Historic Prince George's County, Maryland

Historic Buildings & Museums
Culture & Arts
Natural Places
Historic Districts & Neighborhoods
Events & Activities
Military History
Famous People
Historic Objects
Transportation

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

Photos are courtesy of their respective websites.

Constructed in 1889, Abraham Hall is located in the historic African-American community of Rossville. The first African-American historic site in Prince George's to be fully restored utilizing public funds, Abraham Hall served as a meeting hall, house of worship, school, and social hall. It was constructed by the Benevolent Sons & Daughters of Abraham. Renovated and re-dedicated in 2009, the building houses the Black History Program of the Maryland-National Capital & Planning Commission, Prince George's County Parks & Recreation.

Additional Resource
1810 and 1905, simple rectangular gable-roof brick chapel with Stick-style gable decoration. Built as upper chapel of St. John's, Broad Creek, replacing earlier frame structure; many prominent individuals from the Bladensburg area are buried in the cemetery.

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.

Additional Resource
The Airmen Memorial Museum is dedicated to collecting artifacts, photographs, diaries, personnel records, letters, books and other items pertaining to the service of enlisted airmen.

c. 1745, early 20th-century wings, 2 1/2 story Georgian brick mansion with hip-on-hip roof; pre-Georgian and Federal-style interior detail; architecturally compatible hyphens and wings. Built for Samuel Ogle, provincial governor of Maryland; home of his son, Benjamin Ogle, state governor, 1798-1801; 20th-century William Woodward, Sr., family estate; now owned by the City of Bowie.

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.

1720s, 20th-century wings two-story brick Georgian plantation house (Flemish bond) with exterior chimneys and flanking wings. Home of Sim family, including Colonel Joseph Sim, Revolutionary leader; from this site, American leaders observed the approach of British troops in August 1814

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.

Located on 430 acres of land overlooking the confluence of the Patuxent River and the Western Branch, Billingsley is an early plantation home of the Tidewater Colonial style. Built around 1740 as a home for the Weems family, the house is named for Maj. John Billingsley, who obtained the original land grant from the second Lord Baltimore in 1662. The house was owned by several prominent families and was renovated in the mid-19th century.

Bostwick is one of only four pre-Revolutionary War structures still standing in Bladensburg, Maryland. Built in 1746 Bostwick is a 2-1/2-story, Georgian brick house, with a flared gable roof and bracketed cornice, a high buttress at the south gable end, and a kitchen wing to the north. It was built for Christopher Lowndes who was a leading citizen and local merchant in Bladensburg. His trading company imported spices, building materials, dry goods, and slaves. He also owned a shipyard where ocean-going vessels were constructed as well as a ropewalk that manufactured the cordage necessary for shipping lines. It was later the home of Lowndes' son-in-law, Benjamin Stoddert, first Secretary of the Navy. Bostwick stands high on a terraced lawn, and is a prominent landmark in the town.

c. 1930, Complex of 3 buildings includes ticket office/freight shed, passenger waiting shed, and signal tower; relocated in July 1992 to serve as museum facility; tower dismantled from original location; rare survivors of the heyday of railroad travel; these buildings have served freight management, ticket sales passenger shelter and train-movement controls at historic Bowie junction; now owned by the City of Bowie. The Bowie Railroad Tower is the home of the National Railroad Historical Society's Martin O'Rourke Railroad Research Library.

Broad Creek Historic District
Livingston Road between Oxon Hill Road and Fort Washington Road

Broad Creek Historic District derives its significance from the collection of four early- to mid-eighteenth-century landmarks that are the remnants of the eighteenth century port town of Aire. This historic district presents an important opportunity to interpret the architecture and lifeways of the later half of the eighteenth century and the vanished Town of Aire, established by an Act of the Maryland Assembly in 1706.

1913, an excellent example of early-20th-century eclectic architecture designed by the architectural firm of Flournoy and Flournoy. The residence hall was named after Congressman Charles B. Calvert, who helped establish the Maryland Agricultural Act.

1928, Flemish-bond brick-veneer church composed of a rectangular-plan nave with a square tower at its SW corner and a hyphen at its NW corner connecting a two-story addition; decorative bargeboard with a collar beam is sited within the upper gable end of the facade. Built to serve the rural community of Clinton; the building expanded during the late-20th century as the congregation grew; excellent example of an early- to mid-20th-century Gothic Revival-style church.

1940s, 1 1/2 story, two-bay frame cottages with brick chimneys and exposed rafter tails under roof eaves. Excellent example of CCC construction; the modest vernacular utilitarian buildings are significant for their CCC association within the Cedarville State Forest.

c. 1853, 1860 two-story frame store building with catslide roof retains original interior elements of store and post office; Built for John Coffren, who served as postmaster and storekeeper in third quarter of 19th century.

1909 (established); museum stands on site of original hangar. Oldest continuously used airport in United States; Wilbur Wright worked there in 1909.

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 Virgina.

Dorsey Chapel is a small meeting-house-style church which served as the spiritual and social center of the rural African-American community of Brookland at the turn of the 20th century. Construction of the chapel was completed in 1900; it was named after its first minister, the Reverend A.B. Dorsey. A small, active congregation occupied the chapel from 1900 to 1971. In 1971, the congregation merged with the congregation from Perkins Chapel to form Glenn Dale United Methodist Church, and Dorsey Chapel was no longer used. Initially scheduled for demolition in 1980, the Friends of Dorsey Chapel organized efforts to preserve and restore the Church.

1867-1871, the wood-frame front-gable structure is clad in board-and-batten wood; the bell tower and rear addition were added later; the main block has stained glass, lancet-arched windows Initially designated as a chapel, the church building became the home of the independent parish of the Epiphany Church in 1871; it was expanded in the early20th century as the congregation of Forestville grew; an excellent example of Gothic Revival-style ecclesiastical
architecture.

1912; 2 story frame schoolhouse of institutional Foursquare form; a pyramidal roof cupola rises from the front plane of the hip roof and the original school bell is preserved inside. Designed by noted black architect William Sidney Pittman of Washington, D. C.; after its construction, it had the only facilities for industrial training of blacks in Prince George's County; Served as school until 1934; important landmark in Fairmount Heights.

1914 frame chapel with crenelated tower. Interior renovated after fire in 1985; third chapel on this site includes 1854 chapel in the no-longer existing village of Centerfield, 1880 chapel destroyed by windstorm in 1914.

818, 1908, brick gable-roof church with later bell tower and lower gable-roof addition. Third Presbyterian church building in Bladensburg; sold to black Baptist congregation in 1874; sole surviving historic structure in industrial area.

1890s and 1920s, small 1/2 story frame front-gabled structure, converted from one-room schoolhouse to residence. A schoolhouse has stood at this location since before the Civil War; one of few schoolhouses in the county surviving from the 19th century.

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.

Gibbons Methodist Episcopal Church Site, Education Building & Cemetery
Gibbons Church Road

1920s, 1 story frame building with gable-end facade; cemetery c. 1900 onward. Founded by a group formerly enslaved African-Americans in 1884 who constructed a frame church building in 1889; it was demolished in 1967; congregations like this helped build a sense of community and self-determination among members in an era when political, social, and economic opportunities were limited by the failure of Reconstruction-era reforms and the structures of government-sponsored segregation.

Originally called Center School, this outstanding example of streamlined Art Deco architecture was completed in the autumn of 1937, just as the first residents of Greenbelt moved in. Greenbelt is a planned community that was designed and built by the federal government as part of FDRs New Deal. Built to put people to work, to provide affordable housing for low income familes, and be a model of modern town planning in the United States, the community thrived and Center School was used by residents for meetings, adult education classes, recreation, clubs and sports teams, a town hall, a library, and church services. A new wing was added in 1967, then, following the school's closure in 1993, it was renovated and reopened in 1996 as a dedicated Community Center. The building now houses classes of all kinds, meeting space, services for seniors, a nursery school, artist's studios, the Greenbelt Museum's exhibit room and office, the Greenbelt News Review's office, Greenbelt's public access television studio, summer camps, and an auditorium/gymnasium. The building features curved aerodynamic struts along front facade and bas relief sculpted panels depicting the Preamble to the Constitution carved by Lenore Thomas, a New Deal WPA artist.

The Greenbelt Museum's historic house is one of the original townhomes built in 1937 as part of the federal government's experiment in town planning. Greenbelt is one of three federal "greentowns" (the others are Greendale, WI, and Greenhills, OH). Greenbelt's team of prominent planners and architects attempted to create a small utopia using the principles of garden-city planning which included superblocks, underpasses, pedestrian walkways and carefully designed housing. The International Style or modernist museum house is typical of the housing built in Greenbelt and has been restored and furnished with objects which depict the everyday life of a family in the late 1930s and 1940s. The house also features furniture designed by the federal government and the walls are hung with original architectural renderings and artwork created by New Deal artists and architects. The Greenbelt Museum was founded in 1987 on the occasion of the city's 50th anniversary and in 1997, Greenbelt became a National Historic Landmark.

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.

Mid-18th century 1 1/2 story stucco-covered stone gambrel-roof house, restored as offices in the 1980s. Built for William Hilleary and visited by George Washington in 1787; one of four surviving pre-Revolutionary buildings in Bladensburg; owned or rented by a series of five doctors, including Dr. Archibald Magruder.

1933, 2-story log chalet with cantilevered second story and fieldstone fireplace. Built for William and Ione Holt.

1 1/2 story frame church with long, steeply pitched gable roof, Gothic arch windows and prominent belfry; grounds include Rectory and new Parish Hall.
Fine example of late Victorian ecclesiastical architecture with Gothic-and Stick-style decorative elements; originally served local black Catholic community; an established visual feature. Holy Family Church was built to serve the local Black Catholic community of then rural Woodmore and Mitchellville. It is a fine example of late Victorian ecclesiastical architecture with Gothic and stick style decorative elements. Built in 1890 by parishioners, mostly local black tenant farmers, Holy Family is a front gabled frame church.

1928, frame gable-roof church with gothic-arch windows and two-story square corner bell tower. Built to replace the original Catholic church of 1859, continuing tradition of early 18th-century rural Boone's Chapel; prominent local landmark.

1836, gable-roof brick church with Victorian Gothic stained glass windows and bracketed wooden cornice; grounds include modern school building. Built on site of early 18th-century Henderson's Chapel, chapel-of-ease for northern Queen Anne Parish.

1829, 1890s 2 1/2 story gable-roof brick dwelling of sidehall- and-double parlor plan with Tuscan columned porch, and later kitchen wing. Fine example of early Greek Revival-style brick dwelling, built as Rectory for Holy Trinity; one of only three surviving examples of its type in Prince George's County.

1918, 3-story fortress-like stone structure with turrets, parapets and buttresses, designed by state architect Robert Lawrence Harris during the administration of Governor Albert C. Ritchie Headquarters of Company F of First Maryland Infantry, later the ll5th Infantry Regiment, 29th Division.

1935, 1 1/2 story Colonial Revival style brick building with large round-arch windows, central cupola, and lower flanking wings; interior murals with agricultural theme. Excellent example of Colonial Revival architecture; lobby is decorated with six important murals by painter Eugene Kingman.

896 Gothic Revival vernacular frame front-gable church with lancet windows. One of the oldest Methodist congregations, founded as Smith's Meeting House in 1794. Francis Asbury preached here in March 1813.

1894, only Victorian style dwelling w/Queen Anne decorative detail surviving from early subdivision of Central Heights (now Berwyn). Built for Annie and Wilmot Lake across street from Berwyn railroad station; served as parsonage for Berwyn Presbyterian Church from 1919 to late 1950s.

1925 Neoclassical brick Rosenwald school with a 1940s addition. One of the first high schools for blacks in the county; built to serve the communities of Bladensburg, Brentwood, north Brentwood, Lakeland, Ammendale, Muirkirk and Laurel.

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.

1897, 2 1/2 story frame dwelling with oriel window, panelled gables, projecting bays and wraparound porch, fine example of late Queen Anne-style architecture, and noticeable landmark in the Victorian suburb of Hyattsville. Built for Louis J. Holden; one of two houses of this design in the county.

1930 21/2 story, 5-bay wood-frame farmhouse clad in weatherboard siding with corner boards; a side gable roof with a boxed and raked cornice caps the dwelling; an excellent example of the Neoclassical style. The property was purchased in 1925 by Alice Ferguson, who owned several farms near Mockley Point on the Piscataway Creek, portions of which became part of the Accokeek Archaeological Site where she worked; Ferguson built Longview but never lived on the property; it was constructed by local builder Jack Pierce.

c. 1813, c. 1830 2 1/2-story, Federal-style brick plantation house, with slightly later T-wing; historic law office and root cellar on grounds. Home of Gabriel Duvall, Comptroller of the Treasury under Jefferson, and Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, 1811-1835. Marietta operates as an historic house museum and is furnished and interpreted to reflect the three generations of Duvall's that occupied the house.

c. 1765, 1 1/2 story side-gabled house built of non local stone. Built by Christopher Lowndes of Bostwick on lot overlooking adjoining market space; unique example of its type, one of four surviving pre-Revolutionary buildings in Bladensburg.

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".

18th century, rebuilt c. 1820, two-story hip-roof brick house (Flemish bond) with flanking wings; fine interior detail of transitional Federal/Greek Revival period; several barns on property; significantly altered in the 1950s. Country home of Governor Robert Bowie, rebuilt in then-current style after his death in 1818.

1924 massive 2 1/2 story Georgian Revival brick mansion with Ionic entrance portico. Designed by George Oakley Totten, Jr., for Frederick and Henrietta McCormick-Goodhart who named it Langley Park after the Goodhart estate in England.

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. Five-part Georgian mansion with 2-story hip-roof center block and semi-octagonal wings; elegant interior detail; domed-roof summer house on the grounds. Built for Major Thomas Snowden; 20th-century home of Breckinridge Long, Assistant Secretary of State under Wilson and Roosevelt; outstanding example of formal Georgian architecture; sole surviving 18th-century summer house in Maryland.

Mid-19th century, rebuilt 1940s, 2 story hip-roof frame plantation house with 20th-century brick veneer, kitchen wing and portico. Built originally for Stephen Belt, and rebuilt by Keene Bowie in 1940s; a prominent local landmark.

1892, 3-story, 7-bay-wide, 6-bay-deep educational building designed in the Second Empire style. The building is named after Justin Smith Morrill, a
Vermont politician who wrote the first Land Grant Act.

c. 1740 and late 18th century, complex three-part brick structure, incorporating early 18th-century gambrel-roof dwelling; rebuilt after 1931 fire, and recently renovated as a country inn; historic outbuildings include stable and greenhouse. Home of Calvert family during Provincial period, later frequently visited by George Washington; in this century, home of Matilda R. Duvall and Eleanor "Cissy" Patterson. The original part of the house was built as a hunting lodge by Charles Calvert, the Third Lord Baltimore, when he came from England around 1660. The dwelling then consisted of one 50 foot room with fireplaces on each end. This room is one of the loveliest in the house, which now consists of 13 large rooms. Parties, great and small, weddings, births, deaths, visits from seven Presidents all have left their mark, leaving a wonderful feeling of expectancy to the lovely old home.

1925 one-story frame gable-roof meeting-house with centered entry tower, built to replace 1877 chapel. Exemplifies the long history of the African Methodist Episcopal Church in this rural area; with adjoining school became focal point for local black community.

c. 1934 1 story brick filling station with drive-thru supported on 2 rectangular columns; flat roof concealed behind tiled mansard.

1924, 2 1/2 story, 3-bay masonry L-shaped church designed in the Classical Revival style with a front columned portico and a bell tower located in the crook of the L. Designed by architect Rossel E. Mitchell, the church reflects the rapid expansion Mount Rainer experienced as a streetcar suburb during the first decades of the 20th century; the building is an established and familiar visual feature of the neighborhood and is notable for its architectural details.

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 Cover Park (NPS); since 1891, part of St. Elizabeth's Hospital farm.

Established in 1862 under legislation signed by President Lincoln, the National Agricultural Library, along with the Library of Congress and the National Library of Medicine, is one of the three national libraries of the United States. It is the largest agricultural library in the world.

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.

The National Wildlife Visitor Center is the largest science and environmental education center in the Department of the Interior. The Visitor Center also offers hiking trails, wildlife management demonstration areas, and outdoor education sites for school classes.

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.

"1920 Front-gabled Gothic Revival brick and stucco church with corner entry tower. One of the two original places of worship in the historically black community of North Brentwood."

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.

1911, 1-story, 3-bay vernacular building has a front gabled roof with overhanging eaves; a 1-story, 3-bay projecting front-gabled wing on the facade forms the primary entrance. Built on the site of a previous school, using materials from that building.

1910, Frame gable-roof church building with corner bell tower and decorative pressed metal ceiling; grounds include modern church/parish hall building. Built on site of antebellum Beall's meetinghouse; good example of Gothic Revival-style church popular in the county early in this century.

1921, 1934, mission-style masonry school with neoclassical auditorium added on the the front in 1934. Designed by Thomas H. Marsden/Hollyday & Stahl and a highly visible landmark in Upper Marlboro.

1896, 1921, 1-story wood frame structure with central gabled entrance bay. Built by Benjamin Crauford; the 1896 school was a replacement building for an earlier public female school built in 1867; the building was converted to a residence in 1921; highly visible small-scale landmark in Upper
Marlboro.

1908, one-story, gable-roof frame church with comer bell tower. Significant for its Gothic Revival architecture and for its connection with Francis S. Carmody, developer of Seat Pleasant.

1929, large two-story neo-Georgian brick mansion with hip roof, flanking wings, and fine decorative detail. Outstanding example of 20th-century estate-era architecture, designed by Jules Henri de Sibour for career diplomat Sumner Welles; built near the site of 18th-century Oxon Hill Manor which was destroyed by fire in 1895. Owned by M-NCPPC.

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.

c. 1861, 1 1/2 story gable-roof frame meeting-house with bracketed cornice and gabled entry vestibule. Built during the division in the Methodist Episcopal
Church in the 1860s on land donated by J. T. Perkins; one of the few surviving mid-19th century rural chapels in the county.

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.

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.

1936 side-gabled frame schoolhouse. Poplar Hill School is significant for its role in the history of public education for African-Americans in Prince George's County during the era of government-sanctioned segregation. Poplar Hill School was the second school for "colored" students in the area, replacing a small one-room schoolhouse located approximately 600 feet to the northwest.

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.

1903, Colonial Revival style church; a 1-story, 1-bay front-gabled portico shelters the main entry in the steeple; the portico is supported by wood posts; fenestration consists of 9/9 windows with multi-light lunette transoms. Built to serve a small congregation in rural Fort Washington, the building expanded as the congregation did, and is now an established and familiar visual landmark along Old Fort Road that stands out for its architectural details.

This is the site of the original Queen's Chapel, built in 1868. The original church was a small log chapel, and included a cemetery that was already being used by African Americans in the Muirkirk area. The original chapel has been replaced twice, most recently by a brick church that stands on the opposite side of the road. The construction of another chapel on an adjacent lot is currently planned. The site of the original chapel is now the cemetery of Queen's Chapel United Methodist Church. The oldest inscribed gravestone dates back to 1886.

The Radio & Television Museum in Bowie, Maryland opened its doors to the public in 1999, and since then has continued to grow in stature. Located in just thirty minutes from the U. S. Capitol, The Radio & Television Museum has an extensive collection of old radio and TV literature and radio and television artifacts and working displays. Operated by The Radio History Society, Inc. (RHS) a non-profit corporation, it is home to a large number of people dedicated to the preservation of radio and television history.

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.

Ridgely Church is a one-story, front gabled structure with pointed-arch windows with commemorative stained glass. It is bordered by a small graveyard with handsome primitively carved stones. The present building was constructed in 1921 to replace the original church founded by Lewis Ridgely in 1871 that was destroyed by fire. Church serving black community at this location since 1871; present building replaces church founded by Lewis Ridgely in 1871 to serve local black Methodist community; moved a short distance back from the major highway and restored.

1896, 2 1/2 story hip-roof frame dwelling with wraparound porch, projecting bay and ornamental shingle siding. Outstanding example of late Victorian domestic architecture, the only surviving historic dwelling in its immediate neighborhood.

The Town was incorporated in 1920 as Riverdale, drawing the name from Riversdale, the plantation owned by the Calvert family that is at the center of the town. In a referendum held August 8, 1998 it was voted to rename the town to Riverdale Park, effective September 7, 1998. The United States Postal Service, however, still refers to the incorporated town of Riverdale Park as well as some of the surrounding unincorporated area to the east as "Riverdale.

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).

1741, 1855, 1876, gable-roof stone church with early semi-octagonal sacristy and later Victorian frame bell tower; grounds include ancient cemetery and Second Empire style Rectory. Sanctuary and sacristy survive from original church; rebuilt after fire in May 1853; Roman Catholic clergy meeting at White Marsh in April 1789 elected John Carroll, a native of Upper Marlboro, as the first American bishop.

1851 brick church with three-story entry tower, mitre arched windows and corbelled cornice; grounds include Rectory, Sexton's House and parish hall
Built as chapel for St. John's at Broad Creek to replace original 1830 mission chapel.

1892, restored frame gable-roof church building with ornamental shingle siding in gable front and stained glass altar window. Erected as mission chapel of Holy Trinity parish; fine example of late Victorian Gothic ecclesiastical architecture with Queen Anne decorative features.

1890-1891, Queen Anne-style church with centered entry tower, corner buttresses and fine ornamental shingle siding Oldest Roman Catholic Church building in southwest county; fine example of Queen Anne-style ecclesiastical architecture.

1906, 1923 Gothic revival style wood frame chapel. As early as 1872, Holy Trinity Vestry considered building in Huntington. This idea was abandoned in favor of one in Glenn Dale, the next train stop. That building is called St. George's Chapel.

1830s 2 1/2 story gable-roof brick house (Flemish bond) attached to early 1 1/2 story gable-roof frame building, renovated and expanded in the 20th century. Home of Dr. Benedict J. Semmes (U.S. Congressman); unique joining of architectural elements; prominent local landmark.

1926, 1951, 1954, Romanesque Revival brick church with a steel skeleton and red clay tile roof. Designed by prominent Washington, D.C. architectural firm Murphy & Olmstead.

1766, rectangular brick church, Flemish bond, with flared hip roof; rebuilding of 1722 church structure. Fourth church built on this site in Piscataway (King
George's) Parish; oldest church site in Prince George's County.

1877 gable-roof brick church, bell tower with Stick-style detail and 1920s parish hall. 2-story brick office wing added in 1991. Third church on the site of Zion Parish; designed by Baltimore architect John R. Niernsee; cornerstone laid by Bishop William Pinkney.

c. 1892 -one-story, front-gabled frame structure with entrance, porch and small box office at west gable end. For nearly a century the center of social, religious, and charitable activities of local black Catholic community; last remaining building of a group of stores and houses on Pratt Street dating from 1850 to 1930; restored as law office in 1980s.

1904, Gothic revival brick church, 2 story projecting pyramidal roof entry bell tower and buttresses. Possibly built by Wyvill brothers of Upper Marlboro who had built St. Mary's Church in 1899.

1848, 1856 2 1/2 story, Greek Revival-and Italianate-style gable-roof frame rectory; unusual entry hall plan and fine interior detail. Built as rectory for St. Paul's Parish in Woodville and served as such for over a century; floor plan and detail representative of popular mid-19th century house style.

1735, cruciform brick gable-roof church (Flemish bond), with round-arch windows and unique sundial over entrance. Built as church of St. Paul's Parish; in continuous use since its construction; in 1780, Thomas John Claggett became rector of St. Paul's Church.

St. Paul's is thought to be he oldest black congregation in Prince George's County. The original church was constructed in 1888. In 1915, the present sanctuary, a small front gabled building with pointed arch towers and a three-story corner tower, was built. The original church was destroyed in the 1920s and replaced by a series of church additions. The church's congregation preceded the construction in 1888. Traveling clerics in the late 18th century preached to a group of freed blacks in Oxon Hill who had built their own meetinghouse. This group is believed to have a connection to the African American Methodist congregation that in 1867 acquired the land on which St. Paul's was built.

1742-45 cruciform, brick church with Gothic Revival stained glass windows; apse added in 1859, and three story entry tower added in 1888. Built as chapel-of-ease for northern St. Paul's Parish; home church of Thomas John Claggett, first Episcopal Bishop consecrated in United States; focal point of
Croom community.

1853, 1887, 1919, cross-gabled frame dwelling of cruciform plan unique in county; The Sexton's House (tenant house) built 1887 is a 2 story frame side gable house clad w/wood siding and rests on a brick pier foundation. Built for Samuel R. Gordon who served as rector of Saint Thomas from 1853-1882; sold by the church in 1964 for use as a private residence.

1911, frame meeting-house style rural chapel; Gothic arch windows with tracery. Built to replace the Reconstruction-era school/church building; focal point of local black community and best surviving example of its type.

c. 1930, the 1-story yellow brick commercial building has a rectangular plan with a canted corner entrance bay; a flat roof with a Mission-style parapet caps the structure. The building's construction c. 1930 reflects the rapid expansion Mount Rainier experienced as a streetcar suburb during the first decades of the 20th century, it is an established feature of the neighborhood that is notable for its architectural qualities.

The Seabrook Schoolhouse was built in 1896 by the residents of the Seabrook community and provided education for grades one through eight until the early 1950s. One-room, one-story frame school house, with cross gables reflecting the style of the local cottages. One of few 19th-century school houses surviving in Prince George's County, unique in that it was designed to resemble the cottages in this retreat community.

c. 1905, 2 1/2 story square frame dwelling with projecting bays, Tuscan-columned porch and widow's walk balustrade; now residence for USDA employees. Unusually large example of the hip-roof square Colonial Revival-style house, a form popular in Prince George's County in first decade of 20th century.

18th and 19th centuries, site includes foundations of 18th-century Northampton plantation house, and ruins of one frame and one brick two-family slave quarter Archaeological site of unique importance, particularly for the early 19th century brick quarter, one of only three known brick quarters in Southern Maryland, owned by M-NCPPC.

Snow Hill Manor is a 2 1/2-story brick plantation house of late Georgian style that is located on 15 acres of land in Laurel, Maryland. Situated on a knoll overlooking the Patuxent River, the home was built in 1755 alongside a main road which connected it to the highway leading to Philadelphia and New York.

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.

Since 1921, St. Mark's Methodist Episcopal Church has served as a landmark within the city of Laurel. The history of the congregation dates back to 1891 when James Hebron and two other black Methodists purchased the land for the church. The frame of the church sat across the street from the Laurel Colored School, which was constructed in 1884. St. Mark's has served an active congregation since it's founding, and represents the religious center for a long-standing black community.

Today, the museum presents a variety of programs and events, recapturing the history of the mid-19th century life and focusing on the fascinating web of the Lincoln assassination conspiracy and the involvement of the Surratt family.

1884, 1-story, 3-bay schoolhouse of wood-frame construction with side gabled roof. Constructed for white students in the county, the school served several communities until a new, more convenient site for a school was chosen in 1909; significant as one of the oldest extant schoolhouses in the county and an excellent example of vernacular school architecture from the late 19th century.

1846 brick church with steep gable roof and Gothic arch stained glass windows; four-story crenelated tower added in 1896. Designed by Baltimore architect Robert Cary Long; stands on site of Episcopal church organized in 1810 by Bishop Thomas John Claggett.

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.

1916 frame gable-roof church with pointed-arch windows and three-story entry tower. Visible symbol of local black Methodist community, continuing the tradition of the Civil War period Union Chapel.

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.

1934, one-story frame schoolhouse with three classrooms built to serve black children in the Woodville/Aquasco area. The school house was sold by auction in 1956 to the Knights of St. John’s Commandery #373 for use as its headquarters.

Location of Henry Darnall’s early 18th-century mansion and merchant Stephen West’s Revolutionary War supply factory; temporary headquarters of American troops during British invasion in 1814 ; important historical archaeological site.

Occupation between 3000 B.C. and 17th century; source of information about Piscataway Indians is that their occupation occurred just before 1200 A.D.

Gibbons Methodist Episcopal Church Site, Education Building & Cemetery
Gibbons Church Road

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.

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.

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.

"1920 Front-gabled Gothic Revival brick and stucco church with corner entry tower. One of the two original places of worship in the historically black community of North Brentwood."

6000 B.C. to A.D. 1300, nomadic people lived intermittently at the site from the prehistoric Archaic period to Woodland period. Archaeological investigations revealed prehistoric stone tools, ceramics, and hearths & historic artifacts.

1941-1958; the site of the former Columbia Air Center 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. Served as the first and only African-American-owned and operated airport in Prince George's county for nearly two decades; played a significant role in the aviation history the county, state, and country.

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.

Occupation between 3000 B.C. and 17th century; source of information about Piscataway Indians is that their occupation occurred just before 1200 A.D.

1927, an excellent example of ornamental stone-clad concrete arch bridges in the state of Maryland; detailing of the masonry work suggests an attempt by the builder to harmonize the bridge with its surroundings. The bridge is assumed to have been built by the federal government due to its location near the Beltsville Agricultural Research Center, but no documentation has been uncovered to support this assumption.

Broad Creek Historic District
Livingston Road between Oxon Hill Road and Fort Washington Road

Calvert Hills is a small section of College Park situated between the famed Cafritz property and the Old Town of College Park. In 2003, the neighborhood was placed on the National Register of Historic Places. The neighborhood's defining feature is the old trolley trail, a raised berm that was recently upgraded with a $90,000 grant from the State of Maryland.

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.

"Grassy park area located on part of Chillum Castle Manor, patented to William Digges in 1763. Scene of at least 26 recorded duels during first half of 19th century; most famous was the 1820 meeting between Commodores James Barron and Stephen Decatur, in which the latter was fatally wounded."

1863, remains of Civil War fort, including earthworks, 10 gun mounts, 2 Rodman guns, and concrete magazine. Southenmost of 68 forts erected during Civil War to defend Washington; now part of park system.

Fort Washington has stood as a silent sentry defending the Nation's Capital, for over 180 years. As technologies advanced so did Fort Washington. Fort Washington is one of the few remaining Seacoast Forts in its original designs. The first Fort Washington was completed in 1809 and guarded the Nation's Capital until it was destroyed by its own garrison in 1814. Twelve days later Major Pierre L'Enfant was sent to construct new defenses but worked on the Fort for only a brief period before Lieutenant Colonel Walker K. Armistead replaced him. The Fort was completed on October 2, 1824. Extensive remodeling was performed in the 1840s and the first guns were mounted in 1846. Except for a few guns at the Washington Arsenal, Fort Washington was the only defense for the Nation's Capital until the Civil War when a circle of temporary forts was built around the city.

1912, single-span steel Pratt truss bridge connecting Prince George's and Anne Arundel Counties. One of two surviving early truss bridges in Prince George's County, built at site of important colonial crossing.

Built around a 38-acre lake, this beautiful park includes an aquatic garden, handicapped-accessible fishing pier and over two miles of hiker-biker trails.

The sole water source for the Mount Hope tobacco plantation; functioned in the 1920s as water source. According to tradition, British soldiers stopped here on August 24, 1814.

Mount Calvert is one of the most significant historical and archaeological sites in Prince George's County. It's rich archaeological and historical resources represent over 8000 years of human culture. Mount Calvert is one of the most significant historical and archaeological sites in Prince George's County. It's rich archaeological and historical resources represent over 8000 years of human culture.

Historians and archaeologists are working together to reconstruct the lives of the many slaves and tenant farmers who lived at Northampton Plantation.

500 B.C.-1600 A.D., middle and late Woodland village site. Possibly the site of Native American village indicated on John Smith's 1608 map.

Owon Hill Farm is an historical farm with buildings dating back to the early 1800s when the property was a wheat plantation. A variety of daily farm activities and programs is held throughout the park's 512 acres. Explore how the park evolved from a plantation home during the War of 1812, to a hospital farm to the park you can visit today.

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.

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.

c. 1890, only surviving example of Pratt through truss built w/Phoenix sections in Prince George's County. First bridge built at this location in 1755, replacing ferry. Second built in 1797 but swept away.

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.

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.

Founded in 1997, ATHA (Anacostia Trails Heritage Area) is dedicated to preserving, renovating, enhancing and publicizing the rich history, unmatched cultural facilities/offerings and recreational sites filled with nature's beauty within Prince George's County. The 84 square miles of historic, cultural, recreational, and environmental sites in our portion of Prince George's County offer something for everyone.

Brandywine Maryland 20613
William H. Early named the town of Brandywine as property he owned in the mid-19th century. It is thought to be named from the Battle of Brandywine in Pennsylvania, and developed as a railroad town.

Broad Creek Historic District
Livingston Road between Oxon Hill Road and Fort Washington Road

In April 1920, Harry W. Shepherd and Claude Gilbert platted College Heights, a hilly 30-acre parcel of land west of Baltimore Ave. near the present Old Town College Park and the University of Maryland.

1937, 1968, the building features curved aerodynamic struts along front facade and bas relief sculpted panels depicting the Preamble to the Constitution carved by Lenore Thomas, a New Deal WPA artist. Outstanding example of streamlined Art Deco style; cultural center and visual landmark in early planned community.

This former New-Deal era elementary school was renovated and re-opened in 1997 as a dynamic community cultural center housing amenities such as: an art gallery; the Greenbelt Museum curatorial office and historical exhibit space; dedicated visual and performing arts classroom space; studios for visual artist in residence; and the production studio of Greenbelt Access Television.

Greenbelt is a planned community that was designed and built by the federal government during the Great Depression. The Greenbelt Museum allows visitors to experience Greenbelt's beauty and rich history through tours of an historic home, award-winning exhibits, public lectures, educational programs for children, and walking tours of the historic town.

1925 Neoclassical brick Rosenwald school with a 1940s addition. One of the first high schools for blacks in the county; built to serve the communities of Bladensburg, Brentwood, North Brentwood, Lakeland, Ammendale, Muirkirk and Laurel.

Mount Rainier is the historic Route 1 gateway community from Prince George's County to Washington, DC at the District's northeastern boundary. In the early 20th century the suburb that was to develop on the Baltimore and Ohio railroad line (built in the 1830s) was Mount Rainier. It is home to a vast number of Sears houses and Craftman-style homes, many of which have been restored.

1921, 1934, mission-style masonry school with neoclassical auditorium added on the the front in 1934. Designed by Thomas H. Marsden/Hollyday & Stahl and a highly visible landmark in Upper Marlboro.

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.

1937, 1943, 1944, 9 mile long, dual lane parkway w/concrete-arch bridges faced w/stone; connects Andrews Air Force Base with Bolling Air Force Base in Washington, D. C.. Planned before the outbreak of World War II, the project came to fruition with the entrance of the US into the war and the establishment of Andrews Air Force Base a few months later. Significant for its association with the war and the base.

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.

Oxon Hill Farm is an historical farm with buildings dating back to the early 1800s when the property was a wheat plantation. A variety of daily farm activities and programs is held throughout the park's 512 acres. Explore how the park evolved from a plantation home during the War of 1812, to a hospital farm to the park you can visit today.

The historic marker for the Battle of Bladensburg can be found behind the mausoleum of this cemetery. Fort Lincoln Cemetery was chartered in 1912 by an act of the Maryland General Assembly and presently contains 178 acres. Fort Lincoln Cemetery was named after Fort Lincoln which strategically protected the nation's capitol during the Civil War. Fort Lincoln became the headquarters for the Second Pennsylvania Veteran Heavy Artillery. Men from this unit staffed Battery Jameson.

1919-1925, constructed of cast concrete with exposed aggregate, the cross is a tan color comprised of chipped flint material; arms extend five feet from the center on each side and are supported by unadorned, arched concrete brackets; the arms also have arched brackets on top, suggesting the form of a Celtic cross. Significant as a prominent public monument to county residents who lost their lives in the line of duty during World War I; the design of the Peace Cross is the work of master craftsman and contractor John J. Earley, founder of the Earley Process for concrete.

1946, obelisk-like monument constructed of coursed blocks of gray granite and orange sandstone set in random arrangement; the principal section of the monument has a slim pyramidal shape, rising from a square stone plinth. The base rests on a single wide course of granite Many of Fairmount Heights’ young men served their country during World War II. Their dedication and sacrifices were commemorated by the residents of Fairmount Heights in 1946 with the construction of this memorial. The names of each soldier who served and died in the war are inscribed on metal plaques that originally adorned the sides of the stone monument; the plaques have been removed for restoration.

1909 (established); museum stands on site of original hangar. Oldest continuously used airport in United States; Wilbur Wright worked there in 1909.

1940s, cinder block kiln with dirt floor. The structure is significant for its association with the Civilian Conservation Corps and its unique form and function in Prince George's County and the State of Maryland.

c. 1934 1 story brick filling station with drive-thru supported on 2 rectangular columns; flat roof concealed behind tiled mansard.

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.

19th century, wood frame cross-gabled dwelling now demolished; iron fence surrounds cemetery plots.

The only remaining feature of Belleview, 1792-1830, house built for Lowe family; destroyed by fire October 1996.

20613
William H. Early named the town of Brandywine as property he owned in the mid-19th century. It is thought to be named from the Battle of Brandywine in Pennsylvania, and developed as a railroad town.

1909 (established); museum stands on site of original hangar. Oldest continuously used airport in United States; Wilbur Wright worked there in 1909.

1966, 60-foot square building constructed of nonmagnetic materials. Unique facility for testing large satellites and calibrating spacecraft magnetometers; essential for operation of U.S. manned and unmanned space program; part of
Goddard Space Flight Center.

c. 1934 1 story brick filling station with drive-thru supported on 2 rectangular columns; flat roof concealed behind tiled mansard.

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.

The Town was incorporated in 1920 as Riverdale, drawing the name from Riversdale, the plantation owned by the Calvert family that is at the center of the town. In a referendum held August 8, 1998 it was voted to rename the town to Riverdale Park, effective September 7, 1998. The United States Postal Service, however, still refers to the incorporated town of Riversdale Park as well as some of the surrounding unincorporated area to the east as "Riversdale".

c. 1890, only surviving example of Pratt through truss built with Phoenix sections in Prince George's County. First bridge built at this location in 1755, replacing ferry. Second built in 1797 but swept away.

Search By Topic...

IN HISTORIC PRINCE GEORGE'S