Plan Your Visit
Hiking and biking trails are planned throughout the park.
and a force in the long campaign for civil rights.
Visitors to Freedman’ s State Park will experience this history across the landscape rather than within a single preserved home or museum gallery. Historic features include the Howard Family Cemetery, where Enoch and Harriet are buried; Howard Chapel Cemetery; the archaeological remains of the chapel and community school; the ruins of Locust Villa; agricultural buildings; and the Greenbury Howard House, which is being restored by the Maryland Park Service.
Surrounding these sites are heavily wooded areas and former farmland once cultivated by the Howard family. Planned hiking and biking trails will connect the park’ s historic and natural resources, creating new ways to explore land that was previously part of Patuxent River State Park. On select dates each month, weather permitting, guided hikes are offered along the Howard Heritage Trail.
“ These places help tell a fuller story of African American life before and after emancipation,” said Sandi Williams, executive director of the Sandy Spring Slave Museum, a Heritage Montgomery board member and participant in the Freedman’ s State Park task force.“ They also show that historic preservation doesn’ t always begin with an intact building. Sometimes it begins with a foundation in the woods, an old farm lane, a grave
marker or artifacts uncovered through archaeology.”
That connection between history and conservation is central to the park’ s future. Of the roughly 1,014 acres identified during the planning process, nearly 671 acres are forested and approximately 319 acres are agricultural.
Planning partners envision hiking and biking routes that will connect historic resources while allowing visitors to experience the natural environment the Howard family knew and cultivated. Portions of the property are already available for hiking, with public programs and additional visitor amenities expected as planning and restoration continue.
For Heritage Montgomery, the park strengthens a network of African American heritage destinations across the county, including the Sandy Spring Slave Museum, Josiah Henson Museum and Park, Button Farm Living History Center, Oakley Cabin African American Museum and Park, Glen Echo Park, Pleasant View Historical Site, and historic communities of free and formerly enslaved Black residents.
“ Freedman’ s State Park gives Montgomery County an opportunity to connect people with a nationally significant story that is rooted in our local communities,” said Sarah Rogers, executive director of Heritage Montgomery.“ As the park develops, it becomes a place where residents and visitors experience history on the land itself while supporting greater understanding and recognition of the people who shaped our county.”
The park’ s creation reflects years of work by descendants, historians, preservationists, community organizations and government agencies.
“ My initial tour of the property with the late State Parks Ranger Eric Ledbetter was a powerful reminder of this inspirational family, story, and land,” said Rogers.“ It has been wonderful to see this park go from a dream to a reality as a place for the people of Montgomery County to enjoy and explore their history.”
Freedman’ s State Park enters a thriving outdoor recreation and heritage tourism economy that already delivers significant benefits across Maryland. In 2024,
Plan Your Visit
Freedman’ s State Park is open daily from sunrise to sunset and is closed on Christmas Day. Visitors can walk the park’ s trails, explore Howard Chapel Cemetery, visit the Greenbury Howard House and Howard Family Cemetery, and view the ruins of Locust Villa. Begin your visit at the Alf Brown House parking lot, located at 23222 Georgia Avenue in Brookeville. Because the park is still developing, there are currently no ADAaccessible historic sites. Visitors with disabilities or other special needs should contact the park in advance to discuss available accommodations and make arrangements before arriving. Pets are allowed when on a leash.
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