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Lake Artemesia

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Coordinates:38°59′12″N76°55′20″W/ 38.98667°N 76.92222°W/38.98667; -76.92222
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Lake Artemesia
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Location of Lake Artemesia in Maryland, USA.
Location of Lake Artemesia in Maryland, USA.
Lake Artemesia
Location of Lake Artemesia in Maryland, USA.
Location of Lake Artemesia in Maryland, USA.
Lake Artemesia
LocationCollege Park,Prince George's County,Maryland,
United States
Coordinates38°59′12″N76°55′20″W/ 38.98667°N 76.92222°W/38.98667; -76.92222
BasincountriesUnited States
Surface area38 acres (150,000 m2)
Surface elevation43 ft (13 m)[1]

Lake Artemesiais aman-made lakeinPrince George's County,Maryland,located within the Lake Artemesia Natural Area inCollege ParkandBerwyn Heights.The lake covers an area of 38 acres (150,000 m2), and the surrounding natural area is administered byMaryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commissionand includes aquatic gardens, fishing piers, and hiker-biker trails.

The lake, located betweenIndian CreekandPaint Branch,was constructed during the late-1980s completion of theWashington Metro'sGreen Line,which runs alongside the lake. Sand and gravel were excavated from the site of a smaller lake and the surrounding area to construct the rail beds and parking lots for theCollege Park–University of MarylandandGreenbeltstations.[2]Metro saved $10 million by sourcing the material locally and in return spent $8 million constructing the lake and natural area to repair the excavation damage. During the construction phase, signs identified the site as "Lake Metro."

The park is named forArtemesia N. Drefs,who donated ten lots to the county for preservation as open space in 1972.[3]The smaller lake that existed on the site, which was created in the mid-1800s when stone was quarried from the area for use on theB&O Railroad'sWashington Branchline,[4]was already named Lake Artemesia after Artemesia's mother and grandmother, who shared the same name. Drefs's father, Arthur, surveyed the land for hisLakelanddevelopment in the 1890s; according to Drefs, the pre-existing lake was originally used to raisegoldfish,but was later stocked withbass.[5][6]

The 1.35 mile hiker-biker trail around the lake is part of theAnacostia Tributary Trail SystemandEast Coast Greenway.

The site of Lake Artemesia Park was once home to about one third of the Lakeland community,[7]an African-American community which became part ofCollege Park, Marylandin 1945.[8]

References

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  1. ^U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Lake Artemesia
  2. ^Historical Marker Project."Origins of Lake Artemesia."Accessed 2019-07-30.
  3. ^Knuteson, John (2021). "Artemesia Drefs".Missouri Remembers: Artists in Missouri through 1951.Kansas City: The Kansas City Art Institute and The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art.
  4. ^Gross, Maxine (2022-07-15)."Lake Artemesia: My Childhood Lake".College Park Here & Now.Retrieved2023-01-29.
  5. ^Prince George's County Department of Parks and Recreation, Riverdale, MD."Lake Artemesia."Archived2013-03-25 at theWayback MachineAccessed 2009-12-22.
  6. ^Kelly, John (2017-12-02)."Perspective | Breeding ponds in College Park, Md., once kept the U.S. awash in goldfish".Washington Post.ISSN0190-8286.Retrieved2017-12-09.
  7. ^"About The Mural," A Path Forward "".Lakeland Community Heritage Project.2018-08-27.Retrieved2021-02-19.
  8. ^EHT Traceries (2007)."Lakeland"(PDF).Maryland National Capitol Parks and Planning Commission.RetrievedFebruary 19,2021.
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