Patuxent Rural Life Museum

The Patuxent Rural Life

Hunting, Fishing and Trapping Museum: Working the River The Patuxent River is a haven for all types of wildlife. The abundant food supply and excellent habitat have provided a home for literally hundreds of thousands of birds, fur bearing mammals, fish, crabs, and oysters. The museum tells the story of the people that have used it for sustenance, sport and industry. Learn about the present and former glory of the area, what has been done, and what’s being done to restore the Patuxent River ecosystem for its wildlife and also, for ourselves.

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Discover family fun at Kids’ Day in the Country! This FREE event is held yearly in October at the Patuxent Rural Life Museums. Activities include pony rides, hayrides, kids’ crafts and much more.

acre Patuxent River Park, are a collection of museums and farm buildings dedicated to preserving the rural heritage of southern Prince George’s County. The museum complex is composed of the W. Henry Duvall Tool Museum, a Blacksmith Shop with Farrier & Tack Shop, a Tobacco Farming Museum, the Duckett Log Cabin with

Patuxent Rural Life Museums

its privy, chicken coop, meat house, and kitchen garden, a 1923 Sears catalog house, and the Hunting, Fishing and

LOCATION/DIRECTIONS From the Capital Beltway (I-495), take Exit 11, Pennsylvania Avenue S.E. (Route 4). Continue 8 miles and exit onto Route 301 South. Proceed 1.7 miles and make a left onto Croom Station Road. Proceed 1.6 miles and make a left onto Croom Road (Route 382). Proceed 1.5 miles and make a left onto Croom Airport Road. Proceed 2 miles to Park entrance. Make a left and proceed 1.7 miles to parking area.

Trapping Museum.

HOURS OF OPERATION April – October, Saturdays and Sundays, 1– 4 pm. FREE admission. Guided tours are available for a small fee at other times by advance reservation.

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History comes alive when re-enactors and craftsmen hone their unique skills.

See open hearth cooking demonstrations, blacksmithing and a woodworker using hand tools from the past.

Located within the 7,000-

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16000 Croom Airport Road Upper Marlboro, Maryland 20772-8395 301-627-6074; TTY 301-699-2544

Kids’ Day in the Country

The Patuxent Rural Life Museums

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The Patuxent Rural LIfe Museums are facilities of The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission, Department of Parks and Recreation, Prince George’s County, Natural and Historical Resources Division.

The Department of Parks and Recreation encourages and supports the participation of individuals with disabilities. Register at least a minimum of two weeks in advance of the program start date to request and receive a disability accommodation. PPC-PR-PA 10/14

TOOLS, TRADES AND LIFESTYLES

W. Henry Duvall Tool Museum For more than 50 years, William Henry Duvall of Croom traveled to neighboring farms throughout southern Maryland buying old tools, farm implements, and domestic items. His collection eventually resulted in more than a thousand 19th century tools and artifacts. The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission acquired Mr. Duvall’s collection in 1981, and with the help of volunteers, built the Duvall Tool Museum.

Since the museum opened, other donors have added additional 19th and early 20th century tools to the collection. The museum features exhibits about traditional trades and crafts, such as carpenter, cobbler and cooper. Other exhibits focus on the kitchen, laundry before electricity, early gardening, felling a tree, dental tools from the early 20th century, and a reproduction general store.

Charles Duckett Freedman Log Cabin Chicken Coop, Meat House, and One-Hole Privy The Duckett Cabin is a rare surviving example of a chestnut log farm tenant house from the 1880s.

The cabin was moved to Patuxent River Park in 1974 from southern Prince George’s County and was restored and re-mudded in 2002. The cabin was probably built by Charles Duckett, an exslave and a landsman in the Union Navy during the Civil War. Next to the cabin are a one-hole wood privy from the early 20th century, a chicken coop and a meat house. These outbuildings were brought to Patuxent Rural Life Museum’s complex from farms throughout the county that have been sold and were in danger of being destroyed. The meat house contains wood stretchers for drying animal hides.

Blacksmith Shop

Tobacco Farming Museum

Hammering away at his forge, the blacksmith reigned as the king of craftsmen, capable of producing anything from a weapon to a horseshoe. He worked with wrought iron which is strong and easy to manipulate—it can be punched, drilled, twisted, welded, bent back on itself without breaking and used over and over again. The Patuxent Rural Life Museums’ blacksmith shop is based on an historic example located in Aquasco, Maryland.

The 19th century blacksmith made ice skates, plane bits, carving tools, fireplace and cooking utensils, hammers, axes and other farm implements.

Tobacco is deeply rooted in Prince George’s County history. For 300 years it was the economic mainstay of the county. Tobacco production drew settlers to Maryland. It founded communities, shaped roadways, influenced education, the arts, and politics, and furthered agricultural advancements. Despite the controversy over the medical and social aspects of tobacco, its place in Prince George’s County history cannot be denied. The Tobacco Farming Museum presents this past and chronicles the development of tobacco cultivation and production, the market system, and women and tobacco. Artifacts, such as a tobacco prize and planter are included in the museum.

1923 Sears Simplex House The Sears Simplex sectional cottage is a rare, pre-fabricated Sears and Roebuck Company catalog house originally purchased by Lowe Steed in 1923 for $443. His family lived in the home until shortly after the Depression ended. The house includes three rooms that are furnished with period pieces, and a front porch with no plumbing or electricity. The outhouse could be purchased separately for $40.

This type of housing was intended to serve the needs of poor, working class individuals in generally rural settings