastern Shore and Emmett Dashiell, a descendant of enslaved workers at Long Hill, delivered remarks on behalf of the community of Wetipquin.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Another important aspect of the park will be educating the public about the Indigenous people who inhabited the land. DNR hosted representatives of the Pocomoke Indian Nation and the Nause-Waiwash Band of Indians, who continue to maintain a relationship with the lands, at Tuesday\u2019s event. The Nause-Waiwash Band are descendants of two Nanticoke villages who encountered English explorer John Smith in the 1600s.<\/span><\/p>\n<div style=\"width: 409px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/live.staticflickr.com\/65535\/55409403288_8d84914770.jpg\" alt=\"Woman speaking at a podium\" width=\"399\" height=\"266\" \/><p class=\"wp-caption-text\">Chichi Nyagah-Nash, deputy chief of staff to Gov. Wes Moore, speaks at the preview celebration about the state&#8217;s dedication to preserving historic and natural spaces. Maryland DNR photo.<\/p><\/div>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u201cPlaces like Wetipquin Creek State Park help us honor those that came before us and see more clearly who we are and where we have come from,\u201d said Chichi Nyagah-Nash, deputy chief of staff to Gov. Wes Moore. \u201cThey remind us that the story of Maryland, and the story of America, is only complete when we tell the truth about the people who built this nation, sustained its communities, cared for its landscapes, and expanded our understanding of freedom and belonging. Wetipquin Creek State Park does this and today we\u2019re making a promise to carry this legacy forward.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The Maryland Park Service continues dedicating and celebrating several new properties around the state as part of its work to expand access to public lands. As the United States celebrates its 250th year of independence, many of these new parks and public lands tell important stories about Maryland\u2019s history. Earlier in the year, the Maryland Park Service accepted the donation of two acres of land, including a historic African-American cemetery at the Revolutionary War-era Catoctin Furnace and added it to<\/span> <a href=\"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/dnr\/2026\/02\/28\/historic-african-american-cemetery-of-enslaved-catoctin-furnace-workers-becomes-part-of-cunningham-falls-state-park\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Cunningham Falls State Park,<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> and<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u00a0<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/dnr\/2026\/05\/15\/maryland-park-service-dedicates-montgomery-countys-freedmans-state-park-in-honor-of-howard-family-african-american-history\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">celebrated the dedication of Freedman\u2019s State Park in Montgomery County,<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> which encompasses 1,000 acres of land once owned and farmed by a formerly enslaved family who were able to self-emancipate and whose descendants shaped the Civil Rights Movement in Maryland.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Maryland Department of Natural Resources offered local officials and special guests a preview of Wetipquin Creek State Park on Tuesday, as the state celebrated the acquisition of the 445-acre property that will become Wicomico County\u2019s first state park.\u00a0 The Maryland Park Service named this newest park in honor of the creek that flows through<a href=\"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/dnr\/2026\/07\/21\/maryland-dedicates-wetipquin-creek-state-park-historic-landscape-to-become-first-state-park-in-wicomico-county\/\">&nbsp;&nbsp;Read the Rest&#8230;<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":146,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[957,12],"tags":[4797,5267,5352,4981,5562,3276],"class_list":["post-47993","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-appnews","category-parks","tag-angela-crenshaw","tag-historic-properties","tag-josh-kurtz","tag-maryland-state-parks","tag-wetipquin-creek-state-park","tag-wicomico-county"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/dnr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47993","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/dnr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/dnr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/dnr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/146"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/dnr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=47993"}],"version-history":[{"count":15,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/dnr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47993\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":48014,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/dnr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47993\/revisions\/48014"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/dnr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=47993"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/dnr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=47993"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/dnr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=47993"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}