Chapman Forest On the Potomac, near the Nation's Capital — expansive, unspoiled nature and history —

Chapman Forest, in Charles County, Maryland, is one of Maryland’s unique places, with over 2,000 forested acres, 2 1/4 miles of Potomac River shoreline, and a colonial tidewater historic site. In 1998, the State of Maryland purchased the site for its outstanding natural and historical attributes. This land is now divided by Route 210 into:

Chapman State Park - the riverside portion of about 800 acres, referred to as the "north side", which consists mostly of Mount Aventine, the historic plantation on which the Chapman family lived for over 150 years. There has been no archaeological survey on the north side yet.

Governor Parris N. Glendening Natural Environment Area - the remaining 1400 acres, which drains into Mattawoman Creek, known as the "south side".

Both the north side and the south side are important ecologically. Both sides are important historically. Keeping the north side and the south side together was an important issue in the struggle to save Chapman Forest. Because this point was important to citizens across Maryland and around the region, the State eventually discarded proposals to buy only part of Chapman Forest and instead bought it all. Read about how citizens fought to keep Chapman Forest from becoming a waterfront town, the State of Maryland purchased the land for preservation, and turned into a public park.

The people of Maryland own a treasure in Chapman Forest. As with any valuable possession, it is important to take stock of what you own and understand its value. If you do that, you are less likely to lose it.

Lucky accidents of history and geography have conveyed to the people of Maryland a unique showcase of natural and historical heritage. The 2200-acre Chapman Forest not only is called home by an unusually diverse web of life but also enhances, and is enhanced by, a surrounding mosaic of preserved lands. Centered between the abutting Mattawoman Natural Environment Area and Mason Neck Wildlife Refuge across the Potomac River, Chapman Forest is a key to regional ecological integrity. The Forest is also rich in cultural history. Its Native Americans, whose longhouses are depicted on Augustine Herrman's map of 1673, outlasted many in the region but eventually yielded to other settlers. By 1751, these included the Chapmans, a prominent family of the colonial tidewater culture who later erected Mt. Aventine, an antebellum manor house with an unparalleled view of the Potomac River.

The exceptional natural resources and historical resources of Chapman Forest make each other more valuable. The large expanses of unfragmented natural land have protected the integrity of the historic landscape and the rich archaeological resources from disturbance.

More info on Native Americans will be coming in the future.

Chapman Forest contains the family house (Mount Aventine) and plantation of the Chapman Family. Nathaniel Chapman, an leading ironman at the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, first purchased the property in 1750; members of his family lived and worked there for the next 165 years. Nathaniel and his wife, Constantia Pearson Chapman, shared many prominent friends and family members. While the Chapman family owned this land, a plantation, ferry system, and fishery were all created and operated.

Most of the archaeological information has been developed on the south side, since it has been the subject of an archaeological survey. During the time when development of the site was attempted, the developers, in seeking a wetland permit from the Army Corps of Engineers, did an archaeological survey of the south side required under the permitting process. It was done only on the south side, because the developers and the Army Corps agreed that portion would be considered for development first.

This type of survey requires digging to be done at points of a 20-meter grid laid out over the land. This survey reported 86 finds of archaeological material and the remains of a log cabin. The Maryland Historical Trust noted that the 86 new sites accounted for nearly 20% of the archaeological sites so far identified in Charles County. One member of the Board of Trustees of the Maryland Historical Trust noted that the sites should be considered as a whole, rather than as unconnected.

There is a real possibility that Chapman Forest may be over an extraordinarily important archaeological site. However the public enjoys Chapman Forest in the future, the rich archaeological potential of the site must be considered carefully, and nothing should be done that would lose this treasure for future generations.

The quiltwork of habitats is woven through with inhabitants. Only a fraction have been identified, but enough to tell of a distinguished acquisition. The types of oak found in Chapman Forest exceeds the number in Smoky Mountain National Park, 260 times its size. Here also are over three dozen plant species listed in 1994 as rare in Maryland, from diminutive ephemeral wildflowers, to the state's largest known populations of its critically imperilled Glade Fern, to massive Chinquapin Oaks. Noteworthy too is what is missing. Large segments of the Forest remain unusually free of invasive-exotic plants. This, together with varied, aged, and rare habitat, may help explain the number of uncommon species found here. The World Conservation Union finds that over a fourth of native plants in the United States are at risk of extinction and implicates competition from non-native invasives and habitat loss as the leading causes. A large part of Chapman Forest has remain relatively untouched over time, providing long term homes to a whole host of animals and plants.