The National Colonial Farm

— Accokeek Foundation at Piscataway Park —

Here at the National Colonial Farm, you will see a realistic portrait of everyday life in Prince George's County 250 years ago. Welcome to the National Colonial Farm, one of the Accokeek Foundation's first educational programs. Created in 1958, the National Colonial Farm originally emphasized preserving heirloom crops with ties to colonial era Maryland. This scientific focus is still important, but the Farm's mission has since expanded. Today, the Farm depicts life on a small tobacco farm in the mid-to-late 1700s. Most farmers in colonial Maryland lived on small farms like this, rather than big plantations like 8000-acre Mount Vernon. Come take a journey through history, agriculture, and ecology.History Comes Alive-Actor-interpreters portray ordinary life on a small family farm between 1760 and 1775. The family story presented at the National Colonial Farm is a composite. The individual's daily labor, interactions, possessions, and crops are based on the historical records of twelve local colonial families. Laurel Branch-Originally built around 1770; this house had people living in it until 1950. Small and comfortable yet easily expandable houses like this suited the lifestyle of families on small farms. The Accokeek Foundation moved it here and reassembled it using colonial methods in the 1990s. Tobacco Barn-This tobacco barn is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. The Accokeek Foundation moved it here from near Annapolis in 1981 and spent two years reassembling it using colonial methods. The high roof, a feature of colonial Maryland barns, provides a clue to the structure's age.Heritage Breeds-The National Colonial Farm is a demonstration of colonial agriculture. The Milking Devon Cows, Hog Island Sheep, Ossabaw Hogs, Dominique Chickens, and Black Spanish Turkeys are among the few remaining of their kind. They are representative of farm animals you would have seen in the 1700s.From their home to yours, what can you do? You'll see how this family lived long ago. Families have interesting stories. Ask older relatives about their childhoods. Did they grow up near here, or come from another state or another country? Do some family history research of your own.

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Show me all markers in:  Accokeek, MD  |  Prince George's County  |  20607  |  Maryland  |  United States of America

Leaf, Land, and People
The National Colonial Farm
Fishing the Potomac River
Potomac Heritage
Traveling on the Potomac River
Join the Adventure Historical
John Smith Explores the Chesapeake Historical
Cherished Homeland Historical
People Shaping the Land
Ecosystem Farm Historical

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