Charles County High Point Trip Report

235 ft*1

Author: Glenn Bock

Area Location: Near Bolton, 4.5 miles WNW of Waldorf

Maps: Piscataway Quad, DeLorme 37

Route: From the town of Berry Travel West on Berry Road for 1 mile, Left (South) on Mill Hill Road. 0.5 miles where the road bends from SW to S, to the North of this bend the HighPoint is marked on the Maryland Charles County Map.

Alternate route: From Washington Beltway (495) Take 210 South for 10 miles, then Left on 228 Merges with Bennsville Rd, 1 mile to Right on Mill Hill Rd. HighPoint is along Mill Hill Road south of the intersection with Berry Rd. The HighPoint is somewhere along Mill Hill South of Berry, the topo map shows a large area that the HighPoint could be within.

Points of Interest Nearby -

County Tourism: 800-SO-MD-FUN
Fort Washington National Park (NPS)
Fort Washington State Park
Thomas Stone National Historic Site
Mattowaman Natural Environment Area
National Colonial Farm Museum: Bryan Point Rd, Accokeek

US History in the County: At Bolton Depot the first tubular plate girder bridge in the U.S. was built 1841.

Camping -

Cedarville State Forest, 130 sites, 10201 Bee Oak Rd., Brandywine, MD, 20613, 301-888-1622
Smallwood State Park, 16 sites, Rt. 1 Box 64, Marbury, MD, 20658, 301-743-7613

Historical Notes: Charles County was created by proclamation by Gov. Josias Fendall who created it from St. Mary's County on May 10, 1658. It was named, to use Cecil Calvert's words, "in honor of our only son and heir apparent, Charles Calvert Esquire."

Description of HighPoint: The USGS Piscataway Quad shows a relatively large area at a height of 220 ft surrounding this area and another 220 ft area 1 mile south along Mill Hill Rd. There may be a local HighPoint, the 235 ft height is an estimate based in the large area involved in this region. The position and elevation of 235 ft is taken directly from a USGS Charles County map found at the Maryland Geologic Survey.

*1This county's HighPoint can not, at present, be determined with certainty. It is very flat with little relief and many of the USGS Quad maps date from the 1940's which rely to some extent on planetable surveys. Contenders for HighPoint status include: THIS spot, spot elevation 1 of 14 areas 220' to 239' on Piscataway Quad; 6 areas 220-239' on La Plata Quad; 5 areas 220-239' on Brandywine Quad.