Colmar Manor, Maryland
Encyclopedia
Colmar Manor is a town located in Prince George's County, Maryland
. As of the 2000 census, the town had a total population of 1,257. As the town developed at the beginning of the 20th century, it assumed a name derived from its proximity to the District of Columbia—the first syllable of Columbia and that of Maryland were combined to form "Colmar". Colmar Manor was incorporated in 1927.
, formerly in Bladensburg, Maryland, a small waterway that because of its secluded location was a popular site for dueling. Duels were banned in neighboring Washington, D.C.
, but legal in Maryland
and Dueling Creek was the site for more than 50 duels between 1808 and 1868. The most famous duel fought on the site was on March 22, 1820 between Stephen Decatur
and James Barron
. Decatur was mortally wounded in the exchange.
During the War of 1812, on August 24, 1814, the area was the scene of the Battle of Bladensburg
. The place became a battlefield again in the early days of the Civil War
when Confederate troops mounted an assault on Battery Jameson, Fort Lincoln
, now northeast Washington, D.C.
, which was one of a number Union defensive forts built around the nation's capital to protect it from capture. The remains of Fort Lincoln are located on the hillside that is now a part of Fort Lincoln Cemetery.
In 1912, the Capitol Cemetery of Prince George's County was incorporated on the Washington, D.C. boundary line. Directly north of the cemetery was the Shreve estate. The Shreve house was destroyed in the 1890s. The 260 acres (1.1 km²) farm site was used by the 6,000 jobless men from Ohio who descended on the Capitol in 1894 as "Coxey's Army
". Bladensburg Road transversed the area, becoming more heavily traveled in the 1920s, and eventually became designated as US Route 1
. Part of the former Shreve estate was subdivided into building lots in 1918. The lots were 50 feet (15.2 m) wide by 100 feet (30.5 m) deep, arranged along a grid pattern of streets. The streets were originally named after President Woodrow Wilson
(1913–21), members of his cabinet, and other prominent men
of the era. Some time later, the streets were renamed to conform to the system in use in the District of Columbia. The location of the development within the first service area of the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission
offered homeowners modern water and sewer lines. The houses constructed were modest one- and two-story wood-frame buildings. In 1931, the town’s streets were paved and gutters installed. A concrete block municipal building was constructed in 1934, followed by the construction of a brick schoolhouse in 1935. In 1959, a new municipal building was constructed to house the town's administrative offices and police department.
During the second half of the 20th century, the area along Bladensburg Road became lined with commercial establishments and much of the housing stock was used as rental units. A large urban renewal project in the 1970s and 1980s resulted in the demolition of many commercial properties along Bladenburg Road. The old businesses were replaced with new structures such as fast food restaurants and a shopping center. Streets and houses were also improved. The Colmar Manor Community Park was established along the west bank of the Anacostia River in the 1970s on the site of a sanitary landfill.
In 1999, Colmar Manor, Bladensburg
, and Cottage City
were lauded by the Joint Center for Sustainable Communities for their collaboration with Prince George's County for the Port Towns Revitalization Initiative, which created a common Port Towns identity for the towns; encouraged businesses development through infrastructure and façade improvements; acquisition of historic properties and plans for their reuse; and reconstruction of the Bladensburg waterfront and marina.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the town has a total area of 0.5 square miles (1.3 km²), of which, 0.4 square miles (1.2 km²) of it is land and 0.1 square miles (0.1 km²) of it is water. The total area is 10.00% water.
of 2000, there were 1,257 people, 384 households, and 273 families residing in the town. The population density
was 2,804.9 people per square mile (1,078.5/km²). There were 411 housing units at an average density of 917.1 per square mile (352.6/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 24.90% White, 48.77% African American, 0.08% Native American, 10.34% Asian, 0.00% Pacific Islander, 12.41% from other races, and 3.50% from two or more races. 17.82% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 384 households out of which 33.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.1% were married couples
living together, 18.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.9% were non-families. 25.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.27 and the average family size was 3.92.
In the town the population was spread out with 28.2% under the age of 18, 9.4% from 18 to 24, 28.0% from 25 to 44, 24.3% from 45 to 64, and 10.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 94.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.6 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $43,906, and the median income for a family was $46,354. Males had a median income of $34,750 versus $29,844 for females. The per capita income
for the town was $16,528. 5.9% of the population and 4.9% of families were below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 6.9% of those under the age of 18 and 4.9% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.
, television actor best-known as, high school principal and vice principal, Mr. Woodman on Welcome Back, Kotter
Prince George's County, Maryland
Prince George's County is a county located in the U.S. state of Maryland, immediately north, east, and south of Washington, DC. As of 2010, it has a population of 863,420 and is the wealthiest African-American majority county in the nation....
. As of the 2000 census, the town had a total population of 1,257. As the town developed at the beginning of the 20th century, it assumed a name derived from its proximity to the District of Columbia—the first syllable of Columbia and that of Maryland were combined to form "Colmar". Colmar Manor was incorporated in 1927.
History
The town is home to Dueling CreekDueling Creek
Dueling Creek is a tributary of the Anacostia River in southern Maryland in the United States.Dueling Creek is located in what is now Colmar Manor, Maryland....
, formerly in Bladensburg, Maryland, a small waterway that because of its secluded location was a popular site for dueling. Duels were banned in neighboring Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, but legal in Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
and Dueling Creek was the site for more than 50 duels between 1808 and 1868. The most famous duel fought on the site was on March 22, 1820 between Stephen Decatur
Stephen Decatur
Stephen Decatur, Jr. , was an American naval officer notable for his many naval victories in the early 19th century. He was born on the eastern shore of Maryland, Worcester county, the son of a U.S. Naval Officer who served during the American Revolution. Shortly after attending college Decatur...
and James Barron
James Barron
James Barron was an officer in the United States Navy. Commander of the frigate USS Chesapeake, he was court-martialed for his actions on 22 June 1807, which led to the surrender of his ship to the British....
. Decatur was mortally wounded in the exchange.
During the War of 1812, on August 24, 1814, the area was the scene of the Battle of Bladensburg
Battle of Bladensburg
The Battle of Bladensburg took place during the War of 1812. The defeat of the American forces there allowed the British to capture and burn the public buildings of Washington, D.C...
. The place became a battlefield again in the early days of the Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
when Confederate troops mounted an assault on Battery Jameson, Fort Lincoln
Fort Lincoln
Fort Lincoln may refer to:*Fort Lincoln *Fort Abraham Lincoln, an old military post near Mandan, North Dakota, now a state park*Fort Lincoln Internment Camp, former military post and internment camp near Bismarck...
, now northeast Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, which was one of a number Union defensive forts built around the nation's capital to protect it from capture. The remains of Fort Lincoln are located on the hillside that is now a part of Fort Lincoln Cemetery.
In 1912, the Capitol Cemetery of Prince George's County was incorporated on the Washington, D.C. boundary line. Directly north of the cemetery was the Shreve estate. The Shreve house was destroyed in the 1890s. The 260 acres (1.1 km²) farm site was used by the 6,000 jobless men from Ohio who descended on the Capitol in 1894 as "Coxey's Army
Coxey's Army
Coxey's Army was a protest march by unemployed workers from the United States, led by the populist Jacob Coxey. They marched on Washington D.C. in 1894, the second year of a four-year economic depression that was the worst in United States history to that time. Officially named the Army of the...
". Bladensburg Road transversed the area, becoming more heavily traveled in the 1920s, and eventually became designated as US Route 1
U.S. Route 1 in Maryland
U.S. Route 1 is the easternmost and longest of the major north–south routes of the United States Numbered Highway System, running from Key West, Florida to Fort Kent, Maine. In the U.S...
. Part of the former Shreve estate was subdivided into building lots in 1918. The lots were 50 feet (15.2 m) wide by 100 feet (30.5 m) deep, arranged along a grid pattern of streets. The streets were originally named after President Woodrow Wilson
Woodrow Wilson
Thomas Woodrow Wilson was the 28th President of the United States, from 1913 to 1921. A leader of the Progressive Movement, he served as President of Princeton University from 1902 to 1910, and then as the Governor of New Jersey from 1911 to 1913...
(1913–21), members of his cabinet, and other prominent men
of the era. Some time later, the streets were renamed to conform to the system in use in the District of Columbia. The location of the development within the first service area of the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission
Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission
Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission provides safe drinking water and wastewater treatment for Montgomery and Prince George's Counties in Maryland. It was established on May 1, 1918. It is the eighth largest water and wastewater utility in the United States. The WSSC serves about 1.8 million...
offered homeowners modern water and sewer lines. The houses constructed were modest one- and two-story wood-frame buildings. In 1931, the town’s streets were paved and gutters installed. A concrete block municipal building was constructed in 1934, followed by the construction of a brick schoolhouse in 1935. In 1959, a new municipal building was constructed to house the town's administrative offices and police department.
During the second half of the 20th century, the area along Bladensburg Road became lined with commercial establishments and much of the housing stock was used as rental units. A large urban renewal project in the 1970s and 1980s resulted in the demolition of many commercial properties along Bladenburg Road. The old businesses were replaced with new structures such as fast food restaurants and a shopping center. Streets and houses were also improved. The Colmar Manor Community Park was established along the west bank of the Anacostia River in the 1970s on the site of a sanitary landfill.
In 1999, Colmar Manor, Bladensburg
Bladensburg, Maryland
Bladensburg is a town in Prince George's County, Maryland, United States. The population was 7,661 at the 2000 census.Bladensburg is from central Washington, DC...
, and Cottage City
Cottage City, Maryland
Cottage City is a town in Prince George's County, Maryland, United States. The population was 1,136 at the 2000 census. Cottage City is a small, quiet community lying between Eastern Avenue , Brentwood, Colmar Manor, and the Anacostia River...
were lauded by the Joint Center for Sustainable Communities for their collaboration with Prince George's County for the Port Towns Revitalization Initiative, which created a common Port Towns identity for the towns; encouraged businesses development through infrastructure and façade improvements; acquisition of historic properties and plans for their reuse; and reconstruction of the Bladensburg waterfront and marina.
Geography
Colmar Manor is located at 38°56'2" North, 76°56'49" West (38.933811, -76.947077).According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the town has a total area of 0.5 square miles (1.3 km²), of which, 0.4 square miles (1.2 km²) of it is land and 0.1 square miles (0.1 km²) of it is water. The total area is 10.00% water.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 1,257 people, 384 households, and 273 families residing in the town. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 2,804.9 people per square mile (1,078.5/km²). There were 411 housing units at an average density of 917.1 per square mile (352.6/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 24.90% White, 48.77% African American, 0.08% Native American, 10.34% Asian, 0.00% Pacific Islander, 12.41% from other races, and 3.50% from two or more races. 17.82% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 384 households out of which 33.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.1% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 18.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.9% were non-families. 25.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.27 and the average family size was 3.92.
In the town the population was spread out with 28.2% under the age of 18, 9.4% from 18 to 24, 28.0% from 25 to 44, 24.3% from 45 to 64, and 10.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 94.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.6 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $43,906, and the median income for a family was $46,354. Males had a median income of $34,750 versus $29,844 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the town was $16,528. 5.9% of the population and 4.9% of families were below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 6.9% of those under the age of 18 and 4.9% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.
Bordering areas
- Cottage CityCottage City, MarylandCottage City is a town in Prince George's County, Maryland, United States. The population was 1,136 at the 2000 census. Cottage City is a small, quiet community lying between Eastern Avenue , Brentwood, Colmar Manor, and the Anacostia River...
(Northwest) - North BrentwoodNorth Brentwood, MarylandNorth Brentwood is a town in Prince George's County, Maryland, United States. The population was 469 at the 2000 census. The municipality of North Brentwood is located north of Washington, D.C., and is surrounded by the communities of Hyattsville, Brentwood, and Cottage City...
(Northwest) - BrentwoodBrentwood, MarylandBrentwood is a town in Prince George's County, Maryland, United States. The population was 2,844 at the 2000 census. Brentwood is less than away from Washington, DC...
(Northwest) - Mount RainierMount Rainier, MarylandMount Rainier is a city in Prince George's County, Maryland, United States. The population was 8,498 at the 2000 census. Bordering Washington, DC, Mount Rainier got its start as a streetcar suburb. According to local tradition, surveyors from the Pacific Northwest named the town, giving the...
(Northwest)
Education
Colmar Manor is zoned to Prince George's County Public SchoolsPrince George's County Public Schools
The Prince George's County Public Schools system is a large school district administered by the government of Prince George's County, Maryland, United States and is overseen by the Maryland State Department of Education...
- Rogers Heights Elementary School
- William Wirt Middle School
- Bladensburg High SchoolBladensburg High SchoolBladensburg High School is a secondary school located in Bladensburg, Maryland.The school, which serves grades 9 through 12, is a part of the Prince George's County Public Schools district....
Notable people
John Sylvester WhiteJohn Sylvester White
John Sylvester White was a Philadelphia, Pennsylvania-born American actor.He was best known for his starring role as "Keith Barron" on the television soap opera Search for Tomorrow from 1951 to 1952, and many years later, to a different generation as the crabby, diminutive high school...
, television actor best-known as, high school principal and vice principal, Mr. Woodman on Welcome Back, Kotter
Welcome Back, Kotter
Welcome Back, Kotter was an American television sitcom starring Gabe Kaplan and featuring a young John Travolta.It originally aired on the ABC network from September 9, 1975 to June 8, 1979.-Premise:...
External links
- Colmar Manor, Prince George's County, Maryland Town Services
- Colmar Manor, Maryland Demographic Profile
- Colmar Manor, The Portstowns Alliance
- New Covenant Church of the Lord Jesus Christ and New Covenant Christian Academy
- Colmar Manor Bible Church
- "Colmar Manor: Deadly dueling ground now a neighborly community," by J.J. Smith, Washington Examiner, May 13, 2010
- "Where We Live: Colmar Manor in Maryland's Prince George's County," by Jim Brocker, The Washington Post, July 17, 2010.
- Colmar Manor and Bladensburg Floods of the Anacostia River (1742-1954)
- Dueling Creek and Town of Colmar Manor History, Dueling Creek Academy of Leadership in Environmental Science & Fine Arts
- Battle of Bladensburg, War of 1812 Bicentennial preparations top Port Towns' priorities