Native American Exhibit250 yards, a 5 minute walk
Java Plantation Exhibit.5 mile, a 25 minute walk
Java Dairy Exhibits.75 mile, a 55 minute walk
Java' Return to Nature Exhibits1 mile, a 70 minute walk
Indians of the ChesapeakeFor over 2,000 years the Mattaponi, the Piscataway, and the Choptank people shared this area. These Native American cousins hunted and fished in the Rhode River area. A Piscataway campsite, representative of all three groups, has been reconstructed to show how these people may have lived. Graphic displays provide additional information on their hunting and fishing methods.
Java PlantationFrom the mid-1600s through the Civil War tobacco was the main crop grown in this area. Plantations developed along rivers and creeks for easy shipment of this essential crop. The Java History Trail explores life on a tobacco plantation from the viewpoint of both owner and African American slave. A small barn houses graphic displays and exhibits that revolve around the Java Plantation.
Java Dairy FarmRobert L. Forrest operated a dairy on this land from 1915 to the mid-1940s. Many of the changes he made to the land are still visible in the landscape today. Graphic panels located along the trail tell about his dairy operations, the impact of grazing cattle on the land, and the way nature reclaims abandoned land. Forrest donated this land to the Smithsonian Institution when he died in 1962.
Java's Return to NatureA prime location on the Rhode River and its proximity to the Chesapeake Bay allow SERC scientist to conduct long-term research in a variety of ecosystems on air, land, and water. Some of the research is explained on graphic panels along this section of the trail. A raised walkway crosses Fox Creek marsh with displays giving information on the types of plants and animals living in a tidal marsh.
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