Catoctin Mountain Park: An Historic Resource Study

摘要

Present-day Catoctin Mountain Park encompasses 5,770 acres, nestled in the hills of western Maryland. To visitors the site is both majestic and serene. No matter how crowded the park, a hiker can always find long stretches of trail to him or herself. The quiet and peace of the park today, however, masks a long and complex history. Since settlers first arrived in the region in the 1740s, the park area has witnessed both subsistence and commercial farming, industry, tourism, recreational hunting, and military usage (both during the Civil War and World War II). Over the years, the National Park Service has made numerous efforts to document and interpret the history of the park. The lost art of charcoal making and the workings of an early sawmill, for instance, are on active display for interested park visitors. This historic resource study is part of that continuing effort to better understand and interpret the abundant cultural resources present within the park boundaries. It seeks to 'address the relevant contexts for the park' and to offer 'an historical framework for future interpretive and preservation efforts, and to provide baseline information for development of the Park General Management Plan.'