Soldiers Delight

Description

Soldiers Delight is a massive, well-tended serpentine grassland, the largest in Maryland. Placer mining for chromite started here in 1822. Isaac Tyson subsequently opened deep mines for massive chromite ore in 1827. They were worked by him and his successors until about 1880. The mines were reopened with marginal success during World War I and a little production of chromite continued until 1928. The area was subsequently preserved by the State of Maryland, and extensive burning has taken place to remove Virginia pine and create a continuous grassland throughout parts of the barrens. The serpentine barrens here have long attracted the attention of naturalists, and were the subject of "Soldiers Delight Journal", a nature memoir by Jack Wennerstrom. A well-organized Friends group exists for Soldiers Delight.

Visiting

Soldiers Delight is administered by the Maryland Department of Natural Resources as Soldiers Delight Natural Environment Area.