Mason Neck State Park occupies one thousand eight hundred fourteen acres on a Fairfax County peninsula between Pohick Bay, Belmont Bay, and the Potomac River. Known for quiet marshes and woodlands, it is a prime northern Virginia habitat for bald eagles as well as herons, ospreys, deer, and other wildlife. Its history extends far beyond its modern recreational use: archaeological remains have been found at about thirty sites, including the Taft site with Dogue artifacts and the Lexington site tied to a plantation from the Mason family holdings worked by enslaved labor. The area also connects to the War of 1812 and to modern eagle conservation led by Elizabeth Hartwell.