The park serves as the largest example of Eastern Piedmont forest in the National Park System. The park also protects the Quantico Creekwatershed. It is a sanctuary for numerous native plant and animal species.
The park also includes the Cabin Branch Pyrite Mine Historic District, listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2002.[3] The park itself was designed as the Prince William Forest Park Historic District in 2012.[4]
History
The land on which Prince William Forest Park now resides was once used by Native Americans of the Archaic period. The Native Americans would use the area for hunting, gathering, and camping. Many artifacts from the archaic people have been found throughout the park.[5]
The park was erected where once the town of Batestown stood. It was an enclave for freed slaves named for Mary Bates, the matriarch of the community.[6][7]
Between 1933 and 1937, the Federal Government began implementing a Resettlement Administration program to form Chopawamsic Recreational Demonstration Area,[2] where rural farmers were supposed to relocate for more fertile land. The RA bought 79 pieces of property in both Hickory Ridge and Batestown and condemned another 48, to form a new recreation area. However, the RA often made no effort to actually resettle the displaced residents.
The area residents resisted the relocation efforts, sometimes retreating into the park boundaries to escape detection. This continued until the beginning of World War II, where the park was taken over by the Office of Strategic Services as a spy training ground, since a camp was needed within driving distance of the capital that could focus on special operations. Trainees practiced dismantling booby traps, performing message drops, psychological warfare, shortwave radio, and basic and advanced ciphers. [8]
The park was surrounded by barbed wire and fences, and patrolled by dogs and armed guards. All remaining forty-four holdouts were evicted, some carried away screaming.[9]
At the end of the war, the displaced residents hoped their land would be restored, but to date these families have received no compensation. Instead, the property was turned over to the National Park Service and renamed Prince William Forest Park.[7]
Recreational opportunities
A variety of recreational opportunities are available, which include:
Wildlife viewing
37 miles (60 km) of hiking trails. Most of these trails either go to a historical/cultural destination such as Pyrite Mine or follow Quantico Creek with views of its small waterfalls.
21 miles (34 km) of bicycle accessible roads and trails.
Several tent camping options, including family, group and backcountry camping are available as well as rustic cabin camping, and a full-service, concessionaire-operated RV campground, are available.
Cultural resources
The parkโs cultural resources are also varied. They include:
The remnants of Joplin, Hickory Ridge, and Batestown, three small communities evicted for the parkโs establishment
The reclaimed remnants of the Cabin Branch Pyrite Mine along Quantico Creek
The reclaimed remnants of the Greenwood gold mine[10]
^Jeff Wynn, "A Ground Electromagnetic Survey Used to Map Sulfides and Acid Sulfate Ground Waters at the Abandoned Cabin Branch Mine, Prince William Forest Park, Northern Virginia Gold-Pyrite Belt," [1]U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, VA 20192, retrieved April 7, 2006
^"Mammals". National Park Service - Prince William Forest Park. 5 August 2024. Archived from the original on 6 August 2024. Retrieved 5 August 2024.
^"Birds". National Park Service Prince William Forest Park - Birds. 5 August 2024. Archived from the original on 6 August 2024. Retrieved 5 August 2024.
^"Amphibians". National Park Service Prince William Forest Park - Amphibians. 5 August 2024. Archived from the original on 6 August 2024. Retrieved 5 August 2024.
