Environmental and Historical Interpretive Signage Quiet Waters Park
The History of the Quiet Waters Cypress Swamp
This is a 1 1/2 acre stand of 35 year old Bald Cypress trees (Taxodium distichum). Here is how this stand of trees came to be just outside the species natural distribution.
Prior to the development of the park the area that is now the swamp was a wet agricultural field perhaps for more than 100 years. In the aerial photograph taken in 1970 the dark patches in the cleared field show main drainage paths for rain water runoff from the Hillsmere Shores community through the field and into the headwaters of Caffrey Run.
The bottom image shows Quiet Waters Park and the Hillsmere Shores community. The top image is a closeup from 1970. the red squares show the current location of the swamp, road, and Gate House.
Construction of the entrance road to the park around 1988 required a culvert to allow the runoff water flowing from Hillsmere from the east to flow towards Caffrey Run.
After the road was built the area became barren and wet. In order to stem the flow of water from runoff into Caffrey, volunteers from Run Rotary Club of Annapolis and newly formed Friends of Quiet Waters Park and led by John Flood built a berm of debris around the culvert inlet allowing the area behind it to flood to about 1’ after significant rain before overflowing into Caffrey Run. The area was then planted with saplings of Bald Cypress (Taxodium distichum) donated by Maryland Department of Natural Resources. The area does not drain well and holds water most of the year.
Instead of flowing rapidly and directly into Caffrey Run water is impounded in the swamp slowing the water, allowing sediment in the water to settle out, and allowing the water to drain into the soil where it will flow into Caffrey Run but underground filtered by the soil.
Photograph from 1989 during the construction of the park. The red square shows the swamp lying between the gate house road and the paved path. The red star shows the current location of the sign.
For 35 years the Cypress trees thrived and became a closed canopy forest
The red squares show the area of the swamp
Cypress Swamp Through the Seasons
More Information
For in depth information on the botany, ecology, and history of the Bald Cypress Tree check out these two sources:
Taxodium distichum Rare Plant Profile
Learn about the history of Bald Cypress in Southern Maryland
Southern Exposure: The Great Cypress Swamp at Pocomoke River State Park