The first site is called Queen Anne Town. Once you have your permit, you can go to the first canoe landing by land. Travel north on Route 301, near Pointer Ridge, turn right onto Queen Anne Bridge Road. Where Queen Anne Bridge Road turns sharply to the right and becomes Queen Anne Road, continue on Queen Anne Bridge Road into the parking area. To see the Queen Anne's Bridge first paddle up the river for less than a mile. Once you go underneath the bridge, paddle back down the Patuxent and go to the rest of the sites.

Located across the upper Patuxent River, the Queen Anne's Bridge is part of a small predominantly black town in Prince George's County called Queen Anne's Town. Queen Anne, for whom the town and bridge are named, ruled England and the American colonies from 1702-1714. The town, located between Upper Marlboro and Bowie, was not always a predominantly African-American settlement. Queen Anne's Town was created as part of a 1706 act "for the advancement of trade and erecting ports and towns in the Province of Maryland." Queen Anne's Town was a seaport that used to be an excellent and convenient stop for goods that were being transported between Baltimore and Annapolis. The Queen Anne's Bridge, originally built in 1755, once served as a main road connecting Anne Arundel County to Prince George's County. The present steel truss bridge is an early 20th century replacement.

About 1878, William Lane Watkins became the first black man to move into Queen Anne's Town. Watkins, son of a white man and a light-skinned black woman, was taught by his father how to read and write. About 1872, accepted as a white man, he entered the Boston University Medical School, from which he graduated with a full medical degree. Soon after Watkins graduated, he was discovered to have been of mixed race, thus finding it impossible to practice in Massachusetts. With the invitation of a friend, Tim Parker, Watkins decided to move to Prince George's County. When Watkins first arrived in Prince George's county, he was able to rent a room from the family of Wilson and Jane Ellen Turner, who lived in an area near Queen Anne's. Rent was $10 a month, which was expensive for a black man around that time in the late 1870's. Soon Watkins fell in love with Wilson's daughter and began to find a home for him and his wife.

Watkins chose to live in Queen Anne's Town proper, an all-white community. When he arrived in Queen Anne's Town, Watkins was told that "N's" were not allowed to live on Queen Anne's Bridge Road. Watkins answered that he was not an "N" and he would live there if he chose to. So, he moved in anyway as did many other blacks. About 1877 Watkins became the first teacher and principal of the new Mt. Nebo School, a school for black children in Queen Anne's Town. As the years rolled by, Queen Anne's Town gradually changed its racial composition. The few remaining white residents died out or moved away, thus creating the small predominantly black community, which exists today.

Sometime after World War II, a heavy truck caused the existing Queen Anne's Bridge to buckle into its present contorted form. Now the bridge is no longer suitable for cars. New roads and highways have now made it unnecessary to pass through the forgotten town of Queen Anne's. The town is now referred to as "Hardesty" so not to confuse the town with Queen Anne's County on the Eastern Shore.

There is a canoe launch in Patuxent River Park called Queen Anne Canoe Launch. Since the first three historic sites have canoe landings in Patuxent River Park, you must buy a park permit to put-in at those landings. The cost of a permit is $5 for residents of Prince George's or Montgomery counties and $10 for all other residents. Prior to the day you decide to go canoeing you should get a permit at Patuxent River Park visitation center located at 16000 Croom Airport Road. To get to the visitation center going south on US 301, turn left onto Croom Station Road and go 2.5 miles to Croom Road. Then turn left and go 1.3 miles to Croom Airport Road. After .2 miles, turn left at the park entrance and go 1.5 miles to the park office and parking lot. If you have any questions, you can call Patuxent River Park at 301-627-6074, or visit their website at www.pgparks.com/places/parks/patuxent.html