Seneca Creek State Park | |
Map: | USA Maryland#USA |
Map Size: | 280 |
Relief: | 1 |
Location: | Montgomery County, Maryland, United States |
Nearest City: | Gaithersburg, Maryland |
Coordinates: | 39.145°N -77.2564°W |
Area Acre: | 6313 |
Elevation: | 223feet |
Designation: | Maryland state park |
Established: | 1958 |
Website: | Seneca Creek State Park |
Seneca Creek State Park is a public recreation area encompassing more than along 14 miles of Seneca Creek in its run to the Potomac River in Montgomery County, Maryland. The park features facilities for boating and fishing as well as trails for hiking, cycling, and horseback riding. It is managed by the Maryland Department of Natural Resources.
The park opened as Seneca State Park in 1958. The Maryland General Assembly authorized funds for land purchases in each year from 1965 to 1968. The park saw "Stage A" development when, in the 1966, the General Assembly authorized funds for camping and picnicking sites, roads, utilities, buildings, and other features. In 1975, Clopper Lake was created for recreational use and flood control by damming Long Draught Creek, a tributary of Seneca Creek.
The remains of Seneca Quarry, built in 1837, is off Tschiffely Mill Road just west of where Seneca Creek empties into the Potomac. The mill cut the red sandstone for the Smithsonian Castle. The restored quarry masters house stands above the quarry site. Both are part of the state park.
The partially restored Black Rock Mill has interpretive exhibits featuring a history of area floods. The Seneca Schoolhouse is a restored 19th-century schoolhouse which was built for the children of local quarry laborers. Parts of the park were once part of an estate owned by the Clopper family. The Woodlands area near the Clopper Lake Day Use Area commemorates the Clopper family with a self-guided trail that offers a look into life in the 19th century.
The Blair Witch Project was partially filmed in the Seneca Creek State Park in October 1997, and the rock band O.A.R. referenced the park in the song "Black Rock" on their 1997 album The Wanderer.