Commerce, Industry, Science and Recreation...

com•merce• (noun) the activity of buying and selling, esp. on a large scale

in•dus•try• (noun) economic activity concerned with the processing of raw materials and manufacture of good in factories

sci•ence• (noun) the intellectual and practical activity encompassing the systematic study of the structure and behavior of the physical and natural world through observation and experiment

rec•re•a•tion• (noun) activity done for enjoyment when one is not working

Commerce— Most of the early commerce in the County was associated with tobacco; the crop even served as legal tender for debts. This commerce in the colonial period is best represented by the Market Master's House and the George Washington House, which served as a store, both in Bladensburg. Later commerce is represented by the rural general store, e.g., the Coffren Store in Croom.

Industry—The earliest industry in the County is represented by water-powered mills such as the Adelphi Mill constructed northwest of Hyattsville for the grinding of grain. Iron was mined in the upper Patuxent region, and in the 1840s, Muirkirk Ironworks was established in the Beltsville area. During the Revolution, munitions and uniforms were manufactured at Stephen West's Woodyard establishment, represented by the Woodyard Archeological Site. Nineteenth-century industry is exemplified by the blacksmith/wheelwright shop at the Trueman Farm.

Agricultural Science—Early examples of agricultural science are represented by Riversdale, the plantation of Charles B. Calvert, founder of County and State agricultural societies and of the Maryland Agricultural College. Local scientific interest in agriculture is also represented by the Rossborough Inn on the campus of the University of Maryland at College Park, a building that served as an agricultural experimentation station during the late-nineteenth century, and the Beltsville Agricultural Research Center (BARC), which has played a substantial role in the agricultural sciences since the 1930s.

Recreation—Prince George's County has been in the forefront of sports and recreation from the early eighteenth cenetury, including horse breeding and racing. Several historic sites illustrate this storied tradition, including Belair Mansion and Belair Stables. Today, Prince George's County is known for its sports and recreation facilities including FedEx Field, home to the NFL's Washington Redskins.

Special activities, programs, and events are held at our Historic sites throughout the year. Click here for our Calendar of Events.

Photos are courtesy of their respective websites.

Adelphi Mill
8402 Riggs Road
Adelphi, MD 20783
301-699-2400

Additional Resource
Built in 1796, the Adelphi Mill is Prince George's County's only surviving historic mill. It is the oldest and largest mill in the Washington area. The Scholfield brothers built the mill in 1796, and it was later owned and operated by George Washington Riggs. The two-story, rustic stone building features a pine interior with hardwood floors and is situated in a lovely park setting. Small stone storehouse built into slope on nopposite side of road. Brothers Scholfield built mill on Adelphi tract, later owned and operated by George Washington Riggs, founder of Riggs banking house, now owned by M-NCPPC.

Belair Stable Museum
2835 Belair Drive
Bowie MD 20715
301-809-3088

Additional Resource
Owned and operated by William Woodward, Belair Stable was part of the famous "Belair Stud," one of the premier racing stables in the 1930s, 40s, and 50s. Belair Stable was home to Gallant Fox and Omaha, father-and-son horses that won the Triple Crown; to Nashua, who was "Horse of the Year" in 1955; and to many other well-known racehorses. Until its closing in 1957, Belair, whose history extends over 250 years, was the oldest continually operated racehorse farm in the United States. Today, the stable has been restored and opened as a museum. Like the Belair Mansion, the stable is supported by the City of Bowie and the Friends of Belair Estate.

Beltsville Agricultural Research Center (BARC) National Visitors Center

Powder Mill Road

Beltsville MD 20705

301-504-9403

Additional Resource

The Henry A. Wallace Agricultural Research Center at Beltsville is the largest research center operated by the United States Department of Agriculture. Visitors can peer into the future of food and farm sciences in plant breeding, animal and human nutrition, products, and inventions of agricultural science.

Chew's Bridge

6900 Van Wagner Road

Upper Marlboro MD 20772

1898, 90-foot-long wood and iron bridge supported by upright posts constructed of iron Phoenix sections. Built to span the tracks of the Baltimore and Potomac Railroad, and connect two parts of Judge Chew's Ellerslie farm; only known bridge surviving from the early years of this railroad line; owned by Consolidated Rail Corporation.

College Park Aviation Museum
1985 Corporal Frank Scott Drive

College Park MD 20740

301-864-6029

Additional Resource

The College Park Aviation Museum, an affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution, is located on the grounds of the world's oldest continuously operating airport. The airport, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, was founded in 1909 when Wilbur Wright came here to give flight instruction to the first military aviators. Visitors to the museum step into an open one-and-a-half-story exhibit space, which highlights the display of unique aircraft and artifacts and tells the story of the airport's many aviation firsts. The museum gallery contains historic and reproduction aircraft associated with the history of the airfield, as well as hands-on activities and interpretive areas for children of all ages. Changing exhibits and new programs every month keep visitors coming back for more.

Darnall's Chance House Museum
14800 Governor Oden Bowie Drive

Upper Marlboro MD 20722

301-952-8010

Additional Resource

Darnall's Chance was built in 1742 by James Wardrop, a Scottish immigrant who amassed a fortune as a merchant and entrepreneur in the bustling port town of Upper Marlboro. In 1745, he married Lettice Lee, daughter of Phillilp Lee, ancestor of the Maryland branch of the illustrious Lee family of Virginia.

Duvall Tobacco Barns

North of Marlton Avenue within Rosaryville State Park

Upper Marlboro MD 20772

301-856-9656

Additional Resource

Late 19th, early 20th century; the Duvall Barn Complex consists of two barns, a silo, two hay pens, and a shed. The barns were constructed for George T. Duvall; the property on which the barns are located was later deeded to the State of Maryland Department of Natural Resources for the creation of Rosaryville State Park; the barns exhibit different types of traditional agricultural forms and materials and are excellent examples of Late 19th and early 20th century agricultural structures.

George Washington House

4302 Baltimore Ave

Bladensburg MD 20710

301-699-6204

Additional Resource

c. 1760, 2 1/2 story side-gabled brick structure with two-story porch, and rear wing of frame construction. Built originally as a store, part of commercial complex including tavern and blacksmith shop; served as tavern from mid-19th to mid-20th century. This old building, dating back to 1732, was once an inn along a major north-south route in the town of Bladensburg, Maryland. It was reported to be a stopover for George Washington when travelling between his Mount Vernon home and Philadelphia or New York.

Harmony Hall

13551 Fort Washington Road

Fort Washington MD 20744

301-763-4600

Additional Resource

A two-and-one-half story eighteenth century Georgian country house of red brick set in Flemish bond. Sixty five acres of wooded areas surround the house. Broad Creek, a tributary of the Potomac River, is part of Harmony Hall's vast and varied agricultural, cultural and natural histories.

Laurel Historical Society and Museum

817 Main Street

Laurel MD 20707

301-725-7975

Additional Resource

Discover the rich history of Laurel, Maryland, an historic town located on the Patuxent River half way between Baltimore and Washington. Learn about its mill town roots, railroad connections, African-American community, and early suburban experiences.

Marlboro Hunt Club

5902 Green Landing Road

Upper Marlboro MD 20772

410-268-6969

Additional Resource

c. 1855, 1880 and 1920s, two-story board-and-batten structure expanded from original central three-bay section to nine bays in length; 19th-century French hunt-scene wallpaper. Originally a small domestic structure at mid-19th century steamboat landing on Patuxent River; became hunt club in 1880s, visited by Theodore Roosevelt and other prominent gentlemen hunters".

Montpelier Arts Center

9652 Muirkirk Road

Laurel MD 20708

301-377-7800

Additional Resource

Montpelier Arts Center is a dynamic, multifaceted arts destination located on the grounds of historic Montpelier Mansion in northern Prince George's County. The Montpelier Arts Center enriches the communities of central Maryland by providing quality visual, literary, and performing arts programs.

Montpelier Mansion & Cemetery

9650 Muirkirk Road

Laurel MD 20708

301-377-7817

Additional Resource

A fine example of the Georgian architecture popular in Maryland in the late 1700s, Montpelier Mansion sits on approximately 70 acres of beautiful parkland. Architectural and building construction details, as well as historical research, suggest that the house was constructed between 1781 and 1785. Major Thomas Snowden and his wife, Anne, original owners of Montpelier Mansion, welcomed many distinguished guests into their home, including George Washington and Abigail Adams.

Mount Welby

6411 Oxon Hill Road

Oxon Hill MD 20745

301-839-1176

Additional Resource

c. 1800, two-story brick house of Georgian plan with shed roof and corbelled cornice, rebuilt from gable roof; historic outbuildings include brick stable and other farm buildings. Prominently located above the Potomac River on the grounds of Oxon Cove Park (NPS); since 1891, part of St. Elizabeth's Hospital farm.

NASA Goddard Space Flight Center

Goddard Visitor Center ICES Drive

Greenbelt MD 20771

301-286-2000

Additional Resource

The hub of all NASA tracking activities, Goddard is also responsible for the development of unmanned sounding rockets and research in space and earth sciences (including NASA's Mission to Planet Earth). Through interactive educational exhibits, visitors explore Goddard Space Flight Center with a focus on 1958 to the present. Collections include space-flight artifacts and photographs. Model-rocket launchings, a gift shop, and special group tours are available.

National Agricultural Library

10301 Baltimore Avenue

Beltsville MD 20705

301-504-5755

Additional Resource

National Archives at College Park

8601 Adelphi Road

College Park MD 20740

301-837-2000

Additional Resource

The National Archives at College Park is best known as the current home of the Richard Nixon/Watergate tapes. This state-of-the-art archival facility houses an extensive collection of important and historic documents, tapes, and film.

National Colonial Farm

3400 Bryan Point Road

Accokeek MD 20607

301-283-2113

Additional Resource

The National Colonial Farm, an outdoor living history museum, was established by the Accokeek Foundation in 1958. The farm depicts life for an ordinary tobacco planting family in Prince George's County in the 1770s.

National Wildlife Visitor Center

10901 Scarlet Tanager Loop

Laurel MD 20708

301-497-5580

Additional Resource

The center is located at the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service's 12,000-acre Patuxent Research Refuge, established by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1936. Explore wildlife and the environment in a Smithsonian-quality experience featuring interactive exhibits. The focus is on global environmental issues, migratory bird studies, habitats, endangered species, and life cycles. Magnificent walking trails are also available. But for those who would rather sit, enjoy the view from the tram tours.

Newton White Mansion, Farm & Cemetery

Newton White Mansion, Farm & Cemetery

2708 Enterprise Road

Mitchellville MD 20721

301-249-2004

Additional Resource

In 1939, Captain and Mrs. Newton H. White purchased land in Prince George's County with the intention of creating a model dairy farm. The farm proved to be very lucrative and the couple commissioned architect W.E. Bottomly to build a mansion on the property. He named the two-story brick Neo-Georgian style home and the surrounding 586 acre tract Enterprise Estate, after the U.S.S. Enterprise, the ship he commanded prior to World War II. It included, model dairy farm buildings and cemetery; the land, known as Warington, was owned for over a century by the Waring family, six of whose members are buried in a small fenced plot near the present mansion. Today the mansion is surrounded by Enterprise Golf Course and consists of six large rooms, a contemporary glass-enclosed atrium, two upstairs dressing rooms, and an outdoor brick patio with a central waterfall fountain.

North Brentwood

5008 Queensbury Road

North Brentwood MD 20722

301-699-9699

Additional Resource

North Brentwood was the first African-American incorporated Town in the Prince George's County. It is situated six miles northeast of the ellipse between Mt. Rainier and Hyattsville, Maryland. North Brentwood was originally part of the "Castle Tract", later known as the "Highlands". In 1887 Captain Wallace Bartlett formed Holladay Land and Improvement Division. He sold plots of land in the low area, subject to flooding, to African-Americans. He dedicated this land in memory of the black regiment which served under him in the civil war. Land was designated for churches and a school.

Northampton Plantation Slave Quarters & Archaeological Park

Lake Overlook Drive

Bowie MD 20721

301-627-1286

Additional Resource

Historians and archaeologists are working together to reconstruct the lives of the many slaves and tenant farmers who lived at Northampton Plantation. This historic site features reconstructed foundations of two slave quarteres from the former Northampton Plantation (1673-1860). Archaeological excavations have recovered artifacts and information about the lives of African American slaves and tenant farmers who lived there from the late 18th through the mid-20th century. Interpretive signage describes the site's hisotry and ongoing research.

Nottingham Myers Church & Cemetery

15601 Brooks Church Road

Upper Marlboro MD 20772

1939, 1983, vernacular wood frame and wood clapboard sided church; connecting wing and hyphen constructed in 1983. Focal point for the black population in the Croom-Nottingham region; strong historical connections to the Mansfield plantation and to the work of the Freedmen's Bureau.

Old Town College Park Historic District

College Park, MD 20740

Additional Resource

The Old Town College Park Historic District extends from the dates 1889 to 196 5 and is a representative example of the many residential subdivisions that emerged as the suburbs of Washington, D.C., expanded with the advent of the streetcar and automobile at the end of the nineteenth century and in the early- to mid-twentieth century.

Patuxent Rural Life Museums at Patuxent River Park

1600 Croom Airport Road

Upper Marlboro MD 20772

301-627-6074

Additional Resource

The Patuxent Rural Life Museums, located within the 7,000-acre Patuxent River Park, are a collection of museums and farm buildings dedicated to preserving the heritage of southern Prince George's County. There are seven buildings at the site: the Duvall Tool Museum, the Blacksmith Shop, the Farrier and Tack Shop, a Tobacco Farming Museum, and the 1880 Duckett Log Cabin with its privy, chicken coop, and meat house.

Piscataway Park

3400 Bryan Point Road

Accokeek MD 20607

301-283-2113

Additional Resource

The view from Mount Vernon will continue to be protected thanks to the Accokeek Foundation's efforts to develop a public-private partnership to create Piscataway Park. Piscataway Park, part of the National Park Service, was established in 1961 as a pilot project in the use of easements to protect park lands from obtrusive urban expansion. Today, Piscataway Park covers approximately 5,000 acres and stretches for six miles from Piscataway Creek to Marshall Hall on the Potomac River.

Piscataway Park Archeological Site

3400 block Bryan Point Road

Accokeek MD 20607

301-283-2113

Additional Resource

Prehistoric to present, the site lies within 4,000 acres of parkland in both Prince George's and Charles Counties, including Accokeek Creek Site and National Colonial Farm. Principally significant for its role in maintaining the historic vista across the Potomac River from Mount Vernon.

Piscataway Tavern

2204 Floral Park Road

Clinton MD 20735

c. 1750; 2 1/2 story gable-roof frame house, attached to older 1 1/2 story section. Operated as tavern and store by Thomas Clagett; important element in 18th-century town of Piscataway.

Poplar Hill on His Lordship's Kindness

7606 Woodyard Road

Clinton MD 20735

301-856-0358

Additional Resource

1784-1787, five-part brick Georgian mansion (Flemish bond) with 2 1/2 story hip-roof central block, hyphens and wings, and elegant decorative detail; rare surviving group of historic outbuildings includes smokehouse, wash house, privy, slave hospital and pigeon cote. Home of Darnall, Sewall and Daingerfield families; outstanding example of elegant and carefully detailed Georgian plantation house. Poplar Hill on His Lordship's Kindness as an institution within a community that reflects the human spirit and the history of nation within the telling of stories about families, both black and white, from the late 17th century through the time of 20th century. Poplar Hill is currently closed.

Prince George's Bank, Hyattsville

5214 Baltimore Avenue

Hyattsville MD 20781

1926, 1948-49 Neoclassical brick and limestone bank. One of the bank's directors, T. Howard Duckett, a local attorney and businessman, helped form the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission in 1918 and The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission in 1927.

Radio and Television Museum

2608 Mitchellville Road

Bowie MD 20715

301-390-1020

Additional Resource

Explore radio from Marconi's earliest wireless telegraph to the primitive crystal sets of the 1920s, from Depression-era cathedrals and post-War plastic portables to the development of radio with pictures (a.k.a. television). The museum is located in the 1906 Harmel House, an old storekeeper's residence in the village of Mitchellville, a section of modern south Bowie. In conjunction with the City of Bowie, the Radio History Society presents the history of broadcasting, a medium which so dramatically shaped our lives from the 1920s to today.

Ridgely School

8507 Central Avenue

Capitol Heights MD 20743

1927, vernacular wood frame shingled school building with hipped roof. Built in 1927 as part of the Rosenwald program, later used as a special center and since 1960 served as the bus management office for Prince George's County Public schools. Most intact of the 9 remaining of the original 23 Rosenwald Schools in the County.

Riversdale House Museum

4811 Riverdale Road

Riverdale MD 20737

301-864-0420

Additional Resource

Riversdale, a National Historic Landmark, is a restored, five-part, stucco-covered brick plantation home built between 1801 and 1807. 2-story hip-roof stuccoed brick, late Georgian mansion, with flanking hyphens and wings, and fine interior plaster detail; stuccoed brick servants' quarter on immediate grounds, unique mansion patterned after Belgian chateau. Built for Henri Joseph Stier, finished by his daughter Rosalie and her husband George Calvert; home of Stiers and Calverts, including agriculturist Charles Benedict Calvert, founder of Maryland Agricultural College (University of Maryland).

Site of Columbia Air Center

Croom Airport Road

Upper Marlboro MD 20772

301-627-6074

Additional Resource

In 1941, aviation history was made when the first black owned and operated airfield in the state of Maryland was licensed on the site at the end of Croom Airport Road. John W. Greene Jr., a pioneer in black aviation, was instrumental in developing the airfield in the state of Maryland which was originally called Riverside Field. It was occupied by the U.S. Navy during World War II and used for training missions. After the war, Greene reopened the airfield as Columbia Air Center. It offered a flying school, charter services, and facilities for major and minor repairs. The first black Civil Air Patrol squadron in the Washington, D.C. area, called the Columbia Squadron, was formed here. The site is located within Patuxent River Park which is owned anad operated by The Maryland-National Park and Planning Commission. This site is currently used for agricultural purposes and none of the buildings or runways that once stood on the site are extant; interpretive signage tells the story of the historic airport and provides a map of the airfield when it was in use.

Snowden Hall

Building 16, Laurel Bowie Road

Laurel MD 20708

1-888-275-8747

Additional Resource

1820s, 1850s, 1936, side-gabled Georgian-plan brick house raised in mid-19th century to full two stories; flanking 20th-century wings added and building
renovated in 1936 to become headquarters of Patuxent Wildlife Research Center. Significant as one of the principal homes in Prince George's County of the prominent Snowden family; last of the neighboring Snowden estates to pass out of Snowden family ownership.

Surratt House Museum

9110 Brandywine Road

Clinton MD 20735

301-868-1121

Additional Resource

Experience history like never before! This historic house museum, built in 1852 as a middle-class farmhouse for the family of John and Mary Surratt, also served as a tavern and hostelry, a Post Office, and a polling place before the Civil War. During the war, it became a safe house in the Confederate underground that flourished in southern Maryland. In 1864, the Surratt family became entangled in a plot by John Wilkes Booth to kidnap President Abraham Lincoln. Instead, Booth assassinated the president in 1865. While fleeing the area, he stopped at the tavern to retrieve weapons and supplies he had hidden there. Consequently, Mary Surratt was tried in military court and convicted of conspiracy. On July 7, 1865, she became the first woman executed by the federal government.

Trinity Episcopal Church Rectory

6112 Ivyridge Court

Upper Marlboro MD 20772

Additional Resource

c. 1865, c. 1901, 3 part vernacular frame house includes side porch addition and large rear wing forming a T. Land purchased from Dr. Frederick Sasscer in 1865; served as rectory until 1892, then sold to James I. Coffren who added rear wing; purchased by Anthony Wyvill, whose family lived there until 1992.

Trueman Point Landing

18610 Trueman Point Road

Aquasco MD 20608

Additional Resource

1817 1932, Steamboat landing 1860 1930; remains of pilings still visible; warehouse no longer survives. Served as river port for Woodville (Aquasco) farmers throughout 18th, 19th and early 20th centuries; bought in 1817 by Captain George Weems who established riverboat landing.

Washington, Baltimore & Annapolis Recreational Trail

Route 450 in Glenn Dale

Glenn Dale & Bowie MD 20769

301-699-2255

Additional Resource

The Washington, Baltimore and Annapolis (WB&A) Trail runs along the site of the former Washington, Baltimore and Annapolis Railroad. From 1908 through 1935, state-of-the-art electric commuter trains ran along this route through Bowie and Glenn Dale, carrying passengers between Washington, DC, and Baltimore.

West Riverdale

Riverdale 20737

On December 23, 2002, the Town of Riverdale Park was granted two National Register Historic Districts-Riverdale Park (west of Taylor Road and north to Tuckerman Street on both sides of the B&O Railroad tracks) and West Riverdale (west of Route 1 to the Hyattsville border). The two districts were necessary because a historic connection could not be made between the two areas across Route 1.

Wilmer's Park

15710 Brandywine Road

Brandywine MD 20613

301-751-5074

Additional Resource

1947-1970; 80-acre parcel containing the ruins of a dance hall, motel, ranch house, covered stage, baseball and football fields. As a major stop on the Chitlin Circuit, Wilmer’s Park opened its doors to African-American musicians, entertainers, athletes and fans from the early 1950s through the late 1960s; Arthur Wilmer used his experience and connections developed as the owner of a night club in Washington, D. C. to bring both popular acts and up-and-coming performers to rural Prince George’s County; the bandstand at Wilmer’s Park showcased everyone from Duke Ellington and Otis Redding to the Temptations, Patti La Belle, and a young Stevie Wonder; the former tobacco farm played an important role in exposing emerging musicians to local African Americans during a time of segregation.

Wilson Station Radio Tower

6900 Block of Old Landover Road

Cheverly MD 20785

Early 20th Century Railroad tower on the Washington spur line of the Pennsylvania Railroad. Only remaining tower on line; built in same general location as Wilson Station, from which the National Equal Rights party marched in September 1884 when they nominated Belva Lockwood to be President of the United States.

Special activities, programs, and events are held at our Historic sites throughout the year. Click here for our Calendar of Events.