Right here stands Pinewood Park a place where serenity meets history. But what makes this park so special? Let me tell you a story.
Pinewood Park is more than just trees and trails. It’s a part of something bigger: Rock Creek Park. Rock Creek Park itself is a vast urban oasis. It bisects Northwest Washington D.C. The U.S. Congress created it in 1890. This makes it one of the country’s oldest national parks.
Imagine President Benjamin Harrison signing the Act of Congress. It happened on September 27 1890. Civic leaders like Charles C. Glover had actively pushed for its creation. The National Zoo had been established just the year before. This park was only the third national park in the U.S. Yellowstone came first in 1872. Mackinac National Park followed in 1875.
The Rock Creek Park Act allowed the purchase of up to 2000 acres of land. This land stretched north from Klingle Ford Bridge. That is approximately the northern limit of the National Zoo. The land was to be perpetually dedicated as a public park. It was for the benefit and enjoyment of the people of the United States. The act also sought to preserve the park’s natural state. Timber, animals, and curiosities were to be protected from injury or spoliation.
Park construction began in 1897. In 1913 Congress authorized the Rock Creek and Potomac Parkway. This extended the park along a narrow corridor. It ran from the zoo to the mouth of Rock Creek at the Potomac River.
The Rock Creek Park’s golf course opened in 1923. William Flynn designed it. It started with nine holes. Three years later it expanded to 18. For many years the golf course was segregated. In 1941 U.S. Secretary of the Interior Harold Ickes ordered all public courses opened to African Americans.
In the 1980s stones from the United States Capitol were stored in the park during a renovation. This loose pile was two stories high. It became a popular attraction. Their removal in 2022 drew local and national attention.
The main section of Rock Creek Park includes 1754 acres along the Rock Creek Valley. Including other green areas, the park administers more than 2000 acres. These areas include Glover Archbold Park and Meridian Hill Park.
Rock Creek Park offers various recreation facilities. There is a golf course and equestrian trails. You can find sport venues and a nature center with a planetarium. The Carter Barron Amphitheatre hosts outdoor concerts. Picnic and playground facilities are also available. Rock Creek is popular for jogging, cycling, and inline skating.
Among the park’s monuments is a pink granite bench. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt dedicated it in 1936. It commemorates former French ambassador Jean Jules Jusserand.
Rock Creek Park also has a Horse Center founded in 1972. It offers trail rides, pony rides, and lessons. The Rock Creek Riders program provides therapeutic riding for people with special needs.
Peirce Mill is a water-powered grist mill in Rock Creek Park. It was built in the 1820s by Isaac Peirce. It became part of the park in 1892.
The park has a network of hiker/biker trails. The main trail extends from Broad Branch Road to the southern end of the park. It continues to Arlington Memorial Bridge and Hains Point.
The park has experimented with road closures since the 1960s. Today certain sections of park roads are closed to motor vehicles on weekends.
Rock Creek Park is patrolled by the United States Park Police. The park administers numerous properties in D.C. north and west of the National Mall.
Rock Creek Park separates neighborhoods. The designations WOTP and EOTP refer to areas west and east of the park.
Pinewood Park stands as a gateway to this historic and vibrant area. It offers a serene escape within a bustling metropolis. Remember Pinewood Park is not just a place. It’s a part of a larger story a story of preservation recreation and community.