Scientists' Cliffs
Encyclopedia
Scientists' Cliffs is an unincorporated community
in Calvert County
, Maryland
, United States
. Other names used for the community include Annes Aggravation, Flippos Folly, Pathologists Quagmire, and Scientists Cliff. Its altitude is 105 feet (32 m), and it is located at 38°31′3"N 76°30′48"W (38.5176224, -76.5132867).
The private community was first established in 1935 as a summer colony for scientists by Flippo and Annie Gravatt. The founders of Scientist's Cliffs' chose this land because the population of American Chestnut trees showed a particular resistance to the blight. Original cabins in the area were built from felled American Chestnut
trees that died from the blight
. Although established as a seasonal community, the first year round resident moved to the community in 1943.
The community is accessed by Scientists' Cliffs Road and divided into five sub-sections, called "Gates," named Gate A, Gate B, Gate C, Gate D, and Gate E, respectively. The streets in each gate all begin with the corresponding letter of the gate, and are botanically named. For example, Gate A features streets named Aster, Aspen, Azalea, etc., Gate B features streets named Birch, Beech and Bluebell, and so forth.
All five gates have direct access to the Chesapeake Bay
via a series of paths and boardwalks. Additionally, Gate A features a community center, a residential swimming pool
, tennis courts, horseshoe pit, a baseball field and a private beach referred to as "South Beach".
Another feature of Scientists Cliffs is that a restrictive covenant
requires all houses within the community to have a wooden exterior, giving the homes a distinctively rustic
look.
The tall cliffs along the edge of the bay contain a one of the world's richest fossil deposits from the Miocene period. The cliffs are (part of the Calvert Formation). Carcharodon megalodon
teeth are found in this area.
Unincorporated area
In law, an unincorporated area is a region of land that is not a part of any municipality.To "incorporate" in this context means to form a municipal corporation, a city, town, or village with its own government. An unincorporated community is usually not subject to or taxed by a municipal government...
in Calvert County
Calvert County, Maryland
Calvert County is a county located in the U.S. state of Maryland. It occupies the Calvert Peninsula which is bordered on the east by the Chesapeake Bay and on the west by the Patuxent River. Calvert County is part of the Southern Maryland region. Calvert County's residents are among the highest...
, Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Other names used for the community include Annes Aggravation, Flippos Folly, Pathologists Quagmire, and Scientists Cliff. Its altitude is 105 feet (32 m), and it is located at 38°31′3"N 76°30′48"W (38.5176224, -76.5132867).
The private community was first established in 1935 as a summer colony for scientists by Flippo and Annie Gravatt. The founders of Scientist's Cliffs' chose this land because the population of American Chestnut trees showed a particular resistance to the blight. Original cabins in the area were built from felled American Chestnut
American Chestnut
The American Chestnut is a large, deciduous tree of the beech family native to eastern North America. Before the species was devastated by the chestnut blight, a fungal disease, it was one of the most important forest trees throughout its range...
trees that died from the blight
Chestnut blight
The pathogenic fungus Cryphonectria parasitica is a member of the ascomycota category, and is the main cause of chestnut blight, a devastating disease of the American chestnut tree that caused a mass extinction in the early 1900s of this once plentiful tree from its historic range in the eastern...
. Although established as a seasonal community, the first year round resident moved to the community in 1943.
The community is accessed by Scientists' Cliffs Road and divided into five sub-sections, called "Gates," named Gate A, Gate B, Gate C, Gate D, and Gate E, respectively. The streets in each gate all begin with the corresponding letter of the gate, and are botanically named. For example, Gate A features streets named Aster, Aspen, Azalea, etc., Gate B features streets named Birch, Beech and Bluebell, and so forth.
All five gates have direct access to the Chesapeake Bay
Chesapeake Bay
The Chesapeake Bay is the largest estuary in the United States. It lies off the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by Maryland and Virginia. The Chesapeake Bay's drainage basin covers in the District of Columbia and parts of six states: New York, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, and West...
via a series of paths and boardwalks. Additionally, Gate A features a community center, a residential swimming pool
Swimming pool
A swimming pool, swimming bath, wading pool, or simply a pool, is a container filled with water intended for swimming or water-based recreation. There are many standard sizes; the largest is the Olympic-size swimming pool...
, tennis courts, horseshoe pit, a baseball field and a private beach referred to as "South Beach".
Another feature of Scientists Cliffs is that a restrictive covenant
Restrictive covenant
A restrictive covenant is a type of real covenant, a legal obligation imposed in a deed by the seller upon the buyer of real estate to do or not to do something. Such restrictions frequently "run with the land" and are enforceable on subsequent buyers of the property...
requires all houses within the community to have a wooden exterior, giving the homes a distinctively rustic
Rustic
Rustic can refer to:*rural*pastoralIn zoology:* Rustic moths, various noctuid moths of subfamilies Hadeninae and Noctuinae, including** The Rustic, * The Rustic , a brush-footed butterfly...
look.
The tall cliffs along the edge of the bay contain a one of the world's richest fossil deposits from the Miocene period. The cliffs are (part of the Calvert Formation). Carcharodon megalodon
Megalodon
The megalodon and ὀδούς ) is an extinct species of shark that lived roughly from 28 to 1.5 million years ago, during the Cenozoic Era .The taxonomic assignment of C...
teeth are found in this area.