Project Team:
Sara Baum, Grace Davenport, Amy Duan, Josette Graham, Kathleen Jockel,
Veronica Martin, Tamara Schlossenberg, Hassan Tariq
Instructor:
Paula Jarrett Nasta, AIA
Course: HISP 650
Historic Preservation Studio Workshop
School of Architecture, Planning, and Preservation
The University of Maryland, College Park
Fall 2019
University of Maryland,
School of Architecture, Planning, and Preservation,
Historic Preservation Program
Partnership for Action Learning in Sustainability (PALS)
An initiative of the National Center for Smart Growth (NCSG)
Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission (M-NCPPC)
Gerrit Knaap, NCSG Executive Director
Kimberly Fisher, PALS Director
1
Contents
Executive Summary 3
History 3
Rationale & Products 3
Methods 3
Conclusion 4
Overview 4
History 5
Rationale 8
Establishing Broad Themes 8
Diversity of Information Delivery 9
Trail Guide & Site Markers 9
Audio Tour 9
Route Map 9
Site Markers and Theme Kiosks 9
Conclusion 10
Methods 10
Precedent Studies 10
Project Teams 10
Site Visits 10
Documentary Research on Local History, Cultural, and Cultural Resources 11
Community Collaboration 11
Interviewing Community Members 12
Documentation 12
Presentation 12
Products 13
Trail Guide 13
Route Map 13
Site Markers 14
Theme Kiosks 14
Audio Tour 14
Recommendations 15
Conclusion 16
Acknowledgements 17
Work Cited 18
Appendices
A. Trail Guide
B. Route Map
C. Site Markers
D. Theme Kiosks
E. Audio Tour Script
2
Executive Summary
In the Fall semester of 2019, the University of Maryland Historic Preservation Studio class
worked with the Maryland National Capital Park and Planning Commission (M-NCPPC) in Prince
George?s County through the Partnership for Action Learning in Sustainability (PALS) program. The
purpose of the partnership was to create a heritage trail linking the communities of Aquasco, Eagle
Harbor, and Cedar Haven in southern Prince George?s County.
History
Originally inhabited by Native Americans, this region of Maryland became a large contributor
to the Chesapeake region?s tobacco production. The War of 1812 and the Civil War had effects on the
community and economy of the area. Woodville, known later as Aquasco, worked with the rest of the
country to reconstruct after the Civil War. During this process, several African American churches and
schools became an important part of the Woodville community. Former slaves became tenant
farmers, but segregation prevailed for several decades. In the 1920s, Washington, D.C. and Maryland
businessmen founded two African American resort communities along the Patuxent River: Eagle
Harbor and Cedar Haven. These served as summer resort towns for Baltimore and Washington, D.C.
residents to recreate and relax. Today, Aquasco remains heavily agricultural and Eagle Harbor and
Cedar Haven continue to exist as summer communities with several year-round residents.
Rationale & Products
Working within the provided Scope of Work, the team produced a Trail Guide, a Route Map,
the design and content for Site Markers and Theme Kiosks, and an Audio Tour script and draft
recording. Rather than providing the same information in each of these mediums, the team decided
to frame each differently. The Trail Guide summarizes research for each site and includes images. This
medium is meant to be used both on the trail and off location for interested travelers. The Route Map
provides locations for trail stops and additional points of interest. The site markers provide a
shortened version of the guide information. The four Theme Kiosks provide state-wide and national
context for the four themes chosen with specific highlights pertaining to Aquasco, Eagle Harbor, and
Cedar Haven. The four themes ? Tobacco and Reconstruction, Religion, Education, and Resort Towns
? were selected because they offer tools for understanding the complex shared heritages of these
three communities. Lastly, the Audio Tour provides information about each site in the broader context
of history.
Methods
The team gathered research from the Maryland Historical Trust, M-NCPPC, the Prince George?s
County Historical Society (PGCHS), community members, and other resources. To begin the project,
the team conducted precedent research of other heritage trails throughout the country for inspiration
and effective designs and strategies. They divided into four teams of two students focused on the
creation of the Trail Guide, Route Map, Site Markers and Theme Kiosks, and Audio Tour.
3
In order to discern the exact content of the trail, the class conducted a windshield survey of
properties in Aquasco, Eagle Harbor, and Cedar Haven. After individual sites were selected by team
consensus, each team member chose one to three sites to research and create content for. In addition
to research, each student collected oral histories from members and former members of each of the
three communities. Students also participated in the documentation of the Aquasco Mill ruins, which
will aid in the creation of a Maryland Inventory of Historic Places nomination form for this previously
undocumented site. To complete the project, the team presented to the M-NCPPC Planning
Department, the University of Maryland Historic Preservation Department, and the community
members of Aquasco, Eagle Harbor, and Cedar Haven. They also completed this report with a poster
and provided all research and deliverables to M-NCPPC. This report also provides recommendations
to M-NCPPC on additional directions in which to continue this heritage trail.
Conclusion
This project created a comprehensive guide to the communities of Aquasco, Eagle Harbor, and
Cedar Haven. The trail will teach its users about Maryland?s contribution to the tobacco economy,
rural communities during reconstruction, and the need for more recreational opportunities for African
Americans during segregation. The students refined their research, oral history, writing, design, and
teamwork skills. This project benefits the M-NCPPC Planning Department, the student project team,
and the Aquasco, Eagle Harbor, and Cedar Haven communities alike. The completed product provides
a cohesive and navigable narrative of life and culture in the area as well as promotes economic growth
through heritage tourism to each of the three communities.
Overview
The purpose of this project was to provide a complete and comprehensive ?heritage trail
package? of Aquasco, Eagle Harbor, and Cedar Haven to the Prince George?s County division of M-
NCPPC. The provided Scope of Work included the following deliverables:
1. Trail Guide, including an introduction to the trail, information on each site, and a
bibliography;
2. Route Map, including a route layout, and locations for each site and additional points of
interest;
3. Site Markers, including a summarized version of the trail guide information and images;
4. Audio Tour, including information about each site in the broader historical context, a script,
and a draft recording.
In addition to these deliverables, the team decided upon four themes to better communicate the
shared histories of these three communities. Those themes include Tobacco and Reconstruction,
Religion, Education, and Resort Towns. Each theme has its own four-paneled kiosk that introduces
visitors to the trail and elaborates on one of the four themes, including broader state and national
context as well as community specific stories.
4
The team gathered research from the Maryland Historical Trust, M-NCPPC, PGCHS, community
members, and other resources to create a list of potential sites. To determine which of these worked
best for the trail, the project team conducted a windshield survey of these sites. Each of the team
members researched and wrote content for one to three of the selected sites, of which there were
twenty-two in total. In addition to research, each member conducted at least one oral history
interview with someone from each of the three communities. The team conducted precedent research
of other heritage trails throughout the country for inspiration and effective designs and strategies.
They divided into four teams of two students, focused on the creation of the Trail Guide, Route Map,
Site Markers and Theme Kiosks, and Audio Tour. To complete the project, the team wrote a Maryland
Inventory of Historic Properties form for the Aquasco Mill ruins, gave presentations to M-NCPPC,
UMD?s Historic Preservation department, and members of all three communities, and sent all
deliverables to M-NCPPC. The completed product provides a cohesive and navigable narrative of life
and culture in the area as well as promotes economic growth through heritage tourism to the three
communities.
History
Before European colonization, the Piscataway Tribe lived in villages along the Patuxent River.
During the seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries, English settlements spread up the Chesapeake
Bay in search of suitable land and navigable waterways for growing and transporting tobacco. Large
scale tobacco production requires good soil, a great deal of labor, and accessibility to a trade port.
While the first few decades of the English colonies used indentured servants as agricultural workers,
the eighteenth century used imported, enslaved labor. Enslaved labor on large tobacco plantations
became the cornerstone of the economy.1
Figure 1: 1861 Martenet?s Map of Prince George?s County, Maryland. Source: Library of Congress
1 Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission, Illustrated Inventory of Historic Sites, Prince George?s
County, Maryland, July, 2006, 7.
5
The area which would one day become Aquasco, Eagle Harbor, and Cedar Haven was originally
divided into several large land tracts in the seventeenth century. The area of Aquasco got its name
from a near-by land tract known as ?Aquascake.?2 As these tracts were developed or sold, large
plantations sprung up and became a central economic pillar to the area. During the eighteenth
century, a small rural community named Woodville was established within the area of Aquasco.
Tobacco remained a staple crop in the economy well into the nineteenth century, and so too did the
area?s dependence on enslaved labor. While remaining predominantly agricultural even into the
twenty-first century, Woodville developed additional industries such as productive fisheries, a mill,
several small commercial stores, and a trade port along the Patuxent River.
Photo 1: William R. Barker House, Photograph by Marina Photo 2: Villa DeSales, Photograph by M. Dwyer
King. Source: Prince George?s County Historic Preservation Source: Prince George?s County Historic Preservation
Commission. Commission.
The nineteenth century brought several tumultuous episodes to Aquasco?s rural community.
The War of 1812 included several devastating campaigns conducted by the British, especially for
communities located along the Patuxent River. In August 1814 when the British landed in Benedict,
Maryland, just south of the Prince George?s and Charles County line, Aquasco lay in the path of the
British forces? march north towards Washington. Then Secretary of State James Monroe scouted
British troop movement from Aquasco Mills.3 The British left a trail of destruction in their wake?
destroying tobacco and private property as they made their way up the Patuxent to what would be
known as the Battle of Bladensburg. The British also drew enslaved individuals from the plantations
along the way, promising freedom if they would take up arms against American forces.4
The Civil War caused a massive upheaval in the social structure of Woodville?s agrarian society.
Prince George?s County had the largest enslaved population in the state, especially in predominantly
agricultural areas such as Woodville.5 After emancipation, the African Americans remained in the area
2 Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission, African-American Historic and Cultural Resources in
Prince George?s County, Maryland, February 2012, 191.
3 Vogal, Steve, Through the Perilous Fight: Six Weeks That Saved the Nation, 85, 2013.
4 Testimony from 1828 court case field by the heirs of Ann Johnson over property loss in the War of 1812, from the
personal collection of Gilbert Carr.
5 Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission, African-American Historic and Cultural Resources, 191.
6
and became small land-holders and tenant farmers. During Reconstruction, these communities grew
and established a school and several churches. While the agricultural core of the economy remained
the same, the African American community grew into the 20th century. The areas of Aquasco, Cedar
Haven, and Eagle Harbor were established; Aquasco as the inheritor of Woodville?s agricultural
population, and Eagle Harbor and Cedar Haven as new resort communities.6
Photo 3: St. Phillips Chapel, Unknown date. Source: St. Phillips Church, Baden Parish.
Founded in the late 1920s, Eagle Harbor and Cedar Haven were African American waterfront
neighborhoods which provided an escape from the summer heat and city life. These resort towns
were established at a time when segregation was still heavily prominent, leaving African Americans
with very few options on destinations to visit for water-related leisure and recreational activities.
The beach at Eagle Harbor, which came to be known as the ?Paradise on the Patuxent,? became
quite the popular vacation destination for African Americans.7 While the areas of Eagle Harbor and
Cedar Haven were initially intended to be temporary summer vacation spots, they slowly developed
into more permanent communities with full-time residents who currently strive to ensure a
sustainable future for themselves.
Photo 4: Cedar Haven ?Picturesque Cedar Haven.? Source: Hornbake Library at UMD
6 Ibid., 196.
7 Town of Eagle Harbor. Eagle Harbor 2025 Planning for a Sustainable Community. Accessed November 20, 2019.
https://townofeagleharborincmd.org/documents/SustainabilityPlan.pdf.
7
Though they have faced many challenges during their history?wars, slavery, racism, economic
variability?all have remained resilient and continue to thrive today. Their most recent challenges
include the presence of a coal burning power plant located just south of the communities on the
Patuxent River, which inevitably carries environmental concerns, as well as the expansion of D.C.
commuter suburban development into the southern reaches of Prince George?s County.
Rationale
The purpose of this Heritage Trail package is to encourage more economic development in
Aquasco, Eagle Harbor, and Cedar Haven through heritage tourism. The variety of deliverables was
established to holistically narrate the rich history and stories within these communities. The team
came up with different strategies when developing the Trail Guide, Route Map, Site Markers and
Theme Kiosks, and Audio Tour. These approaches were decided upon through research on similar
projects, best practices, accessibility, and critique sessions.
Establishing Broad Themes
Establishing broad themes was necessary to provide a cohesive narrative between the
selected sites. After researching these individual sites across Aquasco, Eagle Harbor, and Cedar
Haven, many of them can be categorized in either Tobacco and Reconstruction, Religion, Education,
or Resort Towns. The team decided that segregation would be an overarching theme since it is
relevant to all four of the themes.
Photo 5: Project team working to establish themes. Source: Paula Nasta, October 2019
8
Diversity of Information Delivery
The Scope of Work outlines diverse deliverables for the team to produce. Originally, the
team developed a similar approach to the narrative across the Trail Guide, Site Markers, and Audio
Tour. After many iterations and critiques, each deliverable was reimagined to convey different
information about each site.
Trail Guide & Site Markers
The Trail Guide focused more on academic research while the Site Markers provided a
shortened version of that information. The images in both these mediums are an important aspect
of their storytelling.
Audio Tour
For the Audio Tour, the script became less about reiterating the same facts and research, and
more focused on the larger national narrative and its presence in these communities during that
time. An example would be how reconstruction and segregation in the United States during the late
1800s to 1900s impacted the entire nation, including the communities of Aquasco, Eagle Harbor, and
Cedar Haven. Overall, the Audio tour ties the history of this small area in Maryland to much bigger,
often more well known, themes throughout American history. The Audio Tour also provides an
opportunity to diversify the information visitors can learn about the area. Music, including music
produced by the community, is an aspect the team used to layer in additional information that is not
present in the Trail Guide or Site Markers.
Route Map
For the Route Map, the team decided to number the sites to allow clear direction and order
to the heritage trail. The inclusion of points of interest was important to highlight sites that may not
be part of the trail, but are still important in the overall narrative or for economic development. Two
examples of point of interests are the William R. Barker House, which is mentioned in the Audio
Tour, and Hardesty's Haven Cafe, where visitors can get a bite to eat. Another important
consideration was color, because the team decided the Route Map needed to be legible as both a
color print and a black and white print. Thus, the background of the map is white and the text and
banners are bolder solid colors. Lastly, the final Route Map design became double-sided because the
team found having the map and the sites listed together on one page was too difficult to read. By
shifting the list of sites to the back, the Map and list of sites become more legible.
Site Markers and Theme Kiosks
For the Site Markers, the team decided upon a size of 24? x 18,? half the normal size of a
standard M-NCPPC trail sign. In addition to these individual Site Markers, the team decided to create
larger Theme Kiosks with four panels explaining both the trail and one of the broader themes with
specific reference to certain stories of each community. The Post-Colonial Families kiosk is an
example of a larger kiosk focusing on the related plantation families in Aquasco. Larger kiosks
9
allowed the heritage trail sites to clearly connect to one another, particularly since Aquasco is
further away from Eagle Harbor and Cedar Haven.
Conclusion
Within the deliverable framework, the team found ways to optimize the requirements to
provide the heritage trail program these communities desire. Broad themes created a level of
cohesiveness and connection for the visitors across all mediums of information delivery. Customizing
the project deliverables to reflect our analysis and understanding of the sites and community makes
the heritage trail more understandable. Lastly, optimizing the various methods of delivery from
visual to auditory experiences establishes a more holistic narrative of Aquasco, Eagle Harbor, and
Cedar Haven.
Methods
Precedent Studies
Prior to beginning actual documentary research for the project, the team researched heritage
trails across the United States. Examples of heritage trails used for this assignment were required to
have an Audio Tour component from which to draw relevant examples. Each team member chose a
different state to conduct their precedent research in order to provide a variety of formats and
delivery methods. Research on the heritage trails was then shared with the rest of the team, allowing
for a group discussion about best practices.
Project Teams
The class was divided into four teams of two students each. Project teams were designated
based on skills and interests. One team was responsible for the creation and formatting of the Trail
Guide. Another team was tasked with the creation of the Route Map. A third was responsible for the
design of the Site Markers and Theme Kiosks. Last but not least, the fourth team was responsible for
creating and recording the Audio Tour and draft recording.
Site Visits
The class conducted a windshield survey early on in the project to gain a better understanding
of Aquasco, Eagle Harbor, and Cedar Haven. The team noted basic observations of the building
including the condition, basic architectural style, the current use of the structure, its visibility from the
road, and whether or not the structure has historic integrity. Photographs were taken of the site when
possible.
Site visits became a common occurrence throughout the semester. Initially, the visits were to
familiarize the team with the area and its historic sites; however, as the semester progressed, these
site visits became opportunities to meet with the Mayor and one Councilman of Eagle Harbor, conduct
oral history interviews, and to engage in the documentation of sites.
10
Photo 6: Fieldwork surveying historic structures in Aquasco. Source: Kenneth Turscak, September 2019
Documentary Research on Local History, Cultural, and Cultural Resources
Every component of this project required documentary research to some degree. In the
beginning phases of this project, the team selected three key historic sites in the area that would be
added to the trail and then looked at a variety of sources to gain an understanding of their history and
significance. In addition, the team utilized the Maryland Historical Trust?s Medusa program
(Maryland?s Cultural Resource Information System), National Register for Historic Places forms, the
Maryland Inventory of Historic Properties forms, the Library of Congress? website, the University of
Maryland?s Hornbake Library Special Collections, and other relevant books and databases in order to
conduct their research.
Figure 2: Spreadsheet used to catalog photographic documentation. Source: Veronica Martin, December 2019
Community Collaboration
Ms. Maxine Gross and Dr. Mary Sies of the Lakeland Community Heritage Project visited the
class and gave a special presentation on her project. Their presentation included special oral histories
and newspaper articles about the area and the area?s residents. This provided the team with additional
background information on the history of African Americans and their culturally significant sites in
Prince George?s County and the types of challenges this community faces.
11
The site marker and theme kiosk group met with Aaron Marcavitch, Executive Director of
Anacostia Trails Heritage Area, Inc. The team consulted with Mr. Marcavitch on the best practices for
marker designs in order to ensure high quality products.
Interviewing Community Members
Connecting with members of the Aquasco, Eagle Harbor, and Cedar Haven communities was a
crucial part of this project. Conducting these oral histories enabled the team to unearth compelling
stories about the area?s heritage and history that would otherwise be lost. Together, the team
brainstormed a list of 24 questions to help drive the interviews. These questions were used as an
outline for the interviews, with the students taking the opportunity to ask follow-up questions when
appropriate in an attempt to obtain more details about an interviewee?s given answer.
In addition to oral history interviews, the class attended a consulting meeting at the Eagle
Harbor Community Center with the Mayor of Eagle Harbor, the Honorable James D. Crudup, Sr. and
one of the town?s Commissioners, the Honorable Jack B. Martin. This meeting was spent learning
about the town?s history, issues faced in the past and present, and the plans that the town has for its
future.
On November 20, 2019, four of the students and the instructor attended a Greater Baden
Aquasco Citizens Association community social event. This event was a great opportunity for the
students to speak with community members about the project. The project team set up a table
complete with maps of Aquasco through history and a measured drawing of the Aquasco Mill ruins.
Their table was integrated with other businesses and organizations. Throughout the evening, they
interacted with the community members and showed them some significant documents that the
students uncovered during the semester. The students were also able to meet with some of the
property owners of some of the sites included in the project; these discussions lead to new and
valuable information. Lastly, the group passed out flyers and encouraged community members to
attend the community presentation at the Eagle Harbor Community Center on December 12, 2019.
Documentation
One site in particular, the Aquasco Mill ruins, required the team to conduct an on-site walk
through followed by a subsequent visit to record the mill ruins. During this site visit, Historic American
Building Survey-style measured drawings were recorded, and photographs were taken of the ruins.
Based on these drawings and information received from the property owned, a Maryland Inventory
of Historic Places form was then completed for the site.
Presentations
On December 9, 2019, three team members, participated in a poster session to present the
final project to the M-NCPPC and PALS. On December 10, 2019, the other four partnership members
presented their deliverables to the University of Maryland?s Historic Preservation Department.
Additionally, the entire project team conducted a final visit to the area to present their work to the
community members of Aquasco, Eagle Harbor, and Cedar Haven on December 12, 2019 at the Eagle
Harbor Community Center.
12
Photo 8: Fieldwork measuring the Aquasco Mill ruins. Source: Paula Nasta, November 2019
Products
Trail Guide
The Trail Guide includes an introduction to the history of Aquasco, Eagle Harbor, and Cedar
Haven to provide visitors with the necessary background information. The Guide also provides
information about the trail including an overview of the four themes. The Route Map was incorporated
into the Guide so that visitors only had to print one complete document in order to participate in the
trail. The Trail Guide includes the twenty-two sites that the team researched over the course of the
project. Each site has a one-page narrative with images. The Trail Guide also contains information from
two of the theme kiosks: ?The Barker, Bowling, and Forbes Family? and ?Resort Towns.?
Route Map
The Route Map includes the twenty-two sites condensed into nineteen stops. Five points of
interest are included as stops to acknowledge sites mentioned in the Audio Tour and indicate places
where visitors can stop along the trail. The trail was designed to ensure all the sites would be on the
rider?s or driver?s right for safety when pulling off to view the sites. Aquasco Road, also known as
Maryland Route 381, currently does not have pedestrian or bicycle crossings.
13
Site Markers
The Site Markers includes design layouts for individual Site Markers. Each of the individual Site
Markers features an approximately one-hundred-word long story about the site, and one or two
images that complement the narrative. The color of the banner on the Site Markers corresponds to
the primary theme connected with the site while additional themes are indicated with icons inside the
color banner.
Theme Kiosks
The four-paneled Theme Kiosk component includes the design of the panel layout as well as a
schematic for construction. One side introduces the rider and driver to the trail and features the Route
Map. The other side explains one of the four themes in the national and state context, and provides
specific stories related to the relevant community.
Figure 3: Two schematic views of the Theme Kiosks. Created by Sarah Fuller.
Audio Tour
The Audio Tour includes a script and a draft recording with music and other sound effects.
The audio is designed to be listened to while biking or driving along the tour. The script pulls from
the site narratives, the broader history of the area, and national historic themes. The audio team
researched additional audio tours and best practices for script writing to gain a better understanding
about how to write for a listening audience. Some background sounds were included but kept to a
minimum to prevent distractions to riders and drivers. Directions and other transitions were added
to guide listeners on their journey and remove the need for bikers or drives to look at their mobile
device while traveling.
14
Recommendations
The following are brief recommendations concerning how further research, design, or organization
of the Changing Landscape: Farmsteads and Resort Towns heritage trail could be conducted.
Trail Markers
? Site Markers and theme kiosks should be placed at each proposed site in a location that is
not disruptive to the property owner.
? The trail marker for the Mary C. B. Cochrane House and James A. Cochrane store could be
placed in front of the Cochrane Store rather in between as there is a modern house
separating the two sites.
Audio Tour
? Local voices, such as those from oral histories, should be added to the audio to create a
personal narrative rather than using quotes.
? A mobile or online app could be developed that allows listeners to download the full audio
tour onto their device beforehand, thus removing the need for wi-fi or data usage while they
enjoy the tour.
? A mobile or online app could be developed with geo locations for the theme kiosks and
individual Site Markers, allowing for the audio to automatically keep up with the biker and/or
driver without them having to select.
? Companies, such as www.travelstorys.com, could be investigated as potential outside
contractors to develop a full audio tour for both bikers and automobile listeners.
Overall
? Additional historically significant sites could be added to the trail as they are identified.
? One oral history made mention of a potential Underground Railroad stop.
? The Adams Funeral Home in Aquasco could have a connection to the Adams,
Bowens, and Mortons.
? The racetrack on Neck Road could offer an insight into recent history.
? More information could be gathered on the dance hall and meeting hall located off
Dr. Bowen Road.
? The baseball field on the east side of Aquasco Road, north of the Woodville
Schoolhouse might be a location to tell a story about recent history.
? The log cabin ruins, community center, and Mayor?s office in Eagle Harbor might
enrich the Eagle Harbor segment of the tour.
? More research could be conducted on Dr. Harry Morton Bowen, the physician for which Dr.
Bowen Road got its name.
? Additional research could be on the history of Eastview, which has been demolished. Several
oral histories mentioned that Eastview was the original Wood House. A correlation could be
15
established between Eastview, also known as Wood?s Joy, and the Wood House on Aquasco
Road.
? The trail information could be presented to the public by having its own website. The team
found that a lot of their research had to be cut or added to a full list of endnotes. The
website would also be useful for additions to the trail as they are identified.
? Additional oral histories could be conducted for all three communities to collect personal
stories and add a deeper historical connection to the area.
? QR codes could be added to the Site Markers and Theme Kiosks for passers-by to easily
connect with the online presence of the trail.
? Acquire image and audio copyrights before using them publicly.
Conclusion
Over the course of the Fall 2019 semester, students in the University of Maryland Historic
Preservation Studio class worked to create a heritage trail linking the communities of Aquasco, Eagle
Harbor, and Cedar Haven. This course provided an opportunity for the student project team to gain
experience working on a real-world preservation issue. The students were provided with a Scope of
Work and tasked with completing the requirements of the Scope within a specific time frame. First,
the students researched other heritage trails throughout the country to learn effective strategies for
creating their own trail. Next, the students researched the history of the area to discover the important
stories and located major historic sites through field visits. Students also conducted oral histories to
gather personal stories from current and former members of the communities.
Then, the class self-divided into four partnerships to research and produce a Trail Guide, a
Route Map, Site Markers and Theme Kiosks, and an Audio Tour. Each of these four components offers
something unique, allowing the students to present the stories of the communities in different ways.
The project teams utilized their research, design, and organization skills when creating all elements of
the project. They learned new software programs to produce professional products. Finally, students
presented their research and designs to the PALS program, the University of Maryland Historic
Preservation Department, and the community members of Aquasco, Eagle Harbor, and Cedar Haven.
All research and deliverables were provided to the M-NCPPC.
Overall, this project will benefit the communities of Aquasco, Eagle Harbor, and Cedar Haven
by celebrating the local resident?s sense of place and attracting visitors to the local economy. The sites
chosen by the students are not a complete list of the historic properties within the three communities;
however, the twenty-two sites do help highlight the long, diverse history of the area and showcase
the important stories of the people who helped build the landscape. This way, the Heritage Trail will
serve the residents of the region, and also allow for visitors to deeply connect with those familiar, yet
still unique, stories.
16
Acknowledgements
The team would like to thank the following organizations and individuals for their help in this project.
It is thanks to everyone on this list that the heritage trail package came together as it did.
Sarah Fuller
Partnership for Action in Learning Sustainability (PALS)
Maryland-National Capital Parks and Planning Commission (M-NCPPC)
Members of the Cedar Haven Civic Association
Linda Garoute
Town of Eagle Harbor
Mayor James D. Crudup Sr.
Commissioner Jack B. Martin
Dr. Noah Waters
Greater Baden Aquasco Citizens Association
Aaron Marcavitch, ATHA, Inc
Kyle Petchock Art
Lakeland Community Heritage Project
Ms. Maxine Gross
Dr. Mary Sies
Oral History Contributors: reserved
17
Work Cited
1850 United States Census: Slave Schedules, Prince George?s, Maryland, digital image s.v. ?Michal J
Stone," p. M432, 1,009 rolls; National Archives and Records Administration. Accessed on
ancestry.com.
1860 United States Census: Slave Schedules, Prince George?s, Maryland, digital image s.v. ?M J Stone,"
p. M653, 1,438 rolls; National Archives and Records Administration. Accessed on
ancestry.com.
87B-039 - Cedar Haven Community Description File. Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning
Commission.
Ancestry.com, Year: 1850; Census Place: Aquasco, Prince George's, Maryland; Roll: M432_295; Page:
46A; Image: 358
Ancestry.com, 1860; Census Place: District 8, Prince Georges, Maryland; Roll: M653_478; Page: 547;
Family History Library Film: 803478
Ancestry.com, 1860 U.S. Federal Census - Slave Schedules [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA:
Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2010
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Alpacas Farm, August 29, 2019.
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Martin. Group Interview. Eagle Harbor, November 14, 2019.
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DeSales.?Upper Marlboro, MD: Historic Preservation Commission, County Planning Division,
1987.
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Maryland. Upper Marlboro, MD: Historic Preservation Commission, County Planning Division,
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Historic American Buildings Survey: 1989.
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?Maryland Affairs.? The Democratic Advocate. June 2, 1888.
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Church site and Cemetery.? African American Historic and Cultural Resources in Prince
George?s County, Maryland.2012.pg. 193.
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George?s County, Maryland. July 2006.
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Districts, Prince George?s County, Maryland, April 2011.
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Summary Sheet; P. A. Bowen Farmstead.? Accessed 2019.
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Summary Sheet; Trueman Point.? Accessed September 2019.
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M-NCPPC, n.d.
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Washington Post. February 10, 1977.
?Mrs. Fields Entertains at Eagle Harbor Cottage.? The Baltimore Afro-American, September 11, 1937.
Murray, Pauli. Song in a Weary Throat.Washington: Harper & Row, Publishers, 1987. 432.
?Negro Community Asks Barring of Poolrooms.? The Baltimore Sun, February 24, 1933.
"New Colored Resort to Be Opened Today: Cedar Haven Offers Many Advantages, Realtors Say, For
Summer Colony." The Washington Post (1923-1954), Jul 04, 1926.
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Owens, Christopher. Maryland Inventory of Historic Properties Form: Hall Store PG#87B-9. Silver
Spring, Maryland, M-NCPPC, 1974.
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August 1984, https://mht.maryland.gov/secure/Medusa/PDF/PrinceGeorges/PG;87B-20.pdf
Pearl, Susan. Maryland Inventory of Historic Properties Form: St. Mary?s Episcopal Church PG#87B-36-
8b. Upper Marlboro, Maryland, Prince George?s County Historic Preservation Commission,
2004.
Pearl, Susan G. Maryland Historical Trust State Historic Sites Inventory Form: St. Philip?s Chapel,
Aquasco MD. Upper Marlboro, MD: Historic Preservation Commission, County Planning
Division. May 1983.
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School, May 1983. https://mht.maryland.gov/secure/medusa/PDF/PrinceGeorges/PG;87B-
34.pdf
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https://members4.boardhost.com/pghistory/msg/1165088155.html.
?Personals.? The Baltimore Afro-American. Aug 25, 1934. Accessed via ProQuest Historical
Newspapers, November 2019.
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America: Historic American Newspapers. Lib. of Congress.
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America: Historic American Newspapers. Lib. of Congress.
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?Prince George?s County September 28, 1789,? Maryland Gazette, October 15, 1789.
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22
Simmons Forbes, Angel. Personal Communication. November 2019.
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Eighth Census of The United States, 1860; Record Group: Records of District Courts of the
United States; Record Group Number: 21.
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1902. Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers. Lib. of Congress.
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11, 2019. https://townofeagleharborincmd.org/documents/SustainabilityPlan.pdf.
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October 2, 2019).
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Division. March 2008.
23
Changing Landscapes:
Farmsteads & Resort Towns
A Heritage Tour of Aquasco, Cedar Haven, and Eagle Harbor in southern Prince George?s County, Maryland
Farmsteads & Resort Towns 2
This project creates a Heritage Trail Plan for the areas of Aquasco-Woodville, Eagle Harbor,
and Cedar Haven to create a navigable narrative of life and culture in the area.
Farmsteads & Resort Towns 3
Table of Contents
Overview Map PA Bowen Farmstead (17) (4)
Sunnyside (18)
Introduction (6) Scott Family Cemetery (19)
St. Phillip's Episcopal Church and (20)
Themes (7) Cemetery
Cochrane House (21)
Sites: Cochrane Store (22)
Trueman Point (8) John Wesley Methodist Church (23)
Barker, Bowling, and Forbes Family (9) Resort Towns (24)
St. Dominic?s Roman Catholic (11) Resort Town Businesses (26)
Church Artesian Well (27)
Miss Sarah Hall House and Store (12) Kit Houses (28)
St. Mary's Episcopal Church and (13) Cedar Haven Hotel (30)
Rectory Eagle Harbor Beach (31)
Aquasco Shoolhouse (14)
Woodville Schoolhouse. (15) Acknowledgements (35)
Aquasco Mill (16)
Farmsteads & Resort Towns 4
Farmsteads & Resort Towns 5
Farmsteads & Resort Towns 6
Introduction
Within this guide are brief outlines of 22 sites that are historically agricultural areas such as Woodville.3 After emancipation, the
significant to the communities of Aquasco, Cedar Haven and African Americans in the area became small land-holders and
Eagle Harbor. For each site, a historic marker exists to tenant farmers. During Reconstruction, these communities
emphasize its role in defining the past, present, and future of grew, establishing a school and several churches.
these three resilient communities. These stories begin with 18th
century narratives of wealthy white landowners; their enslaved
African American workers living in the area and their
descendants who continue to live there; as well as those that
sought its shores as a place of recreation.
Tobacco remained a staple crop in the economy of Prince
George?s County well into the 19th century, and so too did the
area?s dependence on enslaved labor. The area of Aquasco got
its name from a near-by land tract known as ?Aquascake.?1
Before European colonization, the Piscataway Tribe lived in Figure 1. 1937 Woodville School on Aquasco Road. Source: M-NCPPC, 2011.
villages along the Patuxent River. During the 17th and early
18th centuries, English settlements spread up the Chesapeake While the agricultural basis of the economy remained the same,
Bay in search of arable land and navigable waterways for the African American community grew into the 20th century. The
tobacco production. Tobacco requires good soil, a great deal of areas of Aquasco, Cedar Haven, and Eagle Harbor were
labor, and accessibility to a trade port. While the first few established; Aquasco as the inheritor of Woodville?s agricultural
decades of the English colonies used indentured servants as population, and Cedar Haven and Eagle Harbor as new resort 4
agricultural works, by the 18th century imported, enslaved labor communities. Founded in the late 1920s, these African
working on large plantations became the cornerstone of the American waterfront neighborhoods provided a beach front
economy.2 escape from summer heat and city life.
A small rural community named Woodville was established in Though they have faced many challenges during their history--
the 18th century. While remaining predominantly agriculture wars, slavery, racism, economic variability?all have remained
even into the 21st century, Woodville developed additional resilient and continue to thrive today. Their most recent
industries such as productive fisheries, a mill, several small challenges include the presence of a coal burning power plant
commercial stores, and a trade port along the Patuxent River. located just south of the communities on the Patuxent River,
which inevitably carries environmental concerns, as well as the
The Civil War caused a massive upheaval in the social structure expansion of DC commuter suburban development into the
of Woodville?s agrarian society. Prince George?s County had the southern reaches of Prince George?s County.
largest enslaved population in the state, especially in
Farmsteads & Resort Towns 7
Themes
The Farmsteads & Resort Towns Trail encompasses a diverse Resort Towns shares the stories of Eagle
range of historic sites, each significant in their own right. From Harbor and Cedar Haven, from their creation to
an early trade port with a tobacco economy, to the creation of the 21st century.
resort communities servicing the region?s African American
community, these sites show the breadth of experiences which
have been engraved on to the landscape with the passage of
centuries. The reality of racial segregation, which has shaped these
To better understand these sites, this guide identifies themes historic sites from the days of African labor in tobacco
which represent important aspects of the community?s story. production, to the creation of African American resort
communities, weaves throughout this trail. The first site of the trail, Trueman Point, stands out as uniquely encapsulating all of
Tobacco and Reconstruction sites date from these themes across time.
1600s to the 1800s; from the wealthy plantation
families to the blossoming of the African The themes which emerge from these sites span across time
American community?s presence on the and place to capture some of the complexities of this rural
landscape. community. Woven together, these sites tell different strands of the community?s history. Each theme is represented by a color
and symbol on the site markers.
Religion highlights the area?s religious
institutions, and their significance to religious
society.
Education includes the schoolhouses that
became pillars of the community, valued both as
places of education and community gathering.
Farmsteads & Resort Towns 8
Trueman Point
Located at the southern tip of Prince George?s County along the Point remained in private ownership for the rest of the 20th
Patuxent River, Truman Point served as a river port for the local century. Parcels extending to the north and south of the wharf
farms from the 18th through the 20th century. It was first used as were sold in the 1920s to develop the adjacent communities of
a tobacco port for the local area in 1747. Although the official Cedar Haven and Eagle Harbor.7 The remaining 9 acres of the
tobacco warehouse inspection port moved to another site only a property continued on undeveloped. The waterfront served as a
few years later, Trueman Point was still used into the 19th significant place for religious meetings and baptisms during the
century for shipping tobacco and other produces. In 1817, 20th century.8
George Weem?s acquired the land as part of his steamboat
operation. The land transferred hands between steamboat and The Town of Eagle Harbor was able to purchase the land in
railroad companies until 1936, when the Baltimore and Virginia 2013, establishing it as a park for use by the town?s residents.
Steamboat Co. sold the property to a private owner.5 Local history says that Trueman Point was once used to deliver
enslaved individuals to the large plantations in the area. It is exceptionally significant then, for a community founded for
African Americans in an era of segregation to now have control
over the land on which their ancestors were once bought and
sold.
Figure 2. Source: The Baltimore Sun, pg. 3.; Jul 18, 1888
During the 20th century, when segregation laws kept African
Americans from accessing many public beaches, Trueman?s
Point Landing became a location of recreation for African
American communities, especially those trying to escape the Figure 3. Historic photograph of the wharf at Trueman Point. Source: Prince George's County,
summer heat of Washington DC and Baltimore.6 Trueman?s A Pictorial History by Alan Virta.
Farmsteads & Resort Towns 9
Barker, Bowling, and Forbes Family
As the community of Woodville came to life during the 19th that in 1832, Barker and his wife hosted the wedding of Colonel
century, a successful life of farming drew many planters to the John Bowling to Charity?s sister, Elizabeth, effectively uniting the
area. Several of these planters intermarried, creating long- Barker and Bowling families.9 Barker and John shared a close
lasting relationships. Three such families, the Barkers, the personal relationship throughout their lifetime. In 1853, Bowling
Bowlings, and the Forbes, created one such bond. nominated Barker as Commissioner of the Baltimore & Potomac
William Barker was a prominent member of Woodville society Railroad Line, a position to which he was subsequently
throughout the mid 19th century. In 1829, he married Charity Gill appointed. Since Barker and Gill never had children, upon his
and promptly purchased property in the county. Along with death in 1866, he left his entire estate, to Bowling?s children.
owning one of the area plantations, Barker also served a term in The house remained in the Bowling family until 1918.
the Maryland House of Delegates. Family tradition states
Figure 5. 1989 Site Plan showing the William R. Barker and Villa DeSales properties. Source:
Figure 4. William R. Barker House, Photograph by Marina King. Source: Prince George?s Prince George?s County HPC
County HPC.
Farmsteads & Resort Towns 10
Barker, Bowling, and Forbes Family
Colonel John Bowling was the influential patriarch of the To this day, their descendants still occupy Villa DeSales. The Bowling family. John and his wife, Elizabeth, had several current owner, Mrs. Angel Forbes Simmons, uses 12 acres of
children who also forged strong relationships with other the property to raise high quality alpacas. Unique alpaca fiber
prominent families in the area. His daughter, Frances, married clothing and textiles are then sold from the showroom inside the
George Forbes Jr. in 1872, the son of Colonel George Forbes.10 main house.13 In 2007, the farm was honored by Governor
The Forbes family were another prominent family in the area, O?Malley for being one of four bicentennial farms remaining in
having amassed a large amount of land and wealth through Maryland as it has been continuously farmed by the same family
planting and slave labor. A few years after their wedding, Fanny for over 200 years.14 It has also been recognized as the only
and George built their home, Villa DeSales, a High Victorian self-sustaining bicentennial farm remaining in Maryland that is
Gothic Revival style dwelling named after Fanny?s high school ? run entirely by one woman.15
Mount DeSales Academy.11 Additionally, they also constructed
the only known High Victorian Gothic Revival style stable in the
county.12
Fig ure 7. Villa DeSales. Source: photograph by M. Dwyer, Prince Figure 6. Portrait of George Forbes in Villa DeSales. Source: Figure 8. The stable at Villa DeSales. Source: photography by
George?s County HPC. photograph by Marina King. Marina King.
Farmsteads & Resort Towns 11
St. Dominic?s Roman Catholic Church
Colonel John Dominic Bowling, a devoted Catholic, married Baltimore City, James Cardinal Gibbons dedicated the church Elizabeth Gill, an Episcopalian, in 1832.16 At the time, there and its nearby cemetery for the Bowling family.20 At that time,
were no Catholic churches in Woodville/Aquasco, much to St. Dominic?s had a very different appearance. The building
Colonel Bowling?s disappointment. Instead, the couple?s thirteen featured German siding, wooden shingles, and a rose window
children were raised in Elizabeth?s faith, and baptized at St. on the side facing the road.21 The arched windows had shutters
Mary?s near their home. Their daughter, Frances Bowling, that could be closed when the church was not in use.22 It is
attended Catholic boarding school and later wrote about unclear when St. Dominic?s Church got its present-day brick
converting to her father?s faith.17 Colonel Bowling longed for a exterior and stain glass windows.
Catholic Church within his community, yet none were built
during his lifetime. In 1986, Colonel Bowling?s great-granddaughter, Mittie Forbes Simmons, donated additional land from Villa de Sales for more
In 1875, Colonel Bowling passed the task to his son. His will parking.23 St. Dominic?s Roman Catholic Church, located on
dedicated $1,000 to John Bowling for the construction of a Aquasco Road, is still used today for church services and social
Roman Catholic Church on a section of his property.18 Four events. Currently, it?s a mission of St. Michael Parish in Baden,
years later, in May of 1879, John completed his father?s request Maryland
and Woodville had its first Catholic Church.19 The Archbishop of
Figure 9. Interior of St. Dominic?s Church. Source: Vivian and Edward B. Edelen,
unknown date Figure 10. Main Entrance of St. Dominic?s Church. Source: Veronica Martin, 2019
Farmsteads & Resort Towns 12
Miss Sarah Hall House and Hall Store
Miss Sarah Hall House was constructed in 1875 by the Hall The Hall store located north of the house was constructed in family, who were wealthy plantation owners in Aquasco at the 1850. This structure was built by members of the Hall family.
time. When William Hall died in 1870, Sarah Hall lived on the The store was an important commercial outlet for the rural
property with her widowed mother and her other siblings community. Issac Childs, a Union veteran of the Civil War and a
(Susan, John, Richard and Mary)24. Sarah Hall remained member of the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR)26, bought the
unmarried throughout her life and continued to live with her store in 1885. Like the Miss Sarah Hall house, the store has
sister, Mary, and her husband, Dr. John C. Thomas, on the gone through many alterations during its history. Both properties
property into the early 1900s25. During Sarah Hall?s residency owned by the Hall family showcases the wealth and influence
on the property, the house underwent its first enlargement and these prominent plantation and mining families had in the
alteration. Aquasco area during the 1800s.
Figure 11. Miss Sarah Hall House. Soucre: Maryland Hostoric Trust
Figure 12. Hall Store in 2008. Source: Maryland Historic Trust
Farmsteads & Resort Towns 13
St. Mary?s Episcopal Church and Rectory
St. Mary?s Episcopal Church is an important social and religious wealthy vestry and plantation owner, donated a plot of land in
landmark in Aquasco area. The mission chapel serves the Aquasco, thus the rectory was built near St. Mary?s, the mission
southernmost congregants of St. Paul?s Episcopal Church in chapel instead29. Today the church is part of the Star-Spangled
Baden. The first church, built in 1848, was of wood frame Banner National Historic Trail, since this was a stop for the
construction and covered with stucco.27 The original church did British troops on their march towards Washington during the
not have the distinctive corner tower seen today, but instead a War of 1812. St. Mary?s Rectory is now a private residence.
small belfry. During the Civil War, the Union rode their horses
through Aquasco. Stopping at St. Mary?s Church and fed their Located in the heart of Aquasco, this religious structure was
horses from the baptismal font to show their contempt for also the center of social events in the area. Prominent plantation
Confederate sympathizers owners of Aquasco like W.R. Barker, George Morton and John . L. Turner were members of the church. Thus, it was the venue
It is unclear why the church was rebuilt in 1920, but the present- of many high profiled weddings and many prominent families
day Tudor inspired church and the corner tower is the result of were also buried in the church cemetery as well. Even in 1921,
that rebuilding project. In 1849, the parish built the rectory just W.T. Davis of Washington, a popular contralto soloist, held a
east of the chapel.28 performance in the church
30
In the nineteenth century, St. Mary?s Church was originally
integrated with African Americans like St. Paul?s Church.
However, after the Civil War, the congregation at St. Mary?s
became segregated. A separate church, St. Phillip?s Episcopal
Church, was erected west of Aquasco for the black
Episcopalians in the area31.
Figure 13. Watercolor painting of St. Mary?s Episcopal Church by Betty Taussig. Source:
Windfall of Inherited Treasure.
The parish intended to build the rectory closer to the main
church, St. Paul?s in Baden. However, George Morton, a
Figure 14. St. Mary's Rectory in 2019. Source: Veronica Martin
Farmsteads & Resort Towns 14
Aquasco Schoolhouse
This schoolhouse dates to the early twentieth century,32
although historic maps indicate that other schools were in this
location as well.33 The white children of Aquasco attended this
school until the 1940s when it was converted into a local health
clinic.34 In 1984, it was converted into a church and still operates
as the Scripture Way Church. Although the interior has been
highly altered, the building itself is still a recognized feature of
Aquasco?s history.35
Figure 16. East elevation facing west. This photo was taken before some windows were
replaced and others were covered in vinyl siding. Source: Mowyer, June 1974.
Figure 15. This photograph appeared in an ?Identify-Faces & Places?? segment of the
Chesapeake Country Life magazine. The original caption of this photograph is, ?Aquasco
School in Prince George?s County. 8 grades in one room. Teacher, Mrs. Mollie Ireland, May
1902.? One recollection, however, is that the school was referred to as ?Woodville Elementary
School? and that the photo was taken in 1906. Another recollection is that Mrs. Ireland
taught here in the 1880s. The chalkboard sign in the middle reads, ?School #1, District 8,
May? The year is obscured by a wayward knee. (Source: Chesapeake Country Life, September
1981).
Figure 17. West elevation facing east. This elevation is visible when driving east on St. Mary?s
Church Road. Source: Rebeccah Ballo, M-NCPPC, 2004.
Farmsteads & Resort Towns 15
Woodville Schoolhouse
This building was the third and final schoolhouse built for African complete on this schoolhouse in 1934. The end result is the
American students in Aquasco. According to oral tradition, the building you see here: a three-classroom rural school, the
first was built on the grounds of the John Wesley Methodist largest built for African Americans at that time in Prince
Church in 1868 by the Freedmen?s Bureau. The three trustees George?s County. It was designed by Upman & Adams,37
for the school also served as trustees for the church. In 1877, architects based out of Washington, D.C.38
the second African American elementary school was built on the
west side of Aquasco Road, about 100 yards south of this The school closed in 1955 and was purchased by the St. John?s
school. This was a one room frame building that accommodated Commandery #373. This African American Catholic group uses 39
a coal stove, black boards, and 33-desks.36 the former schoolhouse as a meeting space and social hall. After the school closed, African American students had to travel
north to Orme Elementary, near where the William Schmidt
Outdoor Education Center is today, until Prince George?s
County schools were officially desegregated in 1965.40
Figure 18. From 1877-1934, this building served as the schoolhouse for the African American
children of Aquasco. It was located at 21601 Aquasco Road and was demolished in 2011.
Source: African-American Historic and Cultural Resources in Prince George?s County,
Maryland ? M-NCPPC.
The 1877 school remained in use until a larger schoolhouse
was needed. The Board of Education purchased a 2-1/2-acre lot Figure 19. The Woodville Schoolhouse in 2019. Source: Grace Davenport, 2019.
on the east side of Aquasco Road. The Board purchased
building materials, and the construction was performed by
Emergency Relief Administration labor. Construction was
Farmsteads & Resort Towns 16
Aquasco Mill
The Aquasco Mill is located on the eastern side of Swanson?s Rinaldo Johnson, a prominent landowner in Aquasco, owned
Creek. The mill measures about 28 by 28 feet and historically the mill during the late 18th century.43 After his death in 1811 his
had a 4-foot broad wheel powering two mill stones. It served as second wife, Ann Johnson, daughter of George Mason and a
a grist mill for the local area from its construction ca. 1789 until wealthy landowner herself, continued to live on the property. In
the 1920s. Today only three stone walls of the mill remain August 1814, during the War of 1812, British troops ransacked
standing. While filled in with soil, the mill run is still visible her property on their way to the capital. Prior to this invasion,
running parallel to the creek. then Secretary of State James Monroe made a stopped at
Historically known as ?Aquasco Mill Farm,? the property on ?Aquasco Mill? to observe British troop movement and report is 44
which the mill is located passed through ownership of several back to Washington D.C.
well-known families in the area. The land was originally part of a
tract of land known as ?Purchase? sold to Thomas Truman in
1665.41 A 1789 Maryland Gazette publication advertised the
sale of 300 acres of land from ?Purchase? and the adjoining
farm ?Buttington.? The property included ?a new valuable grist
mill, with other improvements.?42
Figure 21. Fugitive Slave advertisement, January 19, 1790. Source: Maryland Gazette, pg.4.
Historic maps show that the mill remained in service under the
next two owners of the property, George A. M. Turner and P. A.
Bowen. An 1880 Manufacturing Schedule of the Federal
Census lists the mill as producing 100 bbl of flour, 135 tons of
meal, and 8.5 tons of feed.45 The mill serviced the local
Figure 20. 1798, Survey map by Dennis Griffith. The star next to ?Johnsons? indicated the community for over 200 years before falling into disuse.
location of a mill. Accessed 2019. Source: Library of Congress.
Farmsteads & Resort Towns 17
PA Bowen Farmstead
Historically connected with the Aquasco Mill, the PA Bowen .
Farmstead land dates back to the original land grants of
Aquasco. By the middle of the nineteenth century, George Allen In 1902, he was appointed as a trustee for the Woodville public 51
Morton Turner owned the property, with several functioning school. Bowen?s children were equally as active in the 52
outbuildings including the Aquasco Mill. At this time, the community. One child played on the Woodville baseball team,
property was known as Aquasco Mill Farm. Like many other another was married at St. Paul?s with a reception held at the 53
planters in the area, George was the owner of many slaves.46 Bowen Mansion, and another child became a doctor that 54
Turner died in 1861 and left four young orphaned children. served the Aquasco community.
Philander Adams Bowen, along with his wife and children, was The house remained in the Bowen family until 1927. It changed
the next family to fill this house.47 Some sources indicate that he hands a few more times after that. In 2009, the current owners
tore down the Turner dwelling in order to build his own house,48 purchased the property. It now operates as a dairy farm that
and others indicate that he merely added an addition to the offers tours and a gift shop with Maryland-created crafts and
east.49 artisan cheese.
Philander was a well-respected teacher and principal in
Georgetown but moved his family to Prince George?s County so
that his wife, Rachel Ann Etheldra Morton Bowen, could be
closer to her family.50 Although Philander became a farmer, he
remained dedicated to community service.
Figure 22. Philander A. Bowen (1826-1919) and his wife Rachel Ann Ethedra Morton Bowen
(1837-1924) on their wedding day. Rachel is wearing mourning clothing in honor of her Figure 23. The house, as it appeared in the 1989 HABS survey. Source: HABS
father?s death. Source: Richard Kirkpatrick and Sally Fallon Morell.
Farmsteads & Resort Towns 18
Sunnyside
Dr. Michael Jenifer Stone was a very prominent and respected In 1844, Dr. Stone built Sunnyside for his family.60 The property
member of the Woodville community thanks to his family originally featured the house, a corncrib, and a summer kitchen
connections. Dr. Stone?s father served in the Maryland House of with slave quarter located above. At some point, the house and
Delegates, was a member of the state?s Constitutional summer kitchen were connected by a passageway. According
Convention in 1788, and was then elected to the first United to family lore, the house was expanded when the Stone family
States Congress in 1789.55 His uncle, Thomas Stone, was a grew too large for the original house footprint as Dr. Stone and
signer of the Declaration of Independence.56 However, Dr. his wife, Susan A. Somervell had six children.61 According to
Stone was also respected by his community for his own work. slave inventories from the census, he owned eight slaves in
He practiced medicine out of his home and served as the first 1850 and seven in 1860.62 During the Civil War, Dr. Stone lost
Prince George?s County Examiner.57 An examiner reported to some of his estate.63
the board of County School Commissioners about the physical
condition of school buildings and the level of teaching in the Out of the six Stone children, only the eldest daughter, Mary, 64
classroom. Dr. Stone served from 1868 until his death in 1877.58 married. She had two daughters, and after her death in 1881, they were raised at Sunnyside. The house and property
remained in the family until 1980.65 Currently, the property is a
private residence.
Figure 25. Sunnyside Watercolor by Betty Taussig66
Figure 24. Dr. Stone Susan A. Somervell59
Farmsteads & Resort Towns 19
St. Phillips Episcopal Church and Cemetery
Located at the beginning of St. Phillips Road, the St. Phillips She completed her parish field work at the site from 1975 until it
church was the first of two African American Episcopal churches burned down in 1976. She was serving there when the church
in Prince George?s County founded c.1880. The church building burnt down. She described the site as follows: ?Its white wooden
was a white gable roof frame structure, four bays across with structure held scarcely more than a hundred people, but for me
the main entrance through the vestibule. The church bell was it rivaled the quality of a great cathedral.?70
cast by McShane and Co. in 1884. The building was renovated
in 1932, and a low apse was added to the South end. In 1976 The church burned down in November 1976 due to a furnace 71
the church burned down. The bell-cote and the 1884 bell are all explosion. There was some tension in Aquasco while the
that survive of the church and sit to the west of where the congregation tried to find a new meeting spot. There was
church once stood.67 The bell-cote collapsed at some point in pressure from the Episcopal Diocese of Washington for St.
the late 20th century according to local accounts and was rebuilt Mary?s, the all-white Episcopal church, to be given to the
by St. Mary?s County Amish.68 According to church records, a congregation, which both congregations rejected strongly, with
community hall once stood a mile from the church.69 St. Phillips congregation wanting a new church to be built on the site of the old one.72 This tension was likely compounded by the
A notable figure associated with the church is Civil Rights fact that St. Mary?s at the time was segregated with black and
activist and first African American woman to be an ordained whites sitting on opposite sides of the church.73 According to
Episcopal priest, Pauli Murray. Her uncle had served as vicar of local accounts The congregation eventually bought a church in
the church in the 1920s, and she often attended the church as a Baden, MD where it operates out of today.
child when spending summers with her aunt and uncle.
Figure 27. A woman receiving communion, St. Phillips Church, ca. 1975-76. Source:
Figure 26. St. Phillips Chapel, unknown date. Source: St. Phillips Church, Baden Parish. Schlesinger Library, Radcliffe Institute, Harvard University.
Farmsteads & Resort Towns 20
Scott Family Cemetery
The Scott cemetery belongs to the Scott family and is a Among those who are buried in this cemetery, include; The
reserved space for family burials only; the Scotts and the Fenwicks; William B. from 1873 to 1948 and Rhoda M. from
Fenwicks. The Scott family was a wealthy white family who 1875 to 1963, and, Douglas C. Fenwick from 1908 to 1973; and,
owned tobacco farms and had 20 slaves at one point in time.74 The Scotts; Lloyd M. Scott (died in 1865 at 56 years of age),
This is a small family burial plot that sits next to St. Phillip?s Albert and Elizabeth Scott from 1802-91 and 1815-51
Road and is enclosed by a chain-link fence. Apparently, it is still respectively. Albert was Lloyd?s sibling. Michael C. Scott?s (1849
used for burials as some of the stones are quite recent. Most of to 1895) son, Andrew Hawkins Scott, is also buried here (PFC
the older markers are for the Scott family, who farmed here in US Army, World War 1) who lived from 1890 to 1975. Scott
the mid and late 1800?s. The cemetery represents the family connects to Andrew Grimes because Andrew bought 6
importance of family burial plots and is one example among acres of the Scott Farmhouse in 190276
several such cemeteries in the area. William and Rhoda Fenwicks were the parents of Douglas
The cemetery is located at the corner of a Tobacco barn. The Fenwick according to US Federal census of 1930.77 Douglas
Fenwicks have been living on the same street too as the Scotts. Fenwick had been a World War 2 veteran from 1940-47.78 On
Douglas Fenwick is even known to have resided at Michael the other hand, Andrew Scott, with occupation as a farmer, also
C.Scott?s previous residence.75 served as a veteran in the World War 1, is also known to be
living with Fenwicks during the 1930s.
Figure 28. Looking south at the Scott Cemetery Source: Picture taken on a site visit by Hassan Figure 29. Looking at the oldest grave at the Scott Cemetery, which dates back to 1865
Tariq Source: Picture taken on a site visit by Hassan Tariq.
Farmsteads & Resort Towns 21
James A Cochrane Store
J. Selby built the James A. Cochrane Store c. 1850. 79 James A. Members of the Grimes family continued to be business owners
Cochrane ran a merchant and blacksmith shop with his wife in Aquasco. The IGA store located at St. Philips and Aquasco
Mary Cochrane. They lived in the nearby Mary C. B. Cochrane Road, also known as the Grimes Market, was owned by Eugene
house. On June 1, 1888 there was a fire at the store. The C. Grimes Jr. from its opening in 1982 until his death in 2012.
Cochranes insurance covered the $3,500 of property This 20th C. one story brick commercial building includes gas
damages.80 pumps.82
The Grimes family owned the store through most of the 20th
century operating an embalming and general goods store from Currently the Cochrane Store sits abandoned. Its prominent
the building. Andrew Grimes and his wife Margaret Ann Grimes location along the road makes it a curiosity for those interested
had eight children and lived in the nearby Scott farmhouse on in ruins. The site can be found in Pinterest and Flicker albums
St. Philips Road, which the Grimes family owned from 1902 until and was featured in an online article entitled ?6 Eerily Beautiful
1996.81 They also owned the Mary C. B. Cochrane House next Abandoned Funeral Homes and Morgues.?83
door to the shop.
Figure 30 Advertisement for Andrew J. Grimes & Sons. Source: The Prince Georges's Enquirer
and Southern Maryland Advertiser, April 29, 1921. Figure 31. James Cochrane store as seen from Aquasco Road. Source: Hassan Tariq
Farmsteads & Resort Towns 22
Mary C B Cochrane House
Mary C. B. Cochrane purchased 3.72 acres of the tracts known interior chimneys spaced equidistant from the center along north
as ?part of Dove?s Rest?, and ?Dove?s Perch? from Andrew side. Porch is supported by Tuscan wood posts with wooden
Martine in 1873 and constructed a house in c.1875. Mary C. B. brackets. North side of porch has been screened in. There have
Cochrane seemed to have owned this property from 1873 to been multiple additions to the house on west and south
1910. The house belonged to the Cochranes who originally elevations which are not visible from the road. The whole house
owned the Cochrane store. James A. Cochrane, Mary?s rests on a concrete foundation.
husband, operated a general store to the north near the
intersection of Eagle Harbor and the Aquasco road. The
property consists of a few outbuildings as well including a
garage, two barns, three sheds and a playhouse. Among all
these, the playhouse does not date back to the Cochrane
family?s lifetime. Mary C.B. Cochrane, her husband James A
Cochrane, her three children, and her step-son resided in
Aquasco. After her death in 1910, Mary Cochrane?s heirs J.
Mitchell Cochrane and Ellen E. (Cochrane) Stanforth sold the
property to Andrew Grimes.84 Greg D. and Wendy J. Walston,
who sold it the current owner Laura L. Johnson in 2006.85
Constructed c. 1875, the Mary C.B. Cochrane House is an
example of the many vernacular farmhouses built in Prince
George's County in the late 19th century. Two and a half story
high, 5 bay 2 part wooden frame house with vinyl siding with
federally styled 4 over 4 double hung vinyl sash windows, has a
half hipped roof-porch wrapping around East and North sides
which screens off the first story windows from the sun. It has a
cross gable roofing structure at the north end. The roof is Figure 32. Looking southwest to the Cochrane house from Aquasco Road. Source: Photo by
covered with asphalt shingles with a central semicircular-top Hassan Tariq
dormer windows located above the 2nd story at the gable ends.
The roof has overhanging eaves and raked cornice. Roof has a
total of 3 interior end chimneys- one centrally aligned chimney is
at the southern end of the main block whereas, two more On
May 31st 1995, the deed of 6.86 parcel was transferred to Greg
Farmsteads & Resort Towns 23
John Wesley Methodist Church
The John Wesley Methodist Church, or Christ United Methodist The site was the location of Aquasco?s first Freedman?s school.
Church as it is called today, sits on Church Road. James Gray Erected in 1867, James Gray and two other Freedmen, Walter
purchased the lot in 1866 from George Morton to erect a Thomas and Richard Thomas served as trustees of the school,
Methodist Episcopal Church for the freedman community. The and the Freedman?s Bureau assigned a teacher in 1868. The
first church was built in 1873. The Church was rebuilt in 1906, school was known as the John Wesley School and operated
the original church was an unadorned wood-frame meeting- until the Woodville School opened further north on Aquasco
house structure, measuring 20? x 40? with a belfry. Nothing of Road in 1934.87
the first two structures remains. The original bell remains to the
west of the church. The fellowship hall was rebuilt in 1955 and The church is one of the earliest established freedman churches 88
the chapel was rebuilt in 1961. The site includes a cemetery in Prince Georges County after the Civil War.
with graves dating from 1915 to 2005. Burials no longer occur
here. In 1973, John Wesley and St. Thomas Methodist
churches merged to become Christ United Methodist Church.86
Figure 34 Christ United Methodist's Bell, cast in 1892 by McShane and Co, Baltimore MD.
Figure 33 North elevation of Christ United Methodist Church. Source: Hassan Tariq Source: Tamara Schlossenberg
Farmsteads & Resort Towns 24
Resort Towns
In In the early 1900s a beach trip to escape the city heat was Of course, there were other less convenient options like
not a simple outing for city dwelling African Americans, because boarding a Jim Crow Trolley to cross into Virginia to Analostan
most beaches welcomed ?whites-only.? In response, black Island, another undesirable location with a dry mud beach and
beaches were sporadically carved out of those once ?white-only? water that was also infested with urban and industrial pollution.91
shores but were established with unclear dividing lines. An
explicit example of this ambiguity occurred in the summer of Having had enough of such repugnant options, John Stewart, a
1919 when a young black man, Eugene Williams of Chicago, black funeral home director, collaborated with Walter Bean (DC
swam into water that was recognized as the ?white section.?89 Accountant) and Lansdale Sasscer (a white real estate
His mistake led to his untimely death. developer and later U.S. congressman), to purchase land along the Patuxent River at the southern corner of Prince George?s
African Americans were often forced to face hostility by white County for Eagle Harbor a summer resort town for blacks only in
beachgoers or be forced to go to undesirable waterfronts. In 1925.92
Washington, D.C., African Americans were sent to Buzzard
Point beach; a former dumping ground full of pollutants and
festering with health concerns.90
Figure 37. Eagle Harbor Logo. Source: Eagle Harbor, Inc.
Figure 36. Newspaper added. Source: Washington Tribune Figure 35. Eagle Harbor pier. Source: M-N CPPC
Farmsteads & Resort Towns 25
Resort Towns
With the help of E.S. Hine, the land was plotted into 1,000 lots The success of the Eagle Harbor getaway did not go unnoticed
measuring 25? x 100? and in mere months after its founding over by other real estate investors in Washington D.C., and soon,
half of those lots were sold to.93 Primarily the lots were sold to those investors purchased land north of Eagle Harbor creating
the teachers and federal workers who flocked to the area. Cedar Haven. Today, these two communities have several year-
Inaugural residents pitched tents on their sites but overtime long residents, but continue to welcome their seasonal
wooden and brick cottages lined the streets. 94 After a neighbors who use their lots during the summer months to
troublesome experience with a tax assessment, the community escape the bustling city and suburbs. Both communities seek
decided to incorporate raising it to the status of a town. sustainability and encourage visitors to events held throughout
the year like Eagle Harbor?s Town Day every August.
Figure 38. Cedar Haven ?Picturesque Cedar Haven.? Source: Hornbake Library at UMD
Figure 40. Source: courtesy of Sara Baum
Figure 39. Newspaper Ad. Source: Washington Evening Star
Farmsteads & Resort Towns 26
Resort Town Businesses
Historically, Eagle Harbor and Cedar Haven have attempted to To further promote the modest and harmonious nature of the
keep commercial enterprises out of their purposely remote communities in the first half of the 20th century, the towns
towns, and frankly have been successful at doing so. There is continued to block the development of liquor stores or bars and
very little built evidence of any businesses including places to poolrooms to avoid ruckus or commotion and maintain the
shop or places to stay like a hotel or motel. However, although peacefulness they were known for.96 Instead of such activities
there is little to no built evidence does not mean they did not guests were encouraged to partake in games and beach
exist, it just means those ventures were less traditional and relaxation.
quainter so they would fit into the quietness of the towns. One existing business structure is The Wanderer Inn general
Similarly to the Cedar Haven Hotel, Eagle Harbor hosted events store stands at the fork before entering either of the towns. It is
from the Patuxent Hotel (built by the same constructors who currently owned by a local Aquasco farmer but has not been
constructed the African American High School in Fairmount used as a store for some time. Employees of the store included
Heights. The hotels were known for hosting events for those those from the community and even Mayor Crudup worked
coming from DC primarily, but Eagle Harbor also had Mrs. there in 1963 for one weekend as a young adult.97 Small, locally
Fields? Marie Villa which was well known for hosting families owned stores were important. They ensured residents could
coming from out of town.95 Like Mrs. Fields, Ernest Daniel, avoid hostility while shopping as well as on the beach.
founder of Cedar Haven and owner of Carry Ice Cream in D.C.,
kept business within the community by providing ice cream to
visiting schools.
Figure 42. Carry?s Ice Cream Truck. Source: National Photo Co. Collection. Figure 41. General Store. Source: Sara Baum.
Farmsteads & Resort Towns 27
Artesian Well
In the 1920?s, the founders of Eagle Harbor laid out lots on the grew into a resort community. By the 1960s, the number of full-
shore of the Patuxent River to be developed as resort town for time residents in the town required wells be drilled for individual
African Americans. Lots in the town were advertised to properties. But the Artesian Well continued to supply of water
communities around DC and Baltimore as an escape from city for many years, and only stopped running in 2014.99
life and a chance to enjoy beach front recreation. In an area of
segregation, Eagle Harbor became the first incorporated African In 2016, the Town of Eagle Harbor marked their Artesian Well
American town in Maryland.98 as a historic site for the important service it provided the town for most of its history. Like the town itself, the Artesian Well is
under threat from the effects of climate change due to erosion of
the shoreline. The town has received grant funding to preserve
their Artesian Well for future generations and addresses
environmental concerns annually.
Figure 43. Eagle Harbor Advertisement. Source: Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning
Commission.
The first generation of homes built in Eagle Harbor were used
as summer cottages. Many residents did not initially put in wells
on their property; instead the community had communal access Figure 44. View of the Artesian Well in present-day. Source: Kathleen Jockel and Josette
to a well located near the center of town at the water?s edge. Graham, September 2019.
The town installed the Artesian Well in the 1920s as the town
Farmsteads & Resort Towns 28
Kit Houses
Established in 1927 as a waterfront community, Cedar Haven Some of the earliest houses in the area include Sojourn, White
became the second summer recreation community for African- Cedars, Cedar Villa and Bellana. Most of the houses have small
Americans. A new community meant new housing. Early sheds, garages or other outbuildings on the lot as well. Only the
construction in Cedar Haven comprised of small bungalows and ?Bellana,? made as a recreation home for and named after its
cottages with porches and large setbacks. owner, Anna E. Bell, stands today in its nearly original form with
Residents were encouraged to order homes from Sears, its front-gabled facade on a raised pier foundation and an open
Roebuck and Company Kit Homes or model homes after their flat-roofed porch
100.
patterns. Kit houses offered reduced time for construction
requiring only assembly-on-site. Developers encouraged
owners to build models such as Magnolia, Belhaven or
Whitehall, as they were small, and economical bungalows.
Figure 45. Top Leftt: The ?Bellana.? Beautiful recreation home of
Miss Anna. E. Bell, (a photograph from the 1930s). Sour ce: Cedar
Haven on the Patuxent, The Playground of nation?s capital, ?UMD
Hornbake Library Archival Collection?.
Bottom Left: Cedar Villa located in Cedar Haven. Source :
lib.umd.edu/broadside advertising Cedar Haven 1930s.
Top Right: White Cedars? located on the Charles Young Avenue.
Source: Source: Hassan Tariq, 2019.
Bottom Right: Looking West towards The Booker House from Phyllis
Wheatley Avenue merging into Booker Washington Avenue. Source:
Hassan Tariq, 2019.
Farmsteads & Resort Towns 29
Kit Houses
The Bellana is known to be a Kit house based on a ?Magnolia?
model by Sears. ?White Cedars? is seemingly modelled after the
Kit house design as well, which is a ten-room, two- apartment
bungalow. One more obvious example is located at 22801
Booker Washington Avenue. It closely matches the Ocean Park
Design shown in advertising material in the Cedar Haven?
archival collection.101 ?Cedar Villa? was yet another example of a
bungalow/kit house located at the corner of Douglas Avenue
and Allen Street102 and resembled, both the Belhaven and the
Westly103 designs by Sears.
Whether or not these kit houses were largely adopted by the
community, the large corporations such as Sears did set a few
base models, from which, most of the Cedar Haven residents
took huge inspiration.
Figure 46. Left: Advertisement showing ?Belhaven? style of Catalog homes by Sears and Roebuck. Source:
Advertisement showing ?Belhaven? style of Catalog homes by Sears and Roebuck.
Top Right: Advertisement showing Ocean Park style of Catalog homes by Sears and Roebuck. Source: Cedar Hevan on the Patuxent, The Playground of nation?s capital, ?UMD Hornbake Library Archival Collection?.
Bottom Right: Advertisement showing ?Magnolia? style of Catalog homes by Sears and Roebuck. Source: Cedar
Haven on the Patuxent, The Playground of nation?s capital, ?UMD Hornbake Library Archival Collection?
Farmsteads & Resort Towns 30
Cedar Haven Hotel
The community of Cedar Haven opened on July 4, 1926 as a
new summer resort town along the Patuxent River.104 Just three
years later, the Cedar Haven Hotel was hosting conferences,
events, and parties. The hotel was a large bungalow equipped
with gas, electricity, a garage, and a dance hall, and quickly
became well known for its chicken dinners.105 In 1929, the
Cedar Haven Hotel hosted the Robert T. Freeman Dental
Society.106 The program included breakfast at the Hotel along
with hiking, a baseball game, water sports, tennis and more!107
The Hotel was home to the Clark Smith?s School of Secretarial
Service in 1930.108 Tuition was only $10 dollars, but for an
additional $5, students could stay at the Cedar Haven Hotel.109
Cedar Haven also had a bathhouse near the beach. The
building offered lockers and dressing rooms for men and
women. You could even rent a bathing suit!
The Cedar Haven Hotel is gone, lost in the changing landscape;
however, newspaper articles provide us a look into the past. Figure 47. Cedar Haven Hotel, date unknown Source: Hornbake Library
The Hotel served visitors and early residents, and showcases
the bustling life of Cedar Haven during the community?s early
years. The physical may be gone, but the story of the Hotel and
its impact still linger today.
Figure 48. Advertisement for Cedar Haven Hotel. Source: Afro-American, 1930
Figure 49. Advertisement for Clark Smith?s School. Source: Afro-American 1930
Farmsteads & Resort Towns 31
Eagle Harbor Beach
As ?The Paradise on the Patuxent,? Eagle Harbor Beach is a Climate change has elevated these environmental concerns,
vital resource to the waterfront community of Eagle Harbor. As a prompting the Eagle Harbor community to be more proactive
segregated beach for middle class African Americans from about their vision of the future. The community?s efforts were
Washington D.C. during the Jim Crow era, African Americans recognized in August 2018, when Eagle Harbor became a
could swim freely without discrimination here.110 The beach was Certified Sustainable Maryland Community112. As a part of their
used for swimming, boating, bathing, hunting and crabbing. Sustainability Plan, Eagle Harbor is planning to improve and
Many of the residents still recall their summer trips down to increase current infrastructure as well as implement a living
Eagle Harbor with their family. shoreline system along the entire length of the Eagle Harbor
One of the many environmental concerns for the community is coast. This effort not only serves to protect the tangible history
the one inch of annual shoreline erosion,111 which is making the of the Eagle Harbor community, but also revitalize the resort
historic beach unrecognizable as the popular vacation town into an attractive recreational and heritage tourism
destination it was in the past. Along with substantial yearly destination all year-round. Eagle Harbor Beach is not just a
shoreline erosion, the water quality of the beach has declined historic beach to the community, but a life source for the growth
due to the operations of the nearby Chalk Point Generating and continuation of this small, quaint waterfront town.
Station. This level of environmental degradation is not only To learn more about how Eagle Harbor plans to ?Cherish the
threatening the historic beach, but also many waterfront past and plan for the future,? visit their website,
properties in Eagle Harbor. www.townofeagleharborincmd.org, and visit Eagle Harbor on
the first Saturday in August for ?Town Day? to experience the rich waterfront history.
Figure 50. Beach and Shoreline Erosion Source: Town of Eagle Harbor.
Figure 51. Waterfront structures at risk of flooding. Source: Town of Eagle Harbor
Farmsteads & Resort Towns 32
1 Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission, African-American 24 Maria Dayton and Paul Weishar, Maryland Inventory of Historic Properties Form:
Historic and Cultural Resources in Prince George?s County, Maryland, February 2012, Miss Sarah Hall House and Hall Store, (Washington D.C., EHT Traceries, Inc., 2009).
191. 25 Maria Dayton and Paul Weishar, Maryland Inventory of Historic Properties Form:
2 Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission, Illustrated Inventory of Miss Sarah Hall House and Hall Store, (Washington D.C., EHT Traceries, Inc., 2009).
Historic Sites, Prince George?s County, Maryland, July, 2006, 7. 26 Maryland Historical Trust, ?Hall?s Store,? Maryland Inventory of Historic
3 Ibid, 191. Properties Form, P.G.87B-9
4 Ibid, 196. 27 Maryland Historical Trust, ?St. Mary?s Episcopal Church,? (1992), Maryland
5 Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission, ?Historic Site Summary Historical Trust State Historical Sites Survey Form, P.G.87B-36-8b
Sheet; Trueman Point (Landing),? accessed September 2019. 28 Maryland Historical Trust, ?St. Mary?s Episcopal Church,? (1992), Maryland
6 Town of Eagle Harbor, Inc. ?Historic 90th Year Anniversary,? 2014. Historical Trust State Historical Sites Survey Form, P.G.87B-36-8b
7 Crudup, James D., Sr., Personal Communication, October 2019. 29 National Park Service, ?St. Mary?s Rectory,? (1981), National Register of Historic
8 ?Personals.? The Baltimore Afro-American, Aug 25, 1934; accessed via ProQuest Places Inventory-Nomination Form, PG.87B-8a
Historical Newspapers, November 2019. 30 Maryland Historical Trust, ?St. Mary?s Episcopal Church,? (1992), Maryland
9 King, Marina. ?William R. Barker House.? Prince George?s County Historic Site Historical Trust State Historical Sites Survey Form, P.G.87B-36-8b
Summary Sheet. Prince George?s County Historic Preservation Commission, Upper 31 Susan G. Pearl, Maryland Inventory of Historic Properties Form: St. Mary?s
Marlboro, June 1990, 10. Episcopal Church PG#87B-36-8b. Upper Marlboro, Maryland, Prince George?s
10 King, Marina. ?Villa DeSales.? National Register of Historic Places Nomination County Historic Preservation Commission, 2004.
Form. Prince George?s County Historic Preservation Commission, Upper Marlboro, 32 Rebeccah Ballo, Maryland Historical Trust Maryland Inventory of Historic
December 1987, 12. Properties Form: Woodville Schoolhouse No. 1, October 8, 2004,
11 Ibid. https://mht.maryland.gov/secure/medusa/PDF/PrinceGeorges/PG;87B-4.pdf.
12 Ibid, 13. 33 Simon Martenet, Martenet?s Map of Prince George?s County, Maryland,
13 Villa de Alpacas Farm. ?Our Farm ? Maryland?s Last Self-Sustaining Bicentennial (Baltimore, 1861), https://www.loc.gov/item/2002624036/.
Farm.? Marylandalpacafarm.com. 34 Greenbelt cooperator. (Greenbelt, Md.), 16 Jan. 1942. Chronicling America:
14 Villa de Alpacas Farm. ?History ? One Farm, One Family, Five Generations.? Historic American Newspapers. Lib. of Congress.
Marylandalpacafarm.com. 35 Ballo, Woodville Schoolhouse No. 1, 2004.
15 Ibid. 36 Susan Pearl, Maryland Historical Trust State Historic Sites Inventory Form:
16 Ebid. Woodville ?Colored? School, May 1983,
17 Ebid. https://mht.maryland.gov/secure/medusa/PDF/PrinceGeorges/PG;87B-34.pdf.
18 Vivian and Edward B. Edelen. ?St. Dominic's Catholic Church.? Alpaca Fiber 37 Upman & Adams contributed to the development of Washington, D.C., Maryland,
Products & Gifts | Villa de Alpacas Farm. August 29, 2019. and Virginia. Percy Crowley Adams and Frank Upman worked in partnership from
19 Deed of Sale from John Bowling and Christina J. Bowling to Reverend James 1924-1945 but had a history of collaboration prior to 1924. Their most prominent
Gibbons, Archbishop of Baltimore City, May 30, 1879, Prince George?s County, commission was that of the Chevy Chase Theater (re-named the Avalon Theater).
Maryland Land Records, Liber ATB- No. 1 Folio 272. Accessed on MDlandrec.net. They had a lot of experience designed school buildings, most of which were located
Owen B. Corrigan. "A Model Country Parish and Its Records." Records of the in Arlington, Virginia. DC Architects Directory.
American Catholic Historical Society of Philadelphia 35, no. 3 (1924): 197-241.. 38 The Maryland National Capital Park and Planning Commission, African-American
20 Edelen, ?St. Dominic's Catholic Church.? Historic and Cultural Resources in Prince George?s County, Maryland, February 2012.
21 Ebid. 39 Pearl, Woodville ?Colored? School, 1983.
22 Ebid. 40 DeSales Farmer, interviewed by Grace Davenport. Phone.
23 Ebid. 41 Prince George?s County, ?Historic Site Summary Sheet; P. A. Bowen Farmstead,?
accessed 2019.
Farmsteads & Resort Towns 33
55 Marina King, National Register of Historic Places Nomination: Sunnyside, Aquasco,
42 ?Prince George?s County September 28, 1789,? Maryland Gazette, October 15, Maryland, (Upper Marlboro, MD: Historic Preservation Commission, County
1789. Planning Division, 1986) 9.
43 Pearl, Susan. PGCHS News and Views Message Board,? December 2, 2006: 56 Ebid.
Accessed October 2019. 57 Ebid., 10.
44 Vogal, Steve, Through the Perilous Fight: Six Weeks That Saved the Nation, 85, 58 Eleanor T. Fay and A. Mild. Hoyle, A Brief History of Early Times and an Account of
2013. the Educational Progress in Prince Georges County, Maryland (Adelphi, MD:
45 Pearl, Susan. ?PGCHS News and Views Message Board.? Community Projects Section, National Institute of Mental Health, 1965) 28.
46 The 1850 slave schedule for George A. M. Turner shows that he owned 37 slaves, 59 Betty Carney Taussig, 17.
ranging in age from 1 year old to 60 years old. The 1860 slave schedule shows that 60 Marina King, 9.
he owned 29 slaves, ages ranging from 6 months to 80 years old and that the 61 Ebid., 6.
property had 5 ?slave houses.? 62 1850 United States Census: Slave Schedules, Prince George?s, Maryland, digital
47 Philander Adams Bowen was one of the administrators of Turner?s estate as well image s.v. ?Michal J Stone," p. M432, 1,009 rolls; National Archives and Records
as the husband of George?s second cousin, Rachel Morton Bowen. Philander Administration, and, 1860 United States Census: Slave Schedules, Prince George?s,
petitioned the County Court of Equity to sell the property to pay off Turner?s debts Maryland, digital image s.v. ?M J Stone," p. M653, 1,438 rolls; National Archives and
so that his personal estate be saved for Turner?s children. PA Bowen himself Records Administration.
purchased the property in 1862, but the deed was not executed until 1869. Richard 63 Marina King, 10.
Kirkpatrick, Interviewed by Grace Davenport. Phone. And: Susan Pearl, P. A. Bowen 64 Taussig, Betty Carney. Windfall of Inherited Treasures. Annapolis, MD: Windfall
Farm, 1984. Pub. Co., 1983, 64.
48 Ibid. 65 Marina King, 10.
49 Joseph Rowe, Aquasco Used to Be Woodville, Orange, Virginia: 2005. 66 Ebid., 7.
50 Catherine Lavoie, P.A. Bowen House: Photographs and Written Historical and 67 Maryland Historical Trust, ?St. Phillip?s Chapel,? Maryland Historical Trust State
Descriptive Data, Historic American Buildings Survey: 1989 Historic Sites Inventory Form, (1974).
51 The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper 68 Leo Hofmann (Aquasco resident) in conversation with the author, October 30,
Marlborough, Md.), 13 June 1902. Chronicling America: Historic American 2019.
Newspapers. Lib. of Congress. 69 Vivian Rich, email message to author, November 4, 2019.
52 C. Bowen bruised his hand very badly as a catcher in a game against the Port 70 Pauli Murray, Song in a Weary Throat, (Washington: Harper & Row, Publishers,
Tobacco team. The Woodville team lost 4 to 32. Port Tobacco times, and Charles 1987), 432.
County advertiser. (Port Tobacco, Md.), 13 June 1884. Chronicling America: Historic 71 Vivian Rich, email message to author, November 5, 2019.
American Newspapers. Lib. of Congress. 72 Eugene L. Meyer, ?Black, White Congregations Angry Over P.G. Episcopal Church
53 The wedding was described as ?Brilliant? and that the bride was ?most Shifts,? The Washington Post, February 10, 1977.
becomingly attired in white brocade silk, with satin facings, made en train.? Saint 73 Steven Sonnett, Interview by Grace Davenport, November 14, 2019.
Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.), 04 Dec. 1879. Chronicling America: 74 Maryland Historic Trust, ?Maryland Inventory of Historic Properties Form: Scott
Historic American Newspapers. Lib. of Congress. Farmhouse,? No. 8, pg.1, accessed October 2019.
54 Dr. Harry M. Bowen, son of Philander A. Bowen, studied medicine at Georgetown 75 Interview of local resident ?Leo Hofmann? by UMD graduate Tamarra
and John?s Hopkins Universities. He built the Adams-Bowen House on the North Schlossenberg, 2019.
side of Dr. Bowen Road, and it is for him the road is named. He practiced out of his 76 Maryland Historic Trust, ?Maryland Inventory of Historic Properties Form: Scott
house and his office was in the southeast parlor of his house. Marina King, Farmhouse,? No. 8, pg.1, accessed October 2019.
Maryland Historic Trust/National Register of Historic Places Registration Form: 77 ?1903 United States Federal Census for Douglass Fenwick,? accessed via
Adams-Bowen House, Historic Preservation Commission: August, 1989. Ancestry.com, November 2019.
Farmsteads & Resort Towns 34
97 Mayor James Crudup, interview by University of Maryland Studio Class, October
78 ?WWII Draft Card? for Douglas Fenwick, accessed via Ancesrty.com, November 1, 2019, Eagle Harbor Community Center, Aquasco, MD.
2019.
79 Maryland Historical Trust (2008), ?James A. Cochrane Store,? Maryland Historical 98 Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission, African-American
Trust Maryland Inventory of Historic Properties Form, P.G.:87B-036-17. Historic and Cultural Resources in Prince George?s County, Maryland, February
80 ?Maryland Affairs? The Democratic Advocate, June 2, 1888. 2012.
81 Howard S. Berger, ?Evaluation for Historic Site Designation: Findings, Conclusion 99 Crudup, James D., Sr., Personal Communication, October 2019.
and Recommendation, Scott Farmhouse,? Maryland-National Capital Park and 100 https://issuu.com/mncppc/docs/aapgc
Planning Commission, November 13, 2018. 101 Cedar Haven on the Patuxent, The Playground of nation?s capital, ?UMD
82 ?Grimes? Market,? Buzzfile, 2019, accessed 13 October 2019. Hornbake Library Archival Collection?
83 Maisel, David, ?6 Eerily Beautiful Abandoned Funeral Homes and Morgues,? 102 Cedar Haven Ad from MD digital libraries, Broadside advertising Cedar Haven,
August 5, 2014, usurnsonline.com, accessed: 13 October 2019. MD, 1930s
84 Maryland Historic Trust, ?Maryland Inventory of Historic Properties Form: Mary 103 https://www.oldhouseonline.com/house-tours/story-sears-houses
C.B. Cochrane House,? No. 8, pg. 1, accessed October 2019. 104 "NEW COLORED RESORT TO BE OPENED TODAY: CEDAR HAVEN OFFERS MANY
85Ibid., No. 7, pg. 3. ADVANTAGES, REALTORS SAY, FOR SUMMER COLONY." The Washington Post
86Maryland Historical Trust, ?John Wesley Methodist Episcopal Church,? (1983), The (1923-1954), Jul 04, 1926.
Maryland Historical Turst Historic Sites Inventory Form, P.G. 87B-33. 105 87B-039 Cedar Haven Community Description. Maryland-National Capital Park
87 The Maryland-National Capital park and Planning Commission, ?87B-33, John and Planning Commission.
Wesley Methodist Episcopal Church site and Cemetery,? African-American Historic 106 ?Dentists Plan Outing? Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.), June 22, 1928.
and Cultural Resources in Prince George?s County, Maryland (2012), pg. 193. 107 Ebid.
88 Ibid. 108 "Display Ad 65 -- no Title." Afro-American (1893-1988), Jun 28, 1930.
89 History.com Editors. ?The Red Summer of 1919.? History. A&E Television 109 Ebid.
Networks, December 2, 2009. https://www.history.com/topics/black- 110 Crudups, James D. Interviewed by Sara Baum, Grace Davenport, Amy Duan,
history/chicago-race-riot-of-1919. Josette Graham, Kathleen Jockel, Veronica Martin, Paula Nasta, Tamara
90 Kahrl, Andrew W. The Land Was Ours. Cambridge, Mass: Harvard University Scholossenberg, Hassan Tariq. Group Interview. 23308 Hawkins Drive, Aquasco,
Press, 2012. MD 20608-0028, October 1, 2019.
91 ibid 111 Crudups, James D. Interviewed by Sara Baum, Grace Davenport, Amy Duan,
92 ibid Josette Graham, Kathleen Jockel, Veronica Martin, Paula Nasta, Tamara
93 ibid Scholossenberg, Hassan Tariq. Group Interview. 23308 Hawkins Drive, Aquasco,
94 Eastman, Michael. ?Eagle Harbor: A Tranquil Riverside Refuge.? The Washington MD 20608-0028, October 1, 2019.
Post. June 26, 1980. 112 Eagle Harbor Board of Commissioners. Historic 90th Year Anniversary. Aquasco:
95 ?Mrs. Fields Entertains at Eagle Harbor Cottage.? The Baltimore Afro-American, Town of Eagle Harbor, 2019.
September 11, 1937.
96 ?Negro Community Asks Barring of Poolrooms.? The Baltimore Sun, February 24,
1933.
Farmsteads & Resort Towns 35
Acknowledgments
The team would like to thank the following organizations and individuals for their help in this project. It is thanks to everyone on this list that the heritage
trail package came together as it did.
Sarah Fuller
Partnership for Action in Learning Sustainability (PALS)
Maryland-National Capital Parks and Planning Commission (M-NCPPC)
Members of the Cedar Haven Civic Association
Linda Garoute
Town of Eagle Harbor
Mayor James D. Crudup Sr.
Commissioner Jack B. Martin
Dr. Noah Waters
Greater Baden Aquasco Citizens Association
Aaron Marcavitch, ATHA, Inc
Kyle Petchock Art
Lakeland Community Heritage Project
Ms. Maxine Gross
Dr. Mary Sies
Oral History Contributors: reserved
CHANGING LANDSCAPES: FARMSTEADS AND RESORT TOWNS
Parking for bikers & a year-round porta-potty can be found at the Cedar Haven Fishing Area,
18400 Phyllis Wheatley Avenue, Eagle Harbor, MD 20608
1. Welcome: Parking Area 1. William R. Barker House, 22600 Aquasco Rd.
Theme Kiosk 2. Tobacco & Reconstruction: ?Stop 2 Points of 2. Villa de Alpacas Farm, 22410 Aquasco Rd.
3. Education: Stop 7 3. Hardesty's Haven Cafe, 22102 Aquasco Rd.
Locations: 4. Religion: Stop 14 Interest: 4. Adams-Bowen House, 16002 Dr. Bowen Rd
5. Resort Towns: Stop 15 5. Scott Farmhouse, 16100 St. Philips Rd.
6. Keech House, 22700 Aquasco Rd.
Heritage Trail Stops & Markers:
1. Trueman Point, 18601 Trueman Point Rd. Historically a wharf, Trueman Point is now a Town of Eagle Harbor park.
2. Barker-Bowling-Forbes Family, 22457 Aquasco Rd. These families were prominent planters whose elaborate plantation houses still dot the landscape.
3. St. Dominic's Roman Catholic Church, ?22457 Aquasco Rd. Built in 1832 by John Bowling, this it the first Roman Catholic Church in the area.
4. Miss Sarah Hall House and Store, 22300 Aquasco Rd. The Hall family was a wealthy and prominent family in the Aquasco area during the 1800s.
5. St. Mary's Episcopal Church and Rectory, 22200 Aquasco Rd. & 16305 St. Mary's Church Rd. This church is an important religious and social landmark.
6. Aquasco Schoolhouse, 16606 St. Mary's Church Rd. This c. 1902 building served as the schoolhouse for Aquasco's white children during segregation.
7. Woodville Schoolhouse, 21500 Aquasco Rd. This was the third school built for African American children in Aquasco when schools were still segregated.
8. Aquasco Mill, 15308 Dr. Bowen Rd. The grist mill ran from c.1789 to the 1920s, and is privately owned.
9. PA Bowen Farmstead, 15701 Dr. Bowen Rd. This land, originally granted to the Truman family, now operates as a dairy farm specializing in artisanal cheese.
10. Sunnyside, 16005 Dr. Bowen Rd. Built in 1844, this was the home of Dr. Michael Jenifer Stone, a prominent doctor of nineteenth century Aquasco.
11. St. Philip's Episcopal Chapel Site? and Cemetery, 16100 St. Philips Rd. Founded c. 1880, this is one of the first two episcopal churches in Prince George's
County and also has ties to civil rights activist Pauli Murray.
12. Scott Family Cemetery, South side of St. Philips Rd. An example of family plots popular in this region, the oldest grave in this cemetery dates to 1865.
13. Cochrane and Grimes Store and House, 22609 Aquasco Rd. The now abandoned James A. Cochrane Store on Aquasco Road was first owned by James
Cochrane, and then by the Grimes family who owned several nearby properties.
14. John Wesley Methodist Church and Cemetery, 22919 Christ Church Rd. Founded in 1866, the Church and Cemetery are notable as one of the earliest
religious institutions established in Prince George's County for freedmen.
15. Businesses in Eagle Harbor, 18301 Elm Trail. Learn about business enterprises as you enter the Eagle Harbor and Cedar Haven communities.
16. Artesian Well, E Patuxent Blvd and Elm Trail. This well supplied water to the citizens of Eagle Harbor for over 60 years.
17. Eagle Harbor Beach, 23320 Patuxent Blvd. Eagle Harbor became known as "The Paradise on the Patuxent" because of its sandy beach, which is difficult to
spot today due to shoreline erosion.
18. Kit Houses, Booker Washington Avenue. Some houses in Cedar Haven were inspired by Sears, Roebuck and Company Kit homes.
19. Cedar Haven Hotel, Daniel Payne St. The Hotel served the community as a gathering space for weekly events and summer fun.
This Heritage Trail is a collaboration between the University of Maryland Historic Preservation Department's HISP 650 class,
UMD's Partnership for Action Learning in Sustainability, and the Maryland National Capital Park and Planning Commission. Created Fall 2019.
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1 Truman Point
Truman Point
Located at the southern tip of Prince George?s Trueman Point remained in private ownership for
County along the Patuxent River, Truman Point the rest of the 20th century. Parcels extending
served as a river port for local farms from the 18th to the north and south of the wharf were sold in
through the 20th century. It was first used as a the 1920s to develop the adjacent communities
tobacco port for the local area in 1747. Although of Cedar Haven and Eagle Harbor. The current
the official tobacco warehouse inspection port property encompasses the historic location
was soon after moved to another site, Trueman of the wharf. During the 20th century, when
Point was used into the 19th century for shipping segregation laws kept African Americans from
tobacco and other products. In 1817, George accessing many public beaches, Trueman Point
Weem?s acquired the land for of his steamboat Landing became a locationT of recreation for
operation. The land transferred hands between African American communities, especially those
various railroad and steamboat companies until trying to escape the summer heat of Washington
1932, when the wharf ceased use and the property DAC and BaltimFore. The waterfront was served switched to private ownership. as a significant place for religious meetings andbaptisms during the 20th century.
Advertisement for Geoerge Weem?s
Steamboat company Source: The
Baltimore Sun, pg. 3.; Jul 18, 1888
Martenet?s Map of Prince George?s County, Maryland, R
1861. Source: Library of Congress
A Local Tale
In 2013, the Town of Eagle Harbor
purchased Trueman PointD and
established it as a park for use by
the town?s residents. Local history
says that Trueman Point was once
used to deliver enslaved individuals
to the large plantations in the area.
It is exceptionally significant then,
for a community founded for African
Americans in an era of segregation Swimmers at Trueman Point, facing south towards the power
to now have control over the land plant, July 26, 197. Source:
?Tiny Town on the Patuxent
on which their ancestors were once Fears Silt Threatens Future? By
bought and sold. Ivan G. Goldman,
This sign is part of the Changing Landscapes:Farmsteads and Resort Towns Tour.
To download the audio tour and guide book go to:
2 Barker, Bowling, and Forbes Family
William Barker House and Villa DeSales
As the community of Woodville came to life during the 19th century,
the draw for farming drew many planters to the area. Several
intermarried and created long-lasting relationships. Three influential
families, the Barkers, the Bowlings, and the Forbes, created one T
such bond.
William Barker was a prominent member of Woodville society. In
1829, he married Charity Gill and promptly began property F
ownership in the county. Family tradition states that the couple
Villa DeSales, Photograph by Marina King. Source: Prince George?s
hosted the wedding of Colonel John Bowling to her sister, County HPC.
Elizabeth, uniting the two families. William left his estate to John?s
children upon his death in 1866 as he and ChariRty had no heAirs. Colonel Bowling was the patriarch of the Bowling family. His daughter, Frances,, married George Forbes Jr. in 1872, the son of Colonel George Forbes. The ForbDes were another prominent Woodville family. Shortly after their wedding, Fanny and George built their home, Villa De Sales, which has been continuously farmed by the family for over 200 years. William R. Barker House, Photograph by Marina King. Source: Prince George?s County HPC.
This sign is part of the Changing Landscapes:Farmsteads and Resort Towns Tour.
To download the audio tour and guide book go to:
3 St. Dominic?s Roman Catholic Church
St. Dominic?s Roman Catholic Church and its nearby cemetery
were dedicated by the Archbishop of Baltimore City, James
Cardinal Gibbons, for the Bowling family in 1879. The land and
church came with the stipulation that only members of the Bowling
family, their descendants, and their spouses would be buried on
the land. This stipulation has continued to present day. Colonel T
Bowling, Elizabeth Gill, and their son, Erasmus Gill Bowling, were
the first to be buried. Their names can be found on the tall obelisk
tombstone. AFSt. Dominic?s Church. Source: Veronica MartinR
Interior of St. Dominic?s Church. Source: Vivian and EDdward B. Edelen, unknown date Cornerstone St. Dominic?s Church. Source: Veronica Martin
This sign is part of the Changing Landscapes:Farmsteads and Resort Towns Tour.
To download the audio tour and guide book go to:
4 Miss Sarah Hall House and Store
Miss Sarah Hall House was constructed in 1875 by the Hall family,
whom were wealthy, prominent plantation owners in Aquasco. The
house is a two-story, three bay vernacular I-form structure. It has a
large, two-story addition located on the east elevation. The original
wood frame build has been re-cladded in vinyl siding. A side-gable T
roof with front-gables pediment is covered with asphalt shingles
caps the building. Two interior end chimneys with corbeled caps
pierce the ridgeline. F
The Hall store, located noth of the house, was constructed in 1850 Miss Sarah Hall House. Source: Maryland Historic Trust
by another branch of relatives within the Hall family. The store was
an important commercial outlet for the rural community in the mid
nineteenth century. This store is two and one-half story, two bAays
wides and has a front gable. The interior has an L-shaped plan.
A one-story wrap around porch is located on the west elevation.
Many additions have been added since its originRal construction. D Miss Sarah Hall House. Source: Maryland Historic Trust
This sign is part of the Changing Landscapes:Farmsteads and Resort Towns Tour.
To download the audio tour and guide book go to:
5 St. Mary?s Episcopal Church and Rectory
Built in 1848, St. Mary?s Episcopal Church was an important social
and religious landmark of Aquasco. The original church did not
have the distinctive corner tower, but instead a small belfry. St.
Mary?s Rectory, built in 1849, was supposed to be in Baden near
St. Paul?s Episcopal church, the main parish church. However, T
George Morton, a wealthy vestry and plantation owner, donated a
plot of land in Aquasco, thus the rectory was built near St. Mary?s,
the mission chapel instead. F
During the American Civil War, the Union soldiers rode their horses
through Aquasco. Stopping at St. Mary?s Church to feed their
horses from the church?s baptismal font show thReir contempt of the Confederate sympathizers. A Watercolor of St. Mary?s. Source: Betty Taussig
St. Mary?s Church. SourcDe: Veronica Martin St. Mary?s Rectory. Source: Veronica Martin
This sign is part of the Changing Landscapes:Farmsteads and Resort Towns Tour.
To download the audio tour and guide book go to:
6 Aquasco Schoolhouse
This schoolhouse dates to the early twentieth century, although
historic maps indicate that other schools were in this location
as well. The school was used for the white children of Aquasco
until the 1940s when it was used occasionally as a local health
clinic. In 1984, it was converted into a church and still operates as T
the scripture Way Church. Although the interior has been highly
altered, the building itself is still a recognized feature of Aquasco?s
history. AAFquasco Schoolhouse Source: Rebeccah Ballo, M-NCPPC, 2004.R
?Aquasco School in Prince George?s County. 8 gradDes in one room. Teacher, Mrs. Aquasco Schoolhouse Source: Mowyer.Mollie Ireland, May 1902.? Source: Chesapeake Country Life magazine.
This sign is part of the Changing Landscapes:Farmsteads and Resort Towns Tour.
To download the audio tour and guide book go to:
7 Woodville Schoolhouse
This was the third schoolhouse built for African American Students
in Aquasco. The first was built on the grounds of the John esley
Methodist Church in 1868 by the Freedmen?s Bureau. In 1877,
the second African American school was built on the west side of
Aquasco Road. This remained in use until a larger schoolhouse T
was needed. In 1934, construction was complete, and it opened
for students. At three classrooms, this was the largest schoolhouse
built for African Americans at that time in Prince George?s County.
Although the school bears a resemblance to a Rosenwald Fund F
school, it was actually designed by Upman & Adams, architeActs from DC. The school closed in 1955 and was purchased by the St. This building served as the schoolhouse for the African American John?s Commandery #373. children of Aquasco from 1877-1934, but was demolished in 2011. R Source: African-American Historic and Cultural Resources in Prince George?s County, Maryland ? M-NCPPC.
Woodville Schoolhouse as seen todDay Source: Grace Davenport
This sign is part of the Changing Landscapes:Farmsteads and Resort Towns Tour.
To download the audio tour and guide book go to:
8 Aquasco Mill
The Aquasco Mill is located on the eastern side of Swanson?s
Creek. The mill measures about 28 by 28 feet and historically had
a 4-foot broad wheel powering two mill stones. It served as a grist
mill for the local area from its construction ca. 1789 until the 1920s.
Today only three stone walls of the mill remain standing. While T
filled in, the mill run is still visible running parallel to the creek
Historically known as ?Aquasco Mill Farm,? the property on which
the mill is located went through ownership of several well-known F
families in the area. The land was originally part of a tract of land 1798, Survey map by Dennis Griffith. The star next to ?Johnsons?
known as ?Purchase? sold to Thomas Truman in 1665 (PA BoAwen). indicated the location of a mill. Accessed 2019. Source: Library of Congress.A 1789 Maryland Gazette publication advertised the sale of 300acres of land from ?Purchase? and the adjoining farm ?Buttington.?
The property included ?a new valuable grist mill,R with otherimprovements.? D Fugitive Slave advertisement, January 19, 1790. Source: Maryland Gazette, pg.4.
This sign is part of the Changing Landscapes:Farmsteads and Resort Towns Tour.
To download the audio tour and guide book go to:
9 PA Bowen Farmstead
The PA Bowen Farmstead land dates back to the original 1665
Aquasco land grants. By 1850, George Allen Morton Turner owned
the property, at that time known as Aquasco Mill Farm. Turner died
in 1861. Philander Adams Bowen was one of the administrators of
Turner?s estate and began to purchase the property in 1862. Like T
the Barker, Bowling, and Forbes families, the Morton, Adams, and
Bowen families were heavily interconnected. The house was in the
Bowen family until 1927. In 2009, the current owners purchased
the property. It now operates as a dairy farm that offers tours and a F
gift shop with Maryland-created crafts. Like many plantation houses
in Aquasco, this house is highly decorative for its location.
RA
Philander A. Bowen (1826- DRachel Ann Ethedra Morton Bowen The house, as it appeared in the 1989 HABS survey. Source: HABS1919). Source: Richard (1837-1924). Source: Richard Kirkpatrick and Sally Fallon Kirkpatrick and Sally Fallon Morell.
Morell.
This sign is part of the Changing Landscapes:Farmsteads and Resort Towns Tour.
To download the audio tour and guide book go to:
10 Sunnyside
Dr. Michael Jenifer Stone built Sunnyside in 1844. Originally, the
property included the house, a summer kitchen with slave quarters
above, and a corncrib. According to slave inventories, Dr. Stone
owed eight slaves in 1850 and seven in 1860, including Lucy
Glascoe and her six adult children. Dr. Stone practiced medicine T
out of his home and served as the first Prince George s County
School Examiner. An examiner reported to the board of County
School Commissioners about the physical condition of school
buildings and the level of teaching in the classroom. Dr. Stone F Susan A. Somervell.
served from 1868 until his death in 1877. A Source: Windfall of Inherited Treasures
DR Dr. Stone. Source: Windfall of Inherited TreasuresSunnyside Watercolor. Source: Betty Taussig
This sign is part of the Changing Landscapes:Farmsteads and Resort Towns Tour.
To download the audio tour and guide book go to:
11 St. Philip?s Episcopal Chapel Site and Cemetery
Pauli Murray
The St. Phillips church was the first of two African American
Episcopal churches in Prince George?s County, built in c.1880.
Pauli Murray, an attorney, civil rights activist, and the first African
American women to be an ordained priest in the Episcopal Church T
served as seminarian at St. Phillip?s Church from 1975 until the
church burned down in November 1976. In her autobiography Pauli
Murray said of the church: F
?Its white wooden structure held scarcely more than a hundred
people, but for me it rivaled the quality of a great cathedral.?
RA
St. Phillips Chapel. Source: St. Phillips Church, InDterior of St. Phillips Chapel. Source: Schlesinger Pauli Murray. Source: Schlesinger Library, Radcliffe Institute, Harvard Baden Parish. Library, Radcliffe Institute, Harvard University. University.
This sign is part of the Changing Landscapes:Farmsteads and Resort Towns Tour.
To download the audio tour and guide book go to:
12 Scott Family Cemetery
The Scott cemetery belongs to the Scott family and is a reserved
for family burials only; the Scotts and the Fenwicks. The Scott
family was a wealthy family who owned tobacco farms and had 20
slaves at one point in time. This small plot sits next to St. Phillip?s
Road and is enclosed by a chain-link fence. Most of the older T
markers are for the Scott family, who farmed here in the mid and
late 1800?s; the oldest one dating back to 1865 belongs to Lloyd
M. Scott F
The last person who was buried here was Andrew Hawkin?s Scott
(PFC US Army, World War 1) who lived from 1890 to 1975, who
is believed to be the last of the Scott family. Scott family connects
to Andrew Grimes because Andrew bought 6 acres of the ScAott
Farmhouse in 1902. R Oldest grave at the Scott Cemetery, which dates back to 1865. Source: Hassan Tariq.D Scott Cemetery Source: Hassan Tariq
This sign is part of the Changing Landscapes:Farmsteads and Resort Towns Tour.
To download the audio tour and guide book go to:
13 Cochrane and Grimes Store and House
Mary C.B. Cochrane House and James A Cochrane Store
The Mary C.B Cochrane House and James A. Cochrane store
are on the same tract of land that used to and were both owned
by both the Cochranes and the Grimes. The James A. Cochrane
store was built c.1850 by Jesse Selby, though the 1861 Martinet T
map shows the store on the opposite side of Aquasco road. The
James A. Cochrane store and the land that Mary C. B. Cochrane
house was built on were bought by Mary C. B. Cochrane in 1873
and the Mary C. B. Cochrane house was built in 1875. F
The Store and house were sold to Andrew J. Grimes in 1910. Cochrane house. Source: Hassan Tariq
Andrew Grimes ran an embalmers and general sRtore out ofthe James A. Cochrane store. The Grimes family owned theACochrane house and store, along with the Grimes/Selby Houseon the same tract of land and the Scott Farmhouse on PhilipsRoads throughout most of the 20th century. The Grimes familycontinued to be prominent business owners into the currentcentury. Eugene C. Grimes Jr. owneDd the IGA Store further northon Aquasco Road. Advertisement for Andrew J. Grimes & Sons. Source: The Prince George?s Enquirer and Southern Maryland Advertiser.
This sign is part of the Changing Landscapes:Farmsteads and Resort Towns Tour.
To download the audio tour and guide book go to:
14 John Wesley Methodist Church and Cemetery
The John Wesley Methodist Church is one of the first church for
freedmen established in Prince George?s County and the site of the
first Freedman s school in Aquasco. The tract for the church was
bought from George Morton by James Gray in 1866 and the first
church was built on the property in 1873. John Wesley Methodist T
Church was rebuilt in 1906. Nothing remains of either the 1873 or
the 1906 structures, though the original bell remains. The current
church was built in 1961 and the fellowship hall in 1955. F
The freedman?s school was erected in 1867 and operated until Christ United Methodist Church. Source: Hassan Tariq
1934 when the Woodville School was established further norAth on Aquasco Road.
In 1973 the John Wesley and St. Thomas Methodist churches
merged and became the Christ United MethodisRt Church. The church continues to be active, though the cemetery on the site has been inactive since 2005. D Christ United Methodist?s Bell. Source: Tamara Schlossenberg
This sign is part of the Changing Landscapes:Farmsteads and Resort Towns Tour.
To download the audio tour and guide book go to:
15 Businesses in Eagle Harbor
Resort Town General Store
Historically, Eagle Harbor and Cedar Haven have kept major
commercial enterprises out of their purposely remote towns.
However, the building at the fork before entering either of the towns
has been confirmed as the ander Inn, where you could buy fish T
sandwiches and a Coke and was run by community members.
Even Mayor Crudup worked there in 1963 for a weekend as a
young adult. Other businesses included the 28-room Patuxent
Hotel and the Cedar Haven Hotel that hosted events, and a F
mobile ice cream truck owned by the Cedar Haven founder.
RAD Wander Inn. Source: Sara Baum.Carry?s Ice Cream Truck. Source: National Photo Co. Collection.
This sign is part of the Changing Landscapes:Farmsteads and Resort Towns Tour.
To download the audio tour and guide book go to:
16 Artesian Well
The cottages built during the first decades of Eagle Harbo ?s
history were only summer homes. Many residents did not
initially put in wells on their property; instead the community had
communal access to a well located near the center of town at the
water?s edge. The Artesian Well was installed in the 1920s as the T
town grew into a resort community. By the 1960s, the number
of full-time residents in the town required wells be drilled for
individual properties. But the Artesian Well continued to supply of
water for many years, and only stopped running in 2014. F
Artesian Well in present-day (2019). Source: Kathleen Jockel and
In 2016, the Town of Eagle Harbor marked their Artesian Well Josette Graham.
as a historic site for the important service it provided the town
for most of its history. Like the town itself, the Artesian Well isA
under threat from the effects of climate change due to erosion
of the shoreline. The town received grant funding to preserve
their Artesian Well for future generations and addresses
environmental concerns. DREagle Harbor Advertisement. Source: Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission.
This sign is part of the Changing Landscapes:Farmsteads and Resort Towns Tour.
To download the audio tour and guide book go to:
17 Eagle Harbor Beach
As ?The Paradise on the Patuxent,? Eagle Harbor beach is a
vital resource to the waterfront community of Eagle Harbor. As
a segregated beach for middle class African Americans from
Washington D.C. during the Jim Crow era, African Americans could
swim freely without discrimination here. The beach was used for T
swimming, boating, hunting and sports. Many residents in Eagle
Harbor today still recall their summer trips down to Eagle Harbor
with their families. However, climate change has damaged the
quality of the historic beach making it unrecognizable as the F
popular vacation destination it was in the past. Threats such as one Beach and Shoreline Erosion Source: Town of Eagle Harbor
inch of shoreline erosion annually and the degradation of water
quality due to the operations of the neighboring Chalk Point
Generating Station are threatening more than just the historiAc
beach, but also many waterfront properties in Ea
DR
gle Harbor.
Waterfront structures at risk of flooding. Source: Town of Eagle Harbor
This sign is part of the Changing Landscapes:Farmsteads and Resort Towns Tour.
To download the audio tour and guide book go to:
18 Kit Houses
The early homes of Cedar Haven followed the design of popular
Kit houses by the Sears, Roebuck and company kit homes, as
builders int he 1920s were encouraged to use models such as the
Magnolia, Belhaven or Whitehall to model their small, inexpensive
bungalows after. Most of the houses have small shed, garages or T
other out buildings on the lot as well. These homes were used as
models for new homes in the community.
Residents were encourages to order homes from Sears or model F
homes after their patterns. One of the prominent and typical Kit
houses was the Cedar Villa located at the corner of Douglas
Avenue and Allen Street. Another typical example, is located at White Cedars? located on the Charles Young Avenue. Source: Hassan Tariq, 2019.
22801 Booker Washington Avenue, Cedar Haven, which closely
matches the Ocean Park Design from the Sears design cataAlog.
?Bellana?, made as a recreation home for Miss Anna E. Bell, is
regarded as a Kit home of that time. R
The D?Bellana.? Source: Cedar Haven on the Patuxent, The Playground of nation?s capital, ?UMD Hornbake
Library Archival Collection?. The Booker House. Source: Hassan Tariq
This sign is part of the Changing Landscapes:Farmsteads and Resort Towns Tour.
To download the audio tour and guide book go to:
19 Cedar Haven Hotel
Three years after Cedar Haven opened to the public in 1926,
the Cedar Haven Hotel started hosting conferences, events, and
parties. The Hotel was a large bungalow with a full porch equipped
with gas, electricity, a garage, and a dance hall. It became well
known for its chicken dinners. In 1930, the Hotel was home to the Advertisement forT Cedar Haven Hotel. Source: Afro-American, 1930.
Clark Smith?s School of Secretarial Service. Cedar Haven also had
a bathhouse. The building offered lockers and dressing rooms for
men and women. Sadly, the Cedar Haven Hotel and bathhouAse have been lost to the changing landscape and are no longer Fstanding. R
Cedar Haven Hotel Source: Hornbake Library.
Advertisement for Clark Smith?s SchoDol. Source: Afro-American 1930.
This sign is part of the Changing Landscapes:Farmsteads and Resort Towns Tour.
To download the audio tour and guide book go to:
Changing Landscapes:
Farmsteads and Resort Towns
Welcome!
In the Fall of 2019,
UMD?s Historic The Changing Landscapes:
Preservation Graduate Farmsteads & Resort Towns Trail T
Studio partnered with encompasses a diverse range of
MNCPPC and PALS historic sites, each significant in
to create a Heritage their own right. From an early trade
Trail Plan for the port and a tobacco economy, to
areas of Aquasco- the creation of resort communities F
Woodville, Eagle servicing the region?s African
Watercolor of Sunnyside. Source: Betty Taussig
Harbor, and Cedar American community, these sites
Haven. The goal was show the breadth of experiences
to provide visitors with which have been engraved onA to
a navigable narrative the landscape with the passage of
of life and culture centuries.
in the area through
the production of a
trail guide, map, and
markers which would be R
accompanied with an
audio tour for cyclists
and motorists. After Watercolor of St. Mary?s. Source: Betty Taussig
months of research
and deliberation the D
students are happy
to present their trail,
Woven together, these sites tell
?Changing Landscapes:
different strands of the community?s
Farmsteads and Resort history. The themes which emerge
Towns.? from these sites span across time
and place to capture some of the
complexities of this rural community.
Each theme is represented by a color
and symbol on the trail map. Each site
The Stable at Villa DeSales. Source: Marina King marker will have the corresponding
color and symbol.
Funding for this interpretive panel was provided by the Maryland National Capital Parks and Planning Commission
Following The Trail
Each site on this trail includes a marker that offers additional information about that particular location. To better
understand these sites in the larger narrative, they have been divided according to the theme that they most rep-
resent. Each theme is depicted by a color band and symbol that you?ll see on the marker.
Tobacco and Resort
Reconstruction Religion Education Towns
T
AF
1. Trueman Point Theme Kiosk Locations
2. Barker-Bowling-Forbes Family R
3. St. Dominic?s Roman Catholic Church 1. Welcome: Parking Area
4. Miss Sarah Hall House and Store 2. Tobacco & Reconstruction: Stop 2
5. St. Mary?s Episcopal Church and Rectory 3. Education: Stop 7
6. Aquasco Schoolhouse 4. Religion: Stop 14
7. Woodville SchoolhDouse 5. Resort Towns: Stop 15
8. Aquasco Mill
9. PA Bowen Farmstead Points of Interests
10. Sunnyside
11. St. Philip?s Episcopal Chapel Site and Cemetery 1. William R. Barker House
12. Scott Family Cemetery 2. Villa de Alpacas Farm.
13. Cochrane and Grimes Store and House 3. Hardesty?s Haven Cafe
14. John Wesley Methodist Church and Cemetery 4, Adams-Bowen House
15. Businesses in Eagle Harbor 5. Scott Farmhouse
16. Artesian Well
17. Eagle Harbor Beach
18. Kit Houses
19. Cedar Haven Hotel
An early 20th century tobacco barn at Villa DeSales. Source: Marina King
Tobacco and
Reconstruction
Remnants of Aquasco?s past
reliance on tobacco continue
to dot the present landscape
through historic tobacco barns,
old plantation houses, and T
The Stable at Villa DeSales. Source: Marina King an early tobacco shipping
port. Situated between the
The Stable at Patuxent River andA Swanson?s Creek, the area boasts a fertile Villa DeSales environment which tobacco FThe Villa DeSales house and planters, took advantage of The William R. Barker House is a large 19th century planter?s dwelling, originally constructed for William its associated property were well into the 19th century Barker, a prominent member of Woodville society. Source: Marina King, Prince George?s County Historic Preservation listed to the National Register of throuRgh the Civil War and to the
Commission
Reconstruction period. Many
Historic Places in 1988 due to the families in the area amassed
architectural significance of the large amounts of wealth as a
house and associated complex of result of tobacco production and
outbuildings which showcase the dependence on enslaved labor
19th century lifestyle of wDealthy erecting architecturally exquisite planters in the area. The farm houses representative of their features an exquisite, one-of- wealth and status in Aquasco a-kind stable constructed in the society. Several of these sites same High Victorian Gothic Revival can be seen today along this architectural style as the house and Farmsteads & Resort Towns is recognized as the only one of its Heritage Trail. One of two outbuildings on the Sunnyside property, the 19th century corn crib likely dates to the original construction of
type in Prince George?s County. the house. Source: Marina King, Prince George?s County Historic Preservation Commission
Villa DeSales, one of two surviving High Victorian
Gothic Revival dwellings remaining in Prince George?s Sunnyside was originally constructed for Dr. Michael J. Stone, a physician and the first Prince George?s County
County.Source: Marina King Examiner. Source: Marina King, Prince George?s County Historic Preservation Commission
An early 20th century tobacco barn at Villa DeSales. Source: Marina King
Many of the area?s prominent
families continued to thrive
during the Reconstruction
period, relying on tobacco as
a staple crop while forging
relationships with each other
that strengthened their status
in society. The Reconstruction
The P.A. Bowen house, a fine example of colonial Italianate
architecture Source: Marina King, Prince George?s County era in Aquasco saw the
Historic Preservation Commission emergence of a growing T
African-American community. William Barker Outbuilding. Source: Marina King
Several former slaves stayed
on in the area and worked as
tenant farmers and small land-
holders. This groAwing African FAmerican community would eventually construct schools anRd churches, which can also be visited today along this Heritage Trail. The meat house at Sunnyside, used for smoking and curing meat. Source: Marina KingWilliam R. Barker house outbuilding originally served as a smokehouse until the 1940?s when it was transformed into a caretaker?s house.. Source: Marina King, Prince George?s County Historic Preservation Commission 19th Century
The age of tobacco reliance Outbuildings
in the Aquasco area mighDt Several of the sites feature series be over, however this of outbuildings which often date to agricultural economy?s the initial construction of the main influence on the land and house or shortly afterwards. Due to
the people still persists. the heavy agricultural focus in the
Follow this Farmsteads
& Resort Towns Heritage area, most of these outbuildings
Trail and visit the Farm function as meat houses, dairies,
Store at the P.A. Bowen corn cribs, and animal shelters.
Farmstead or stop by Villa These extant structures, such as
De Alpacas at the historic the ones seen at the William Barker
Villa DeSales to discover a and John E. Turner houses, are
unique array of alpaca fiber excellent representations of well-
textiles produced at this self- preserved outbuildings from the
sustaining farm. Villa DeSales. Source: Marina King, Prince George?s County 19th century Aquasco farm life.
Historic Preservation Commission
Woodville Schoolhouse as seen today Source: Grace Davenport
Segregation in
Woodville Education in Aquasco
Woodville was very much a
segregated community. In 1915, After the Civil War, the African the John Wesley Church. Two
Robert Gardiner, a white man American children of Aquasco more African American schools
living on Trueman Point Road in were able to attend school. would be built for the community,
Aquasco, attempted to send his The Bureau of Refugees, in 1877 and 1934.
first born and Mulatto son, Joseph Freedmen and Abandoned
Gardiner, to the white school. Lands, also known as the Aquasco alsTo had a White
9-year-old Joseph was admitted to Freedmen?s Bureau, was school, located on the north side
the white school until its trustees established by Congress in of St. Mary?s Church Road. While
ordered that the teacher, Miss 1865. Their goal was to help the African American schools
Helen Briscoe, decline to admit former slaves in theA South were in different locations, the him. Robert petitioned the County during Reconstruction. This FWhite school remained in the was intended as a temporary same place. The White school School Commissioners, who, after government agency to last received new books, desks, a court case, excluded Joseph throuRgh one year after the war. and other equipment, while from all white schools in the county After a few attempts to lengthen the African American school on account of his blood being the program, it was ultimately generally received hand-me-?tainted.? ended. However, during their downs. Both schools were time, the Freedmen?s Bureau continually in need of repairs built thousands of schools for and on a few occasions, the Dformer slaves. The first of three School Board was petitioned to schools for African Americans appropriate funds for additions in Aquasco was built by this due to overcrowding. organization on the grounds of
Source: The Prince George?s Enquirer and southern
Maryland advertiser, 16 April 1915 Rosenwald School plan. Source: Community School Plans
Former Aquasco Schoolhouse for white children Source: Grace Davenport
The schools of Aquasco often
held events at their respective
locations or at the local
meeting hall. The meeting
hall, sometimes referred to
as the dance hall or town
hall, was off Dr. Bowen Road,
where the Baden Volunteer
Fire Department water tank is
today. These events included T
meetings of the ?Woodville
Junior Home-making Club,?
the ?Woodville DemAonstration Club,? celebrations of George Washington?s birthday, and playsF and dances. There was a short period of time when one of the schools was closed due to a measRles outbreak. Cover page of a Rosenwald school design booklet. Source: Community School PlansThe Julius Rosenwald FundJulius Rosenwald, President of
Sears, Roebuck and Company
and founder of the Rosenwald
Source: The Prince George?s enquirer and southern
Maryland advertiser, 18 July 1919 Fund, stepped down as President
in 1924. The program offered
The white school closed iDn the standard designs for rural African
1940s and became a local health American community school
clinic before being converted buildings. This program was
into a church. The Woodville started after Aquasco built their
Schoolhouse ceased operations second schoolhouse but ended
in 1955 and was purchased by ten years before they built their
a private religious organization. third schoolhouse, meaning that
Both the African American and Aquasco never had a Rosenwald
the White children continued Fund schoolhouse. The third
to attend school separately for built and last remaining African
several years until desegregation, American Woodville Schoolhouse
but both had to travel north to c. 1902, shows the white children in Aquasco. bears resemblance to a Rosenwald
Baden to attend school. Source: Chesapeake Country Life, September 1981 school.
St. Phillips Chapel Source: St. Phillips Church, Baden Parish
Religious Life
The area has a rich religious
history. The oldest church in
Aquasco, St. Mary?s Episcopal
Church and Rectory, was
founded in 1848. The church
was built as a branch of St.
Paul?s Church in Baden to serve
the southern most members of T
the congregation.
Mighty Wonders of Aquasco Record ?Old Time
Religion?. Source: Baylor University Col. John Dominic ABowling, At. Philip?s 1879. Source: St. Philip?s Church, Baden Parishwhen he moved to Aquasco, FThe Mighty Wonders of was disappointed that there was no Catholic church in the Aquasco town. Upon his death he left In the late 1960s and early 1970s money for the construction a local gospel group known as of a Roman Catholic Church.
the Mighty Wonders of Aquasco, The Catholic church that was
Maryland, recorded at least two erected by John Bowling?s
records, ?Old Ship of Zion?/ ?How son Rwas St. Dominic?s Roman Far am I from Canaan?? and Catholic Church in 1879. ?Old Time Religion?/?I Shall Not
be Moved.? The group included St. Philip?s Church Service 1975. Source: Schlesinger Library
the Aquasco native John Stewart
Jr., and Alfred Johnson wDho Aquasco is home to some of alternated singing lead, Tom Prince George?s County?s earliest Contee, and Ernest Johnson. The African American Churches.
group would perform at churches The John Wesley Methodist
Church, now know as Christ
in the Baltimore area almost United Methodist Church, was
every Sunday of the year. Their founded in 1866, with the first
recording of ?Old Ship of Zion? is church being erected on the
noted for being a unique rendition property in 1873. The St. Philips
including lyrics that don?t appear Episcopal Church was founded in
in other versions of the hymn. c. 1880 and was the first African
Both records have been digitized American Episcopal church in
and can be listened to online free Prince George?s County. Sadly,
through the Baylor University Black the church burned down in 1976,
Gospel Music Restoration Project. John Wesley Bell. Source: Prince George?s County though the cemetery remains in
use.
St. Dominic?s Church Source: Veronica Martin
The relations between white
and black congregants of What a Day for a
Aquasco area churches was not Picnic
always good. St. Mary?s church
became segregated after the Eagle Harbor and Cedar Haven
Civil War, which lead to the were popular spots for church
African-American congregants outings and picnics in the 1920s
founding St. Phillips Church. and 1930s, with the outings being
There was some tension St. Dominic?s. Source: Vivian and Edward B. Edelen advertised in DC newspapers
between the two congregations including The Evening Star, The
after their St. Philip?s Church Washington Tribune, and Afro-
burned as the St. Phillip?s American. During the peak time
congregation shared space with in 1927, the Washington Tribune
St. Mary?s. The Washington noted that there was 36 picnics
D.C. Archdiocese suggested Fscheduled over a five-week period
that St. Mary?s Church be in Cedar Haven. Churches from
given to the St. Philip?s the DC area known to have had
congregation, a proposition that outings at Eagle Harbor and Cedar
both congregations strongly
opposed. RA Haven include the Vermont Avenue Church of DC, The Holiness Church, Trinity Baptist Church, and Miles Memorial C.M.E. Church. DWatercolor of St. Mary?s. Source: Betty TaussigEagle Harbor and Cedar Have also had active religious activity. One of the founders of Eagle
Harbor was pastor of Vermont
Avenue church at the time,
Reverend C.T. Murray, and it
was a popular vacation spot for
DC area pastors. The two resort Ad for church outing. Source: The Evening Star, 13 July 1940
towns were also popular spots for
church outings and picnics, and
baptisms. Since the founding of
Eagle Harbor and Cedar Haven,
baptisms have been held in the
John Wesley (Christ United). Patuxent river.
Source: Prince George?s County
Maple Trail Road looking east towards the river.
Source: Sara Baum
An Unexpected Tax Resort Towns in Southern
Unfortunately, building a
remote community didn?t keep
discrimination away. As Eagle Maryland
Harbor became well established,
the county felt the need to In the early 1900s a beach trip
reassess tax rates on the lots. To to escape the city heat was not
no surprise, the white tax assessor a simple outing for city dwelling
raised the rates sky high! E.S. African Americans, because T
Hine knew exactly what this was most beaches welcomed
?whites-only.? They were often
about; the white assessor was forced to face hostility by white
opposed to black ownership. By beachgoers or be forced to
making prices outrageous, families go to undesirable wAaterfronts. could no longer afford to live there. FIn Washington, D.C., African Hine helped to fight this clearly Americans were sent to Source: Washington Tribuneunfair assessment by proving beaches like Buzzard Point, a that the prices assigned to Eagle formRer dumping ground full of Harbor did not match nearby white pollutants and festering with neighborhoods who had larger lots health concerns. and lower prices. This occurrence motivated the town?s decision to Having had enough of such incorporate Drepugnant options, Walter Bean purchased land along the Patuxent to establish Eagle Harbor; a summer resort town for the black community in 1925. Eagle Harbor Welcome sign. Source: Paula Nasta
Source: The Baltimore Afro-American, 11 February Trueman Point Rd. Wander Inn. Source: Sara Baum
1928
Cedar Haven welcome sign on Banneker Blvd.
Source: Sara Baum
With the help of E.S. Hine, the
land was plotted into 1,000
lots measuring 25? X 100?
and in mere months after its
founding over half of those
lots were sold. Eagle Harbor?s
success did not go unnoticed
by other black real estate
investors in Washington D.C.,
and soon, those investors T
Cedar Haven Hotel. Source: Hornbake Special Collections purchased land just north of
Eagle Harbor to found Cedar FBenjamin Banneker. Source: Western Haven A Illinois UniversityDistinguished StreetsR Cedar Haven was officially opened on July 4, 1926, exactly 150 years after America gained their independence, and cleverly, planners of the community named the streets after distinguished black Source: The Evening Star, 2 July 1926 figures who aided in the freedom for African Americans. Some
Today, these two names you will see along the trail
communities have several include Frederick Douglass, a well-
year-long residents, but known abolitionist, and Benjamin
continue to welcome their Banneker, a free African American
seasonal neighbors who Duse who was largely self-taught in
their lots during the summer mathematics and astronomy.
months to escape the
bustling city and suburbs.
Both communities seek
sustainability and encourage
visitors to events held
throughout the year like
Eagle Harbor?s Town Day
every August.
Cedar Haven House Source: Hornbake Special Collections
Source: The Evening Star, 2 July 1926
T
Audio TourA Script F
DR
Welcome to the Changing Landscapes: Farmsteads and Resort Town Audio Tour. We?re
excited to guide you today as you bike or drive through the communities of Cedar Haven, Eagle
Harbor, and Aquasco. This audio lasts for about two hours; however, you will be invited to stop
at several sites with large kiosks along the way to discover additional information and to explore
the landscape.
As you travel, you?ll encounter stories of wealthy planters and how they influenced their
community. You?ll learn about some of the churches in the area and the ways in which they?ve
served their communities. We?ll highlight the schoolhouses that remain, as well as some that are
no longer standing, as you learn about the early education system. Finally, we?ll bring you back
to the shoreline to learn about the creation of resort towns and the fun that was had in the sun
by those who visited.
Each site on this trail includes a marker that offers additional information about that particular
location. To better understand these sites in the larger narrative, they have been divided
according to the theme that they most represent. Each theme is depicted by a color band and
symbol that you?ll see on the marker. T
Look for green with tobacco leaves for sites relating to Tobacco and Reconstruction.
Purple with a church bell represents sites connecteAd to Religion. FA blue book marks the sites about Education. And finally, the orange sun with birds guides you to sites associated with the Creation of Resort Towns. Please note that this audio tour does not narrative the sites in order as you pass them on the
road. We will point out the location, but won?t stop at every one. We invite you to manually
pause this audio recording to readR more about sites individually as you go. Please remember to ride safely, and obey all traffic laws. We highly suggest that you ride with only one earbud or headphone as required under Maryland State Law. Let?s get started.D
[Directions FROM Cedar Haven Fishing Area TO Trueman Point]
Travel Time: About 4:48 Minutes, .8 miles
Here are directions from the Cedar Haven Fishing Area to Trueman?s Point
Turn left as you come out of the Cedar Haven Fishing Area Parking Lot. Follow Phyllis Wheatley
Avenue until you reach Banneker Boulevard, then turn right. Keep riding along Banneker
Boulevard for half a mile until you reach Trueman Point Road. Turn left at this intersection. This
area is now closed, and can only be accessed by members of the local community; however,
you will see the tour sign on the outside of the fence.
That concludes the directions
Before European colonization, the Piscataway Tribe who called this area ?Aquascake? lived in
villages along the Patuxent River Different variations of this name were also used for this region
over the years. During the 17th and early 18th centuries, English settlements spread up the
Chesapeake Bay in search of suitable land and navigable waterways for tobacco. Tobacco
production requires good soil, a great deal of labor, and accessibility to a trade port. The
Woodville/Aquasco area had just that and drew many planters to thFe region. While the first few decades of the English colonies used indentured servants as agricultural workers, Tby the 18th century imported, African, enslaved labor worked on large plantations. They quickly became the cornerstone of the economy. Located at the southern tip of Prince George?s County along the Patuxent River, Trueman?s Point served as the trade port for local farms. It was first used as a tobacco port in 1747. Although the official tobacco warehouse inspection port was soon moved to another site,
Trueman?s Point was still used into the 19th century for shipping tobacco and other products
from the Woodville area. In 1817, George Weem?s acquired the land as part of his steamboat
operation. The land transferred ownership betweenA different railroad and steamboat companies until 1932 when the wharf ceased use and the property switched to private ownership. [Directions FROM Trueman?s Point TO St. Dominic?s/Villa DeSales: Kiosk #2]
Travel Time: 19 minutes, 3.2 miles
Here are directions from the Trueman?s Point to St. Dominic?s/Villa DeSales
Turn around at Trueman?s Point aRnd head back West, away from the water. Ride along Trueman Point Road until you reach Eagle Harbor Road. Turn right and continue on Eagle Harbor Road forD about 12 minutes. When the road ends, turn right on MD-381 North. That concludes the directions. [Triangle Sound - To signal the end of the directions] Soon after planters settled in Woodville, they started building houses, having families and creating a large interconnected community. Three influential families, the Barkers, the Bowlings, and the Forbes, intermarried and created long-lasting relationships. Other families, such as the Scotts, Stones, Bowens, Halls, Grimes and Scotts were planters, doctors, and business owners
who helped the Woodville community grow and thrive during its first few centuries.
William R. Barker was a prominent member of Woodville society throughout the mid 19t? h
century. He married Charity Gill in 1829, and became the owner of one of Woodville?s
plantations. Not only was Barker a planter, he was also a politician. He served a one year term
in the Maryland House of Delegates in 1842. According to family tradition, Barker and his wife
hosted the wedding of Colonel John Bowling to Elizabeth Gill, Charity?s sister, at their home in
1832. This marriage united the Barkers and the Bowling families together. Barker and Bowling
shared a close personal relationship throughout their lifetime. In 1853, Bowling nominated
Barker as Commissioner of the Baltimore & Potomac Railroad Line, a position which Barker was
then appointed.
Barker and Charity never had any children. Instead, upon Barker?s death in 1866, he left his
entire estate to Bowling?s children. The house remained in the Bowling family into the 20th
century. The William R. Barker?s plantation house still stands today, and you?ll pass it as you
travel along MD-381 North. MD-381 was completed between 1740 and 1762. Back then, people
on horseback or in carriages traveled South from Baden, Maryland to Benedict in Charles
County. Back then you would have been able to see the William Barker as you traveled.
Unfortunately, the landscape has changed and now, due to trees and other plants, you will be
unable to see the house as you ride.
However, not far from William R. Barker?s house, the story of Colonel John Dominic Bowling and
his wife continues. Colonel Bowling was a devoted Catholic while Elizabeth Gill was an
Episcopalian. At the time, there were no Catholic churches in Woodville, much to CTolonel
Bowling?s disappointment. Instead, the couple?s thirteen children were raised in Elizabeth?s faith,
and all baptized at St. Mary?s near their home. Their daughter, Frances Bowling, attended a
Catholic boarding school and later wrote about converting to her father?s faith. Colonel Bowling
longed for a Catholic Church within his community, Ayet none were bFuilt during his lifetime. In 1875, Colonel Bowling passed the task down his son. His will gave $1,000 to John Bowling for the construction of a Roman Catholic Church on a section of his property. Three years later, in 1879, John completed his father?s request and Woodville had its first Catholic Church, St. Dominic?s. The Archbishop of Baltimore City, James Cardinal Gibbons dedicated the church and its nearby cemetery for the BowlinRg family and their descendants. At that time, St. Dominic?s had a very different appearance than what you?ll see today. The building featured German siding, wooden shingles, and a rose window on the side facing the road. The arched windows had shutters that could be closed when the church was not in use. Now, the building is covered with bricks and features stained glass windows. Frances BowlingD went on to forge a strong relationship with another prominent family. She married George Forbes Jr., the son of Colonel George Forbes, in 1872. The Forbes family were well known in the area as they had gained a large amount of land and wealth through planting and slave labor. According to Angel Forbes Simmons, the great-great-granddaughter of Bowling and Forbes, the two wealthy men were both heavy gamblers. One night while the two of them were gambling at the Barabbas Hotel in Baltimore, Bowling lost a large amount of acreage to Forbes. The land he lost included acreage that was originally destined to go to Fanny Bowling. In order to get the
land back, Fanny married George Forbes? son, George Forbes Jr. Now, whether or not there
was ever love between the two no one knows for sure, but they stayed married and ended up
having four children together.
A few years after their wedding, Fanny and George built their home, Villa DeSales near St.
Dominic?s Church. The dwelling is a High Victorian Gothic Revival style named after Fanny?s
Catholic boarding school ? Mount DeSales Academy. They also constructed the only known
High Victorian Gothic Revival style stable in the county. Such a style is known for its use of
multi-color decoration (polychrome), varying texture, and Gothic details.
To this day, the Forbes descendants still occupy Villa DeSales. The current owner, Mrs. Angel
Forbes Simmons, uses 12 acres of the property to raise high quality alpacas. Unique alpaca
fiber clothing and textiles are then sold from the showroom inside the main house. In 2007, the
farm was honored by Governor O?Malley for being one of four bicentennial farms remaining in
Maryland. It has been continuously farmed by the same family for over 200 years. It has also
been recognized as the only self-sustaining bicentennial farm remaining in Maryland that is run
entirely by one woman.
Another very prominent and respected member of the Woodville community was Dr. Michael
Jenifer Stone. He was well known thanks to his family?s decorated legacy. Dr. Stone?s father
served in the Maryland House of Delegates, was a member of the state?s Constitutional
Convention in 1788, and was elected to the first United States Congress in 1789. His uncle,
Thomas Stone, was a signer of the Declaration of Independence. However, Dr. Stone was also
respected by his neighbors for his own work. He practiced medicineF out of his homTe, Sunnyside, and served as the first Prince George?s County School Examiner. An examiner reported to the board of County School Commissioners about the physical condition of school buildings and the level of teaching in the classroom. Dr. Stone served for nine years. From 1868 until his death in 1877.
In 1844, Dr. Stone built Sunnyside for his family. The house is located on Dr. Bowen Road and
originally included the house, a summer kitchen witAh slave quarters above, and a corncrib. Like many other wealthy planters in the area, Dr. Stone owned eight slaves and held quite a large estate before the Civil War. Afterwards, due to the war and his slave ownership, Dr. Stone lost a large portion of his estate, though he did gain much of it back by the time he died. Dr. Stone and his wife, Susan A. Somercell, hadR six children. Only the eldest daughter, Mary, married. She had two daughters, and after her death in 1881, they were raised at Sunnyside. The house and property remained in the family until 1980. History is full of what ifs, and the Stone family has been asking themselves quite a big ?what if? question for overD 150 years. On April 15, 1865, just days after the end of the Civil War, John Wilkes Booth shot and killed Abraham Lincoln at Ford Theatre in Washington D.C. Booth quickly fled the city, first stopping in Surrattsville before continuing further south on his way to Virginia. Along his journey, Booth?s injury from jumping off the theatre balcony became extremely painful and it was clear that Booth needed to see a doctor soon rather than later. According to Stone family lore, Booth and David Harold, another man involved in the plot, stopped at Horsehead Tavern. They asked for a doctor and were told that Dr. Mudd was four miles on the right fork while Dr. Stone was six miles on the left fork.
Those two miles would make all the difference in the course of the Stone family history. Booth
choose Dr. Mudd and his injury was treated in the doctor?s home before he continued South.
This story of Booth?s flight, and just how close it came to the Stones? home, has been passed
down through the family. What if Booth had chosen Dr. Stone instead? The family now joke
about just how close their family came to being involved in Booth?s flight.
Further down on Dr. Bowen Road sites the PA Bowen Farmstead. This area dates back to the
original land grants of Aquasco. The land was patented by Thomas Truman in 1665, when the
land was originally part of Calvert County. Prince George?s County was not created until 1696.
Rinaldo Johnson purchased tracts of adjoining land known as ?Purchase? and ?Buttington? about
1789. These tracts would later become part of the PA Bowen Farmstead. Johnson held several
properties in the area, but was heavily in debt to the State of Maryland. At the time of his
marriage to his second wife, Ann Eilbeck Mason, daughter of George Mason, he signed a
marriage contract keeping him from having claim to any of Ann?s property. This included her
slaves, her land holdings, and even personal items such as her pillows. Rinaldo and Ann lived
at their Aquasco property and had several children together. Ann continued to live on the
property even after Rinaldo Johnson died in 1811.
In 1814, during the War of 1812, British troops ransacked the property on their way up from
Benedict in Charles County to Washington D.C. In an 1828 court filing, Ann Johnson?s heirs
requested compensation for the damages sustained during the war. They were denied
compensation for their father?s tobacco, which has been destroyed by the British wThile in storage at Magruders Ferry tobacco warehouse. They were, however, awarded compensation for their mother?s loss of a silver plate and three enslaved men which were taken by the British.
These men, Bill, Barnett, and Charles likely went with the British for the promise of their freedom
if they took up arms against American forces
We?re coming up on St. Dominic?s Catholic Church, just past Villa DeSales, on the right hand
side of the road. This is the site of the second kiosk. We suggest yoFu pause this recording and
take the opportunity to read the additional information offered at the site. You will also get a
chance to take a closer look at St. Dominic?s Church. If you want to see more of Villa DeSales,
which sits farther away from the road, we recommend you check marylandalpacafarm.com for
more information on the hours of operation at the Alpaca Farm.
[Silent Pause for 5 to 7 seconds. To give people timAe to decide to stop or keep going]
[Directions FROM St. Dominic?s/Villa DeSales TO Woodville School: Kiosk #3]
Travel Time: About 10:48 minutes, 1.8 miles
Here are directions from St. Dominic?s to Woodville School
Head North, travDeling with St. DomRinic?s Roman Catholic Church on your right. You?ll travel for about 2 minutes until you reach St. Mary?s Church Road. Turn right. Keep traveling straight for 3 minutes. Turn around at the Aquasco School House and head back along St. Mary?s Church Road until you reach MD-381 North. Turn right and travel for another 4 minutes until you reach Woodville School. That concludes the directions. [Triangle Sound - To signal the end of the directions]
In the mid-nineteenth century, George A. M. Turner became the owner of the PA Bowen
Farmstead property. Turner built several functioning outbuildings, which is still located across
the Dr. Bowen Road today. During that time, the property became known as Aquasco Mill Farm
due to the fact that the land came with a grist mill. Constructed around 1789, this mill ground
grain into flour until the 1920s. The mill was only 784 square feet, yet An 1880 Manufacturing
Schedule of the Federal Census lists the mill as producing 100 bbl of flour, 135 tons of meal,
and 8.5 tons of feed. Today, only three stone walls of the mill remain standing. The mill run, the
water that would turn the water wheel can sometimes still be visible parallel to the creek when
the water is high enough. Sadly, in 1861, Turner died, leaving behind four young orphaned
children.
Philander Adams Bowen, the second cousin of Turner, was one of the administrators of the
estate. He petitioned the County Court of Equity to sell the property to pay off Turner?s debts so
that his personal estate be saved for the Turner children. PA Bowen himself purchased the
property in 1862, but the deed was not executed until 1869. Some sources claim he tore down
the Turner dwelling to build his own house, but others disagree and say he merely added an
addition to the original building on the eastern side.
Philander was a well-respected teacher and principal in Georgetown but moved his family to
Prince George?s County so his wife, Rachel Ann Etheldra Morton Bowen, could be closer to her
family. Philander became an active member of the local Aquasco community. In 1902, he was
appointed as a trustee for the Woodville public school. Bowen?s children were also involved in
the community. One child was on the Woodville baseball team. Another was married at St.
Paul?s with a reception held at the Bowen Mansion. Another child, Dr. Harry MortoTn Bowen,
became a doctor that served the Aquasco community.
This house was in the Bowen family until 1927. It changed hands a Ffew times until 2009 when the current owners purchased the property. They now operate a dairy farm where they offer tours and have a gift shop with Maryland-created crafts.
In 1889, Bowen?s son, Dr. Harry M. Bowen, started living in a house near his father?s farm. Dr.
Bowen, for which the road is named for, studied meAdicine at Georgetown and John Hopkins University before returning to Aquasco. He served as a physician for over 40 years, from 1900 until 1943, and his office was located in his Adams-Bowen residence. He also served 14 years as the Prince George's County Commissioner before passing away in 1954. His son, Dr. Henry
Lee Bowen, a historian, assumed ownership of the site until the present day owners bought it in
1964.
In 1850, the well known Hall familRy constructed the Hall Store along this road just past St. Dominic?s. The sDtore served as a commercial outlet for the rural community. By this time, Woodville was made up of approximately 50 buildings, including farms, churches, the grist mill, a tavern, and several stores. In 1875, a branch of the Hall Family constructed a house just south of the store. There, Sarah Hall lived with her widowed mother and siblings, Susan, John, Richard and Mary. Unlike other members of the community who created strong relationships through marriage, Sarah Hall herself remained unmarried throughout her life. She continued to live in the house with her sister, Mary, and her husband, Dr. John C. Thomas, until the early 1900s.
The Hall Store was passed down through the family from one descendant to another. In 1879,
Ann Hall, a widow, passed the store to Laura shortly after she married Willam W. Hall, a
Maryland miner working in Prince George?s County. However, in 1885, Laura passed the store
down to her sons from her previous marriage. The Wissman Brothers then sold the store
outside the family to Issac Childs of Washington D.C. the same year.
Another store in the area was the Cochrane Store. Currently, the store sits abandoned along
MD-381. Ruin enthusiast find this site a curiosity. It probably was constructed around 1850 and
was once owned by James A. Cochrane, a local merchant. His wife, Mary C.B. Cochrane
owned the house nearby where they lived from 1875 to 1910. In 1888, there was a fire at the
store that caused $3,500 in property damage. Thankfully, the rebuilding of the store was funded
by an insurance company. In 2018, that would equaled about $92,513.
In 1910, the house and store were sold to Andrew Grimes. The Grimes family retained
ownership of the buildings through most of the 20t? h ? century. They used the store to run an
undertaker and embalmers, feed store, and also offered general goods. Depending on the time
of year, you may be able to see the old advertisement painted on the exterior of the store. It
reads ?Andrew J. Grimes & Sons. General Merchandise, Undertakers, Funeral Directors and
Embalming. Aquasco, Maryland.?
Grimes and his wife Margaret Ann had eight children and despite owning the house next to their
store, they lived in the Scott farmhouse on St. Phillips Road from 1902 until 1996. Members of
the Grimes family continued to be business owners in Aquasco. The local IGA store, also known
as the Grimes Market, was owned by Eugene C. Grimes Jr. from the time it openeTd in 1982 until
his death in 2012. Debbie Grimes closed the store last year.
On St. Philip?s road sits a small family cemetery enclosed by a chain-link fence. This cemetery
belongs to the Scott and Fenwick family, and is reserved for family members only. It is still used
today. Most of the older markers are for the Scott family, who lived iFn the farmhouse nearby.
The house was probably built by Albert H. Scott in the mid-nineteenth century.This cemetery
reminds us of the importance of family and heritage to the local community and is one of many
such examples in the region. Please, remember to be respectful if you stop at the Scott
Cemetery site. Do not attempt to enter the cemeteryA. And do not disturb any of the gravestones. Thank you.
In 1878, Scott sold the property toR his son, Richard M. Scott for $20.00. In 2018, that would be about $500. If only you could get a house that cheap today! At that time, the property was referred to as the ?Dove?s Nest.? The property was sold to the Grimes family in 1902, and this is where they lived while they operated their store. Most of the outbuildings at the Scott Farmhouse propDerty were constructed by the Grimes family. The house remained with the Grimes family for almost, but not quite, 100 years. You will soon arrive at Woodville School, the site of the third kiosk. Again, we suggest you pause this recording and take the opportunity to read the additional information offered at the site. You can also explore the Woodville School site. [Silent Pause for 5 to 7 seconds. To give people time to decide to stop or keep going]
[Directions FROM Woodville School TO Aquasco Mill]
Travel Time: About 10 minutes, 1.7 Miles
Here are directions from Woodville School to the Aquasco Mill.
We suggest you pull into the Woodville School Parking area in order to turn around. You want to
travel back South on MD-381 for about five minutes until you reach Doctor Bowen Road. You
will see St. Mary?s Church on your left. Turn right down Doctor Bowen Road and continue for
two and a half minutes until you reach Sunnyside. Please, remember to be respectful if you stop
at the St. Mary?s cemetery site. Do not attempt to enter the cemetery. And do not disturb any of
the gravestones. Thank you.
That concludes the directions.
[Triangle Sound - To signal the end of the directions]
Religion plays an important role in the Aquasco community. Churches are one of the important
landmarks in the area. These churches are often centers of social gatherings and tell us more
about the changing landscape before and after the American Civil War.
As you turn back onto MD-381, you?ll see St. Mary?s Episcopal Church on your right. Located at
the intersection of Dr. Bowen road and Aquasco road, this church continues to sit at the heart of
the Aquasco community.
The first church on this site was built in 1848, and was made of wood covered withT stucco. It?s
unclear why the church was rebuilt, but in 1920, the present day Tudor inspired church with the
corner tower was constructed.This original church did not have the distinctive, medieval style
tower you see today. St. Mary?s has played an important social and religious role in the location
community since 1838.
F
A short distance down St. Mary?s Church Road sits Athe St. Mary?s Rectory. A rectory is the home of a ?member of the clergy who is in charge of a parish. Originally, the rectory was to be built in Baden near St. Paul?s Episcopal Church, the main parish church. However, George Morton, ?a wealthy vestry and plantation owner, donated a plot of land in Aquasco. Thus the rectory was built near St. Mary?s, the mission chapel instead. The rectory now belongs to private
owners and is not open for visitors.
Located in the heart of Aquasco, St. Mary?s was the center of social events in the area,
especially for the local prominent plantation owners. It was the venue of many high profiled
weddings and mDany prominent families, like the Turners, were also buried in the church cemetery. In 1921, W.T. Davis of RWashington, a popular contralto soloist, even held a performance in the church. In the nineteenth century, St. Mary?s Church was integrated with African Americans much like St. Paul?s Episcopal Church in Baden during that time. However, after the Civil War, the congregation at St. Mary?s became segregated.
A separate church, St. Philip's Episcopal Church, was erected west of Aquasco for the black
Episcopalians in the area. The church was the first of two African American Episcopal churches
in Prince George?s County. Founded around 1880, the church was a white frame structure. A
nearby bell-cote, a small structure used to shelter bells, is now the only remaining structure. It
sits just west of where the church once stood on St. Philips Road. According to local accounts,
the bell-cote collapsed in the late 20th century. Thankfully, it was rebuilt by St. Mary?s County
Amish. Today, it still holds the same bell, cast by McChane and Company in 1884, that it
sheltered when the church was still standing.
St. Philip?s Church was home to the first African American woman to be ordained as a Episcopal
priest, Pauli Murray. Murray was a Civil Rights activist and lawyer, but in her later years she
decided to become a preacher. Murray?s uncle had served as vicar of the St. Philip?s Church in
the 1920s, and Murray would often attend church as a child when spending summers with her
aunt and uncle. She completed her parish field work at St. Philips from 1975 until the church
was lost in 1976. Murray described the church in her autobiography: ?Its white wooden structure
held scarcely more than a hundred people, but for me it rivaled the quality of a great cathedral.?
Sadly, St. Philips burned down in 1976 due to a furnace explosion. There was some tension in
Aquasco while the congregation tried to find a new worshiping space. There was pressure from
the Episcopal Diocese of Washington for St. Mary?s, the all-white Episcopal church, to be given
to the African American congregation. Both congregations strongly rejected the idea. The St.
Philip's congregation wanted a new church to be built on the site of the old one. The
congregation eventually bought a church in Baden, Maryland in 1980. They still worship at the
Baden church today.
Music has also played a big role in the Aquasco religious communitFy. In the late 1960s and
early 1970s, the Mighty Wonders of Aquasco, a local acapella gospel group, was extremely
popular locally. They recorded two double sided 45 rpm records. One called ?Old Ship of Zion?
with ?How Far am I from Canaan?? on the b side and another recording ?Old Time Religion & I
Shall Not be Moved.? When active, the group performed at churches in the Baltimore area
almost every Sunday of the year. Their recording ofA ?Old Ship of Zion? has a unique rendition
that includes lyrics not found in the original hymn.
[insert 30 - 45 second recording oRf a song by the Mighty Wonders of Aquasco] [Directions FROM Aquasco Mill TO St. Philip?s Church] Travel Time: About 11 minutes, 1.9 Miles
Here are the directions from Sunnyside to St. Philip?s Church.
Turn around in front of Sunnyside, but do not use the driveway, and head back up Doctor
Bowen Road until you reach MD-381. Turn right and continue for two minutes until you reach St.
Philip?s Road. Turn right and continue along the road for another two minutes until you reach the
site of St. Philip?s Church. The church site is currently surrounded by a chain link fence. Please,
remember to be respectful if you stop at the St. Philip?s cemetery site. The cemetery is still
actively used. Do not attempt to enter the cemetery. And do not disturb any of the gravestones.
Thank you.
That concludes the directions.
[Triangle Sound - To signal the end of the directions]
When the American Civil War ended in 1865, the millions of freed slaves faced significant
challenges from the less than welcoming communities around them. Established in 1865 by
Congress, the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands, better known as the
Freedmen's Bureau, was created to help former black slaves during Reconstruction. The
program, though short lasting and of limited success, the Bureau created a number of schools
for African Americans.
The process of rebuilding the South, also referred as the Reconstruction period, extended from
1865 to 1877. During this time, many southern states found ways to limit the freedom of these
newly freed slaves. Systematic racial segregation of blacks and whites was one of the methods.
These state and local laws enforcing racial segregation are referred to as Jim Crow Laws. This
limited what African Americans can do from marriage to education to religion to transportation.
?Colored-only? and ?whites-only? divided every aspect of daily life.
John Wesley Methodist Church, now known as Christ United Methodist, is one of the earliest
churches established by freedman in Prince Geroge?s County after the Civil War. The building
has changed several times over the course of its history. The land was purchased by James
Gray, a freedman, in 1866 in order to erect a Methodist Episcopal Church for the freedman
community in the area. In 1873, a chapel was built oAn the site. However, in 1906, for an unknown reason, a new chapel replaced the original building. Sadly, nothing from the original 1873 chapel remains today. F Around 1955, a church hall was built and a new chapel soon followed in 1961. That?s a total of three chapels on this one site alone. In 1973, John Wesley merged with St. Thomas Methodist to become Christ United Methodist and the congregation is still active today. Near the church is a cemetery with graves dating back to 1915. The most recent date is from 2005, but the
cemetery is no longer in use.
The site was also the location of ARquasco?s first Freedman?s school. The schoolhouse was erected in 1867. James Gray and two other Freedmen, Walter Thomas and Richard Thomas, served as trusteeDs for the school. A teacher was assigned by the Freedmen?s Bureau in 1868. The school was known as the John Wesley School and operated until the Woodville School down the road was built in 1934. Woodville schoolhouse was the third and final schoolhouse built for African American Students in this community. In 1868, the Freedmen?s Bureau built the first schoolhouse on the grounds of the John Wesley
Methodist Church. The three original school trustees also served as trustees for the church.
In 1877, the second African American elementary school was built on the west side of Aquasco
Road, about 100 yards south of the Woodville school that stands today. The 1877 structure
served as a school until a larger schoolhouse was needed and this became a private
residence. This building was torn down in the early 21st century.
The Board of Education purchased a 2-1/2-acre lot on the east side of Aquasco Road for the
Woodville School in the early 1930s. The Board purchased building materials, and the
construction was performed by Emergency Relief Administration labor. The end result is the
building you see here today: a three-classroom rural school, the largest built for African
Americans at that time.
The school closed in 1955 and was purchased by the St. John?s Commandery #373. This
African American Catholic group continues to use the former schoolhouse for meetings and as a
social hall.
As a part of segregation, schools were also built to serve only whiteF children. Constructed around 1906, the Aquasco Schoolhouse is an example of a white only schoolhouse that still stands in Aquasco today. You passed this schoolhouse on St. Mary?s Church RoaTd earlier in the tour. [Directions FROM St. Philip?s Church TO John Wesley Church] Travel Time: About 7:12, 1.2 Miles Here are the directions from St. Philips Church to John Wesley Methodist Church.
Turn around at the St. Philip?s Church site and head back down St. Philip?s Road to MD-381.
Turn right and travel for four minutes until you reach Christ Church Road, then turn right and
travel for another two minutes until you reach John Wesley Methodist Church, the site of the first
Freedman church and African American schoolhouse in Aquasco.
That concludes the directions.
[Triangle Sound - To signal the end of the directions]
Note From the Writers:
This section of the audio tour was purposely left blank to provide space for future information.
Currently, the auDdio tour does not last a full two hours, leaving space for any additional information to be inserted at a lateRr time. You will soon arrive at John Wesley Methodist Church, the site of the third kiosk. Again, we suggest you pause this recording and take the opportunity to read the additional information offered at the site. [Silent Pause for 5 to 7 seconds. To give people time to decide to stop or keep going]
[Directions FROM John Wesley Church TO Resort Towns Kiosk]
Travel Time: About 18 minutes, 3 miles
Here are the directions from John Wesley Methodist Church to the Resort Towns Kiosk.
Use the area in front of John Wesley?s Church to turn around and return to MD-381. Then turn
left and travel for two and a half minutes. When you reach Eagle Harbor Road, turn right and
continue for 2 miles. At the fork in the road, go left onto Trueman?s Point Road. Travel for two
minutes until you reach Elms Trail. Turn right at the intersection.
That concludes the directions.
[Triangle Sound - To signal the end of the directions]
Segregation has impacted the way African Americans gather for recreation as well. Many
popular beaches in Maryland like Sandy Point and Bay Ridge were exclusively white beaches.
As a result, African Americans had to create their own resort destinations like Highland Beach
and Carr?s beach in Annapolis. In these beaches, African Americans are able to swim freely
without discrimination.
In 1925, developer Walter L. Bean purchased several parcels of land along the banks of the
Patuxent to the south of Trueman Point from two Aquasco farming families, the Thomas Keech
and Samuel Stamp families. The modest polychrome Thomas Keech house stands at the
southeast corner of MD-381 and Eagle Harbor Road as you head towards Trueman Point.
Bean purchased their lands, with the idea of creating a resort community for African-Americans
from the Washington area.
Bean?s land was surveyed and plated into small lots which were theFn heavily advertised in
the African-American newspapers of Washington, DC. The sales manager for Eagle
Harbor was M. Jones, who during the years of 1925 and 1926 released tons of
advertisements for the new resort. Advertisements Ain the Washington Tribune in the mid1920s boast ?500 Plots at 1 Cent, PayabRle 20% down and balance in 40 equal Weekly Payments?. Another said the new $50,000 Hotel will ?Double Values at Eagle Harbor within the next thirty days!? and yet one more ?Come to Eagle Harbor Plenty of accommodations for Vacationists and Week-End Parties Fine Beach, Bathing, Boating, Fishing, Merry-go-round, Cafes, Tea Rooms, Boarding Houses, Sugar Bowl Bath House, Large Excursion Boat. And Ideal Place for Sunday School and Private Picnics. Fishing Parties and Week-end Visitors!?
The resort was oDnly 30 miles from Washington over fine roads, and the community would be ?a high class summer colony for the better people.? Lots were offered for $50 or less, and prospective buyers could for $1.00 round-trip bus fare visit the resort to inspect the area beforehand. The sales office was located in the Shaw section of Washington. The busy location of theaters, offices and businesses of successful black businessmen and professionals. This was a period when Highland Beach, was a popular resort community, and
Eagle Harbor began to attract a good number of middle class African-American residents of
Washington, who were often teachers, pastors and business owners. People began building
small cottages for their summertime use, and by 1928, the Eagle Harbor Citizens Association
was already exploring the idea of incorporation.
Unfortunately, building a remote community didn?t keep discrimination away. In 1928, as Eagle
Harbor was becoming well established, the county felt the need to reassess tax rates on the
lots. The white tax assessor raised the rates sky high! By making prices outrageous, families
could no longer afford to live there. E.S. Hine helped to fight this clearly unfair assessment by
proving that the prices assigned to Eagle Harbor did not match nearby white neighborhoods
who had larger lots and lower prices. This event spurred the town?s decision to become
incorporated, and in 1929, with the sponsorship of state representative, Landsdale Sasscer and
financial support from African American businessmen and Eagle Harbor resident, John T.
Stewart, the town of Eagle Harbor officially incorporated as a municipality in Prince George
County.
As the community grew, businesses began to pop up to serve the community?s needs. This
growth in businesses began as early as 1927. In 1934, the Patuxent Hotel in Eagle Harbor, a
28-room hotel was built by the Morrison Brothers. Sadly, the Patuxent Hotel no longer exists.
However, these brothers then went on to build the future Fairmont Heights High School,? an
African American only high school, which opened in northern PrinceF George?s couTnty in 1950. Some other notable businesses include the Marie Villa in Eagle Harbor and the Harrison?s Cafe in Cedar Haven. Harrison was a restaurateur in Washington DC, who served Fried Chicken Dinners to visitors of Cedar Haven and Eagle Harbor during the fall season. ? One existing historic business structure is ?The Wanderer? general store at the fork in the road at
Trueman Point Road and Daniel Payne Blvd, just before you enter either Eagle Harbor or
Cedar Haven. It is currently privately owned and has not been used as a store for some time.
Mr. Crudup, the mayor of Eagle Harbor, worked there in 1963 for one weekend as a young man.
He mentioned the importance of these small, locally owned stores to the small waterfront
community. It provided a safe shopping option for the African American community during a
time of high racial tensions.
One of Eagle Harbor?s treasured sites is the Artesian Well. The Artesian Well is a remnant of
Eagle Harbor?s resort town history. When the town was made up of summer homes, residents
did not need to inDstall wells on eacRh property. Instead, the community created the Artesian Well as a public well for the community to use. By the 1960s, more permanent residents started populating the town and most people began drilling wells on their individual properties. The Artesian Well still continued supplying water until 2014 when it stopped working. It is still unclear why the well stopped functioning. Due to the well?s location along the water?s edge, the well is threatened by rising waters and shoreline erosion. The town has actively applied and received grant funding to preserve the well for the future.
As ?The Paradise on the Patuxent,? Eagle Harbor beach is the most important feature of the
waterfront community. The beach was the main reason why African Americans formed a resort
community here. People would enjoy swimming, fishing and boating in the water. However, this
historic beach is unrecognizable as the popular vacation destination it was in the past. Much like
the Artesian Well, the historic beach faces many environmental challenges today. One of the
many environmental concerns is shoreline erosion. Eagle Harbor Beach has been losing about
one inch of shoreline every year. This is impacting several structures along the waterfront.
Since its initial service in 1964, the neighboring Chalk Point Generating Plant has deteriorated
the water quality. The water is currently not safe to swim in due to the pollution.
These environmental challenges have made the Eagle Harbor community stronger and more
proactive about sustainability. In August of 2018, Eagle Harbor became a Certified Sustainable
Maryland Community. This effort not only serves to protect the tangible history of the Eagle
Harbor community, but also to revitalize the resort town into an attractive recreational and
heritage tourism destination all year-round. Eagle Harbor Beach is not just a historic beach to
the community. It is a life source for the growth and continuation of this small and charming
waterfront town.
Established in 1926, just a year after Eagle Harbor, Cedar Haven was designed as another
summer refuge for African-Americans. The founders of Cedar Haven hoped it would rival the
adjacent resort town of Eagle Harbor. The steamboat company wenFt bankrupt not Tlong after Cedar Haven and Eagle Harbor were established, leaving the wharf open for use by the new resorts for African-Americans. Early advertisements for the community spoke of anA ?exclusive? community of hills, beaches, woodlands, and meadows with fishing and crabbing, sports, hotels, dinners and dancing. The promotional literature claimed that a ?60 foot boulevard sweeps across the stately crescent shaped beach, lined stately cedars from end to end.? All the streets and avenues were unusually fifty foot wide and every lot faced a street, avenue, or boulevard. Advertisers claimed that Cedar Haven was a safe place for children, where they could escape the dangers of city streets and learn the names of the country?s greatest African-
American leaders from the street names.
All the streets in Cedar Haven used to be named after significant figures in African-American
history, such as poet Paul Dunbar, Richard Allen, the founder of the African Methodist Episcopal
Church, and BlaDnche K. Bruce, the first African-American to preside over the senate. One street honors Benjamin Banneker, who wRas born in Ellicott City to an ex-slave and a freed African American woman. Self-taught, Banneker wrote nearly twenty almanacs from 1792 until 1797. These almanaces were published in seven cities including Baltimore, Philadelphia, and Richmond. Another street honored Mary McLeod Bethune. She was a civil rights activist best known for starting a private school for African-American students in Daytona Beach, Florida. She also co-founded the United Negro College Fund in 1944 with William Trent and Frederick D. Patterson. Sadly, most of the street names have been changed, though Banneker still
remains.
The streets in Cedar Haven were laid out in a grid pattern, with the north/south
thoroughfare, Banneker Boulevard anchoring a number of smaller streets. Richard Allen
Street is the main road running east and west, though it is quite narrow and without curbs
or lighting. Most of the other streets are small, and many do not run far off the main road.
Although many maps show the streets laid out in a grid pattern, most of the streets were
never fully extended or paved. If you look closely, you can see the street signs that identify the
platted but unfinished streets.
Residents in Cedar Haven could swim at the natural beaches or enjoy the playground. Visitors
could enjoy the summer activities by the water and stay for the fall foliage. Early construction in
Cedar Haven comprised of small bungalows and cottages with porches and large setbacks.
Many trees were cleared to make room for new houses, but trees were also planted along the
roads to provide shade.
Three years after Cedar Haven was established, the Cedar Haven Hotel was built as the
community?s social center. Those without houses could stay at the Cedar Haven Hotel. The
hotel was a large bungalow equipped with gas, electricity, a garage, and a dance hall, and
quickly became well known for its chicken dinners. The Hotel served visitors and early residents,
and showcased the bustling life of Cedar Haven during the community?s early yearTs. In 1929,
the Cedar Haven Hotel hosted the Robert T. Freeman Dental Society. The program included
breakfast at the Hotel along with hiking, a baseball game, water sports, tennis and more! Then
in 1930, the Hotel was home to the Clark Smith?s School of Secretarial Service. Tuition was only
$10 dollars, but for an additional $5, students could stay at the CedaFr Haven Hotel.
Cedar Haven also had a bathhouse near the beachA. For summer visitors, the bath house on Crispus Atticus Boulevard was equipped with 80 locker dressing rooms, separated for men and women, as well as trained attendants. A lounging porch faced the water. Members of the community often gathered at the wRaters? edge to watch ships go up and down the Patuxent River. According to oral sources, you could rent a bathing suit at the bathhouse to use for swimming in the Patuxent River. The bustling and lively Cedar Haven Hotel and bathhouse are gone, lost in the changing landscape; however, while physical structure may be gone, but the story of these buildings and their impact still Dlingers in many resident?s memories today. You will soon arrive at the fork road, the site of the final kiosk. Again, we suggest you pause this recording and take the opportunity to read the additional information offered at the site. You can also explore The Wanderer General Store at the site. [Silent Pause for 5 to 7 seconds. To give people time to decide to stop or keep going]
[Directions FROM Resort Town Kiosk BACK TO Cedar Haven Fishing Area]
Travel Time: About 6 minutes, 1.2 miles
Here are the directions from Resort Towns Kiosk to the Cedar Haven Fishing Area.
Head east on Elm Trail, towards the water, until you reach Patuxent Boulevard. Turn left at the
intersection. Continue on Patuxent until ?Trueman Point Road. Turn left, then turn right after a few?
hundred feet onto Cypress Trail. Continue straight on this road. This road will turn into Bethune?
Avenue then Daniel Payne Street. When you reach Richard Allen Street, turn left. Travel a few?
hundred feet, then turn right on Paul Dunbar Avenue. Travel for about a minute before turning left on?
Phyllis Wheatley Avenue. Keep traveling straight until you see the entrance for the Cedar Haven?
Fishing Area.??
That concludes the directions.
[Triangle Sound - To signal the end of the directions]
When Cedar Haven was established, residents were encouraged to order homes from the
Sears, Roebuck and Company Catalog Homes. If the residents did not order from the catalog,
they were strongly encouraged to build their homes like the models from the catalog instead.
The Magnolia, Bellhaven and Whitehall house form were mainly used as the models for new
homes in the community. These prefabricated catalog homes are often referred to as Sears Kit
houses. Sears Kit houses were extremely popular in the 1900s because they eliminated a lot of
time usually spent on traditional construction. These kit homes can be quickly assembled
on-site.
T
There are a few Sears kit homes still standing today. One of these kit hoses is the Cedar Villa,
located at the corner of Douglas Avenue and Allen Street. Another kit house can be seen on
Booker T. Washington Avenue. This kit home, painted blue, matches the Ocean Park design
from the Sears, Roebuck and Company Catalog Home. The ?BellanFa,? named after owner Anna
E. Bell still stands as well. It is a front-gable house on a raised pier foundation with an open
flat-roofed porch. The ?Bellana? was built in the style of the Sear, Roebuck, and Company
?Magnolia? model. It is unknown if the home was actually purchased as a kit from Sears or
simply based on the Sears designR. These early houAses served as models for several houses later built throughout Cedar Haven. [Triangle Sound - To signal the end of the directions] This concludes the Changing Landscapes: Farmsteads and Resort Town Audio Tour. Thank you for joining usD today. We hope you?ve enjoyed learning about the communities of Aquasco, Eagle Harbor, and Cedar Haven. You?ve heard the stories of wealthy planters and how they?ve impacted the landscape.You?ve learned about the churches in the area, the ways in which they?ve served their communities in the past, and how they continued to serve. We?ve shown you schoolhouses that are sadly no longer used for education, yet can tell us so much about the past. Lastly, you visited the resort towns of Eagle Harbor and Cedar Haven, and learned about how they were created and where they?re headed in the future.
For more information, check out the Changing Landscapes: Farmsteads and Resort Town guide
book, where you can learn more about each site. Have fun exploring Aquasco, Cedar Haven
and Eagle Harbor and enjoy the rest of your day!