Tree Falls into Wall of Historic Site at Seneca Creek State Park

Seneca Quarry produced the stone for the Smithsonian Castle more than a century ago.

A tree has fallen onto a historic site at Seneca Creek State Park -- the remains of the quarry that produced the signature red blocks of the Smithsonian Castle on the mall in Washington, DC, more than a century ago. Seneca Quarry was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in the 1970s. Photos provided by historian Garrett Peck show a large trunk on top of a wall of brick at the site. Peck leads tours of the quarry and is finishing up a book about it. He said he noticed the damage on Saturday and notified park officials. “Short term, the tree has got to come out,” Peck said. “It's got to come out soon. The longer it sits there leaning up against the quarry wall, the more pressure it puts on it, the more likely it is to collapse…

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What Was There Before Seneca Creek State Park?

The forests and streams of Seneca Creek State Park was once the thriving farm of Francis Cassatt Clopper, an enterprising man who built two mills, St. Rose of Lima Church, and was one of the men behind the railroad that now runs through Germantown.

Mr. Clopper was born in Baltimore in 1786 and was related to the famous painter Mary Cassatt. He had a dry-goods store in Philadelphia, but yearned for the country life. So he purchased about 500 acres of land from Zachariah McCubbin in 1812 and moved to Germantown with his wife, Anne Byrne Clopper. He purchased more land as the farm prospered, renovated the old grist and saw mill on Great Seneca Creek, and built a woolen mill further down the Creek. He built grand additions to the small house that had come with the land and added many outbuildings. He named the farm Woodlands after the forests that surrounded the home. Being an amateur horticulturalist and especially fascinated by trees, he planted many exotic varieties such as Kentucky …

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Germantown's Hidden Gem: Great Seneca Stream Valley Park

Great Seneca Stream Valley Park can be accessed from Maryland Route 355 near the border between Germantown and Gaithersburg.

If you drive north on Maryland Route 355 toward Germantown, you might notice a parking lot on the right-hand side near the Gaithersburg-Germantown border.  This small strip of land, marked with a brown and white Montgomery Parks sign, is easy to ignore.  But if you take a closer look, you'll find a hidden gem: Great Seneca Stream Valley Park. My boys and I headed down the trail from the parking lot with a sense of anticipation.  My younger son, eyeing the narrow, unpaved path through the woods - complete with downed logs and rotten leaves - happily announced that this was a "real" trail.  Trees sporting pale blue rectangular trail blazes - the color of St. Lucia skies, according to the Montgomery Parks Volunteer Trail Ranger Handbook - …

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Green Living in Germantown

The Great Germantown Frog Hunt

On a recent rainy night, my son and I chased tiny, elusive frogs around our Germantown backyard.

I may never learn what kind of frogs we saw the other night.  I do know that they probably weren’t Spring peepers.  My 10-year-old son loves frogs.  So when I spied a tiny Kermit on our front door, I had to drag him out of bed.  It was around 10 p.m., just after a drenching rain had flattened most of the vegetation in my garden.  I handed my son the flashlight and we tromped through the sopping yard in tandem.  As soon as we spotted our quarry, we passed the flashlight back and forth, swinging the beam in random directions like a couple of crazed prowlers. Teeny frogs were out in force, each the size of a thumbnail.  They clung to the screen door, the siding, the bicycle left in the rain.  We attempted to catch one after another, but those…

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Green Living in Germantown

A Visit to Seneca Creek State Park

In 1999, the Recycled Tire Playground at Seneca Creek State Park was constructed using 80 to 100 used tires.

On a recent summer morning, desperate to entertain my rowdy brood of three, we drove to Seneca Creek State Park for a picnic and play time.  The park is just five minutes up Clopper Road from our townhouse in Germantown.  The Pines is one of five picnic areas in the park.  The picnic tables - a mix of old-fashioned wood and metal interspersed with newer recycled plastic - are surrounded by mature pine trees.  A fragrant layer of pine needles covers the ground.  Our simple lunch was elevated to an experience by enjoying it under the trees surrounded by bird song. Josette Wiggins, park ranger, said the Pines picnic area is Seneca Creek State Park’s most popular.  “This picnic area is right across from the playground.  It’s the hot-spot …

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