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The primary feature of Oxon Cove Park is Oxon Hill Farm which operates as an actual working farm, representative of the early 20th century. You can see a farm house, barns, a stable, feed building, livestock buildings and a visitor activity barn. It exhibits basic farming principles and techniques as well as historical agricultural programs for urban people to develop an understanding of cropping and animal husbandry.
From the 1890's until the 1950`s, Oxon Hill Farm was operated by patients from St. Elizabeth Hospital. It provided therapy as well as food for the patients at the institution. The land area varies from low flat river shoreline to high river terraces with intermediate rolling
hills created by a reclaimed sanitary landfill which existed on the site until the mid-seventies.
The park provides an excellent resource for environmental studies, wildlife observing, fishing, and other recreational activities made possible by easy access to the Potomac River. There is open grassland, deciduous forest, and marsh and swamp ecosystems. This natural area supports a wide variety of wildlife providing for nature/environmental study.
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Oxon Cove Park, in Prince George's County, Maryland, features a working farm on 512 acres of farmland, pastures, woods, and ponds. Oxon Hill Farm offers a variety of educational subjects, from economic and social change to ecological and environmental studies. The park is an ideal setting to demonstrate a diverse ecosystem that supports a variety of plant and animal life. Visitors to the farm can elect to observe activities or jump right in and milk a cow, gather eggs, or work in the garden.
Since the 1600s the Oxon Hill area has attracted men and women who recognized its agricultural potential. Estates raised tobacco, cattle, wheat, corn, and fruit as cash crops for nearby developing urban areas. Much of the labor for these early plantations was provided by slaves. Later the area was divided into smaller working farms. In 1891 the U.S. Government acquired 512 acres and established a farm for St. Elizabeths Hospital. Patients worked on the farm for therapy and to grow their own food. In the mid-1960s the farm was entrusted to the National Park Service, and in 1967 Oxon Hill Farm welcomed its first visitors. The park opened its gates not as a farm museum or a petting zoo but as a working farm that represented the time when horsepower still came directly from horses. The success of Oxon Hill Farm, as with all small farms, reflects an understanding of agriculture and animals, a love of independence, and a willingness to work hard.
Oxon Hill Farm is open every day from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. except on January 1, Thanksgiving, and December 25.
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Potomac Heritage Partnership |
| 1623 28th St., NW |
Washington, DC 20007 |
| Phone: 202.333.4478 |
Fax: 202.333.6733 |
| info@potomacheritage.org |
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