Maryland Adds New State Park, Giving Every County Its Own

Maryland officials celebrated the state's newest state park Tuesday, previewing the 445-acre Wetipquin Creek State Park, which will become Wicomico County's first state park when it opens.

The Maryland Department of Natural Resources completed the $3.3 million purchase of the property earlier this year after receiving approval to acquire it in 2024. Once the park opens, every county in Maryland will have at least one state park.

Named for the nearby creek that flows into the Nanticoke River, Wetipquin Creek State Park is intended to preserve the natural resources and history of the Delmarva Peninsula.

"Places 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," DNR Secretary Josh Kurtz said. "This bucolic and historic site will conserve and foster an appreciation of the natural resources and history of Maryland's lower Eastern Shore."

Park Highlights

The property includes Long Hill, a mid-18th century plantation house that was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1974. Former owner Donald Graham, a descendant of the Dashiell family, sold the property after preserving its historic features and placed much of the land under a conservation easement in 2016 through the Maryland Environmental Trust.

The Maryland Park Service plans to offer tours, educational programs and interpretive exhibits highlighting the region's history, including Long Hill, Indigenous communities, 18th- and 19th-century Eastern Shore farm life, and the lives of enslaved people who lived and worked on the property.

"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," DNR officials said.

Descendants of those enslaved workers attended Tuesday's event, along with representatives of the Pocomoke Indian Nation and the Nause-Waiwash Band of Indians. Future exhibits and signage will tell the stories of enslaved residents and the Indigenous communities that inhabited the land long before European settlement.

"Maryland State Parks are managed to reflect the natural and historic character of the communities they represent for the enjoyment of our residents and visitors," Maryland Park Service Director Ranger Angela Crenshaw said. "That's what we will provide here at Wetipquin Creek State Park."

Deputy Chief of Staff Chichi Nyagah-Nash, representing Gov. Wes Moore's administration, said the park will help preserve a more complete history of Maryland by recognizing the people who shaped the region and its communities.