A Little History
In 1917, Uncle Henry Juenemann, the uncle of Grandma Kitty Meatyard, traveled down the
Potomac River from Washington, D.C. on a steamboat, and stopped at the Landing in Piney
Point known as the Tolson Hotel. When he stepped off the boat, he first met Mr. Tolson and
asked him, “Who owns the property with the tall timbers?” Introductions were made and in
1920 Uncle Henry purchased PART OF PINEY POINT known as THRICE-CARTER TRACK
containing approximately 132 acres. The name of this property was changed by Uncle Henry
to Tall Timbers on the Potomac. Shortly afterward, a U.S. Post Office was opened at Bailey’s
Store (now Dent’s). The first Post Master was Ruby Bailey, and due to her influence, the
name Tall Timbers, MD was assigned to the Post Office and the town. Part of the track
included “the wet lands, the fast lands, the water and the land beneath the waters of Herring
Creek”. The creek’s bottom proved to be a productive oyster ground. Over the years, oysters
raising oysters in “brooders” (cages) on the family oyster grounds and harvesting oysters for
sale in The Reluctant Navigator Restaurant.
In 1932, The Tall Timbers Camp for Boys was created by the Meatyard family for boys from
the Washington, D.C. area and remained in operation until the outbreak of World War II.
Camp Counselors included a Washington Redskin, Students of University of Florida’s law
school, and Ross Allen of Silver Springs, Florida’s glass bottom boats and reptile farm. Allen
imported, by freight train, several alligators up from Florida to the camp in the 1930’s. In the
marina’s museum is a 1950 photograph of Ruby Bailey’s son, Jr. Bailey, with an alligator that
was captured and killed in Herring Creek. Due to the war effort, in 1941, the Federal
Government took possession of all available housing as living quarters for the military
personnel at the new Patuxent River Naval Air Base. This marked the end of The Tall Timbers
Camp for Boys.
Around 1958, the Federal Government passed a safe boating act to promote boating for the
general public. Part of the responsibility to the public was to identify and establish safe
harbors. In 1959, the Army Corps of Engineers identified Herring Creek as a safe harbor. This
project was to be known as The Herring Creek Navigation Project. This project involved
dredging the channel to a depth of 7 feet with a width of 60 feet and constructing two stone
jetties extending into the Potomac River. This project was completed in the spring of 1960.
The Meatyard family constructed and maintained, at their own expense, a marina for dockage
for local and transient crafts. A boat ramp and parking area were also provided to allow public
access to the states navigable waters.
With the arrival of the year 2017, only two years away, we will celebrate 100 years and six
generations of family ownership of our little piece of heaven. Our doors are always open and
we happily greet old friends and new friends alike. We take great pride in our “55 years of
the same mis-management” of The Tall Timbers Marina.
Thank you to our customers for your loyal support.
