Lake Artemesia facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Lake Artemesia |
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View of the gazebo
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 Lake Artemesia
Location in Maryland
Lake Artemesia
Location in the United States
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| Location | College Park, Prince George's County, Maryland, United States |
| Coordinates | 38°59′12″N 76°55′20″W / 38.98667°N 76.92222°W |
| Basin countries | United States |
| Surface area | 38 acres (150,000 m2) |
Lake Artemesia is a cool, man-made lake located in Prince George's County, Maryland. It's part of the Lake Artemesia Natural Area, found in College Park and Berwyn Heights. This beautiful area covers about 38 acres (150,000 m2) of water.
The natural area is managed by the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission. It offers lots of fun activities for visitors. You can explore pretty aquatic gardens, fish from special piers, or enjoy walking and biking on the trails.
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How Lake Artemesia Was Created
Lake Artemesia was built in the late 1980s. This happened during the construction of the Washington Metro's Green Line. The train tracks run right next to the lake.
To build the train tracks and parking lots for the College Park–University of Maryland and Greenbelt stations, workers needed a lot of sand and gravel. They dug up these materials from the site of a smaller lake and the surrounding area.
Using local materials saved Metro about $10 million. In return, Metro spent $8 million to build Lake Artemesia and its natural area. This helped fix the land after all the digging. During construction, signs at the site called it "Lake Metro."
The Story Behind the Name
The park is named after a kind woman named Artemesia N. Drefs. In 1972, she generously gave ten plots of land to the county. She wanted this land to be kept as open, natural space.
Before the Metro project, there was already a smaller lake on the site. It was also called Lake Artemesia. This was in honor of Artemesia Drefs's mother and grandmother, who both shared the same name.
Artemesia Drefs's father, Arthur, surveyed the land for his Lakeland development in the 1890s. According to Drefs, the original lake was first used to raise goldfish. Later, it was stocked with bass for fishing.
Fun Activities at the Lake
Lake Artemesia is a great place to be active outdoors. There's a 1.35-mile trail that goes all the way around the lake. This trail is perfect for both hikers and bikers.
This trail is also part of a bigger network. It connects to the Anacostia Tributary Trail System. It's also part of the East Coast Greenway, a long trail system along the eastern United States.
A Look Back at Lakeland Community
The area where Lake Artemesia Park now stands was once home to a part of the Lakeland community. This was an African-American community. In 1945, Lakeland became a part of College Park, Maryland.
