Potomac River Maritime Exhibit Building and Kayak Launch Opens at Piney Point Historic Park

The Potomac River Maritime Exhibit Building and Kayak Launch at Piney Point Historic Park both open to the public on Friday, June 18 at 3 p.m. All are invited to attend the ribbon-cutting ceremony and tour the new exhibits.

Located at 44701 Lighthouse Road in Piney Point, Maryland, the county park and indoor exhibits are open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. through September. The grounds are open seven days a week from sunrise to sunset.

The Potomac River Maritime Exhibit Building houses the collection of four historic wooden vessels on loan from the Paul Hall School of Maritime Training and Education. The collection is comprised of a 67-foot skipjack (Joy Parks), an 84-foot bugeye (Dorothy A. Parsons), a log canoe, and Potomac River dory boat. The new exhibits include the “Working Boats of Yesteryear.” This exhibit is anchored by the immense 81-foot bugeye. Adjacent to the Potomac River log canoe is the “Harvest and Hauls” exhibit.

Also new is the “Waterways of Southern Maryland’ exhibit that gives visitors an orientation to their location in our region and to the Chesapeake Bay. Two additional exhibits continue the story: “Watermen and Their Life” and “Seasonal Cycles.” A new exterior sign for the Exhibit Building will also be debuted. These exhibits focus on the life of the watermen who make their livelihoods working the waters of the Potomac for crabs, fish and oysters.

A new recreational resource – a kayak launch – has been installed on the creek side of the park grounds. The launch will accommodate kayaks and canoes and will be available during museum operational hours.

The Park also contains the Piney Point Lighthouse, the oldest lighthouse on the Potomac River. The 35-foot lighthouse tower is open for climbing. The Piney Point Lighthouse, Museum and Historic Park is also accessible by boat, offering a sturdy handicap accessible pier with accompanying step down platform. The pier connects to the wooden boardwalk that surrounds the lighthouse grounds. The scenic riverside venue of the lighthouse park offers guests not only an aesthetic panorama and serene escape but comfortable benches and picnic tables to accommodate an extended visit.

This park and its exhibits are part of the county’s Department of Recreation and Parks Museum Division. For more information on joining the Friends of St. Clement’s Island and Piney Point Museums, a membership organization committed to supporting the county’s museums, contact Carol Cribbs at 301-769-2222. For more information on the museums, including directions and special events, call 301-769-2222 or log on to www.stmarysmd.com/recreate/museums.

Photos are available upon request.