This is an excerpt from the coming-soon book, 181 Great Events on Delmarva, which includes more than 100 suggested side trips that are located near an event featured in the book.
For a span of 326 years, more than 100 acres outside of Nassawadox on Virginia’s lower Eastern Shore stayed in the hands of one family, the Upshurs. From a colonial-era wharf on Brownsville Creek, they shipped corn up the Atlantic to markets as far away as New York and New England. The oldest section of their Brownsville House dates to the days when Thomas Jefferson was president.
The place is now owned by the Nature Conservancy and known as the Brownsville Preserve. Other than during a couple of big events every year, the bulk of that acreage is set aside for wildlife, research, and education–no regular public hours–with one exception, a birding trail where you can walk the old Upshur property pretty much anytime and get a glimpse at some of that wildlife.
From the heart Nassawadox, find your way to Route 608 on the east side of town. Heading toward the ocean on that route, you’ll come to a trailhead parking area at 11332 Brownsville Rd. There, you can set off on a 3.5-mile round-trip hike through woods, meadows, and marshlands. Trail guides should be available at a kiosk in the parking area
Here is more info on the property from the Nature Conservancy.
