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Participant Guide: Our History

The Envision Participant Guide provides an in-depth exploration of the opportunities and challenges which may shape the future of Prince George’s County.

In today’s excerpt, we take a look at our history:

What is our history?

In order to envision and plan for our future, we must embrace our past and understand our current state—who and what we are today.

Agricultural Roots

Prince George’s County was previously defined by its waterways—the Anacostia, Patuxent, and Potomac Rivers—that were essential for transportation. Prior to the Civil War, Prince George’s County had established itself as a prosperous agricultural community where tobacco and plantation farming were dominant. Early development also included the establishment of cotton mills in Laurel and of ironworks near Beltsville. The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, though, was already changing how people and goods moved through the area and beginning to transform small crossroad communities into population centers.

After the Civil War, the end of slavery led to the founding of small communities of freed slaves and the creation of a greater number of smaller farms, but agriculture remained dominant. A new force was also underway that would completely change the county. That force was the presence of a growing federal government and its expanding capital city. In the 1880s and 1890s more and more residential communities were developed along railroad lines, offering federal employees more affordable options outside of the capital city—Washington, D.C. Towns like Hyattsville, Riverdale, Berwyn Heights (originally Charlton Heights), College Park, and Bowie emerged. By the end of the nineteenth century, the population had reached 30,000—30 percent higher than it had been at the start of the Civil War.

For much more background on our county, please download and review the Envision Participant Guide (note: This is a large 4.99MB PDF file), and look for many more Participant Guide excerpts here at the Envision blog.

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• Participant guide: Sustain – Opportunities and Challenges
• Participant Guide: East-West Divide
• Participant Guide: Who We are Today
• Participant Guide: Federal Government and Efficiency
• Participant Guide: Greatest Assets
• Participant Guide: Work – Opportunities and Challenges
• Participant Guide: Human Services and Education
• Participant Guide: Serve – Approach and Assets
• Participant Guide: Driving
• Participant Guide: Crime Rate
• Participant Guide: Technology
• Participant Guide: Our School System
• Participant Guide: Globalization
• Participant Guide: Economy
• Participant guide: Sustain – Approach and Assets