Henry and Alice Ferguson settled in Accokeek when they purchased Hard Bargain Farm overlooking the Potomac River in 1922 as a vacation retreat. Between 1935–39 Alice Ferguson initiated archaeological excavations. A fort from the Susquehannock people, which was demolished in 1675, was found. In 1957, US Senator Frances P. Bolton founded the Accokeek Foundation. The Foundation was used to purchase of land in Piscataway Park to help preserve the area. Much of the community west of Route 210 is designated the "Moyoane Reserve" and contains mid-century, individually-designed homes on minimum 5-acre wooded lots. Community educational attractions include Hard Bargain Farm (Ferguson Foundation) and the National Colonial Farm (National Park Service), which are listed below under "Parks and Recreation." Both these sites have numerous special events, including an annual Oktoberfest, and a "theater in the woods". In 1960, the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission (WSSC) wanted to build a water treatment plant in Mockley Point, which was Accokeek shoreline. Since it would disrupt the view of Mount Vernon and Fort Washington Park, various people and organizations protested against it. In 1961, a law was signed by President John F. Kennedy in order to designate around Mockley Point as a national landmark. Both the Accokeek Foundation and the Alice Ferguson Foundation donated another to the landmark. As a result, WSSC was not allowed to build the plant there; however, a plant was built in the 1960s in the surrounding area.