Highland Beach, Maryland
Encyclopedia
Highland Beach is a town in Anne Arundel County
, Maryland
, United States
. The population was 109 at the 2000 census. The town was founded early in the 20th Century by affluent African Americans from Washington, D.C.
and Baltimore, looking for a retreat on the Chesapeake Bay
. The town's incorporated status gave it a unique standing in empowering it to maintain its own police force. Celebrities with homes here have included Alex Haley
, Bill Cosby
, and Arthur Ashe
. Streets there include Crummell, Dunbar, Henson, Augusta, Douglass, Langston, and Washington, named for the famous African-Americans.
' son) and his wife Laura after they had been turned away from a restaurant at the nearby Bay Ridge resort because of their race. They bought a 40 acres (161,874.4 m²) tract on the Chesapeake Bay with 500 feet (152.4 m) of beachfront and turned it into a summer enclave for their family and friends. Their home, the Douglass Summer House
, was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
in 1992. It became a gathering place for upper-class blacks, including many of the well known personages of the age.
Among the residents and guests were Paul Robeson
, D.C. municipal court judge Robert Terrell and his wife Dr. Mary Church Terrell
, Robert Weaver
, Harriet Tubman
, W. E. B. Du Bois, and poets Langston Hughes
and Paul Laurence Dunbar
. Charles Douglass’ father, the famous abolitionist Frederick Douglass, visited and would have become a resident had he not died before the house that his son was building for him was completed.
When Highland Beach was incorporated in 1922 it became the first African-American municipality in Maryland. Although founded as a summer resort, it is now a town of year-round residents who choose not to permit commercial establishments. There are some sixty homes, many of them still owned and occupied by descendents of the original settlers. The residents are proud and protective of their town’s heritage, established over a century ago by people determined to overcome the prejudices of their post-Reconstruction times. However, as of the 2000 census, African-Americans make up less than 40 percent of the town's residents.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the town has a total area of 0.1 square mile (0.258998811 km²), of which, 0.1 square mile (0.258998811 km²) of it is land and 14.29% is water.
of 2000, there were 109 people, 44 households, and 27 families residing in the town. The population density
was 1,647.1 people per square mile (601.2/km²). There were 80 housing units at an average density of 1,208.9 per square mile (441.3/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 52.29% White, 39.45% African American, and 8.26% from two or more races.
There were 44 households out of which 27.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.9% were married couples
living together, 15.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.6% were non-families. 31.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 20.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.48 and the average family size was 3.11.
In the town the population was spread out with 26.6% under the age of 18, 2.8% from 18 to 24, 28.4% from 25 to 44, 29.4% from 45 to 64, and 12.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 84.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.1 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $53,333, and the median income for a family was $82,379. Males had a median income of $36,563 versus $31,250 for females. The per capita income
for the town was $27,802. There were no families and 1.5% of the population living below the poverty line, including no under eighteens and 10.5% of those over 64.
Anne Arundel County, Maryland
Anne Arundel County is a county located in the U.S. state of Maryland. It is named for Anne Arundell , a member of the ancient family of Arundells in Cornwall, England and the wife of Cæcilius Calvert, 2nd Baron Baltimore. Its county seat is Annapolis, which is also the capital of the state...
, 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...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The population was 109 at the 2000 census. The town was founded early in the 20th Century by affluent African Americans from 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....
and Baltimore, looking for a retreat on the Chesapeake Bay
Chesapeake Bay
The Chesapeake Bay is the largest estuary in the United States. It lies off the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by Maryland and Virginia. The Chesapeake Bay's drainage basin covers in the District of Columbia and parts of six states: New York, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, and West...
. The town's incorporated status gave it a unique standing in empowering it to maintain its own police force. Celebrities with homes here have included Alex Haley
Alex Haley
Alexander Murray Palmer Haley was an African-American writer. He is best known as the author of Roots: The Saga of an American Family and the coauthor of The Autobiography of Malcolm X.-Early life:...
, Bill Cosby
Bill Cosby
William Henry "Bill" Cosby, Jr. is an American comedian, actor, author, television producer, educator, musician and activist. A veteran stand-up performer, he got his start at various clubs, then landed a starring role in the 1960s action show, I Spy. He later starred in his own series, the...
, and Arthur Ashe
Arthur Ashe
Arthur Robert Ashe, Jr. was a professional tennis player, born and raised in Richmond, Virginia. During his career, he won three Grand Slam titles, putting him among the best ever from the United States...
. Streets there include Crummell, Dunbar, Henson, Augusta, Douglass, Langston, and Washington, named for the famous African-Americans.
History
Beach was founded in the summer of 1893 by Charles Douglass (Frederick DouglassFrederick Douglass
Frederick Douglass was an American social reformer, orator, writer and statesman. After escaping from slavery, he became a leader of the abolitionist movement, gaining note for his dazzling oratory and incisive antislavery writing...
' son) and his wife Laura after they had been turned away from a restaurant at the nearby Bay Ridge resort because of their race. They bought a 40 acres (161,874.4 m²) tract on the Chesapeake Bay with 500 feet (152.4 m) of beachfront and turned it into a summer enclave for their family and friends. Their home, the Douglass Summer House
Douglass Summer House
The Douglass Summer House is a historic home at Highland Beach, Anne Arundel County, Maryland, United States. It was built in 1894-95, is one of the first built in the small community of Highland Beach and is the oldest structure remaining at that place. The house was built in 1894-95 by Major...
, was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 1992. It became a gathering place for upper-class blacks, including many of the well known personages of the age.
Among the residents and guests were Paul Robeson
Paul Robeson
Paul Leroy Robeson was an American concert singer , recording artist, actor, athlete, scholar who was an advocate for the Civil Rights Movement in the first half of the twentieth century...
, D.C. municipal court judge Robert Terrell and his wife Dr. Mary Church Terrell
Mary Church Terrell
Mary Church Terrell , daughter of former slaves, was one of the first African-American women to earn a college degree. She became an activist who led several important associations and worked for civil rights and suffrage....
, Robert Weaver
Robert Weaver
Robert Weaver is the name of:*Robert Weaver , 20th century Canadian editor and broadcaster*Robert C. Weaver, 20th century American politician*Robert Weaver , American illustrator*Robert Weaver , American surfer...
, Harriet Tubman
Harriet Tubman
Harriet Tubman Harriet Tubman Harriet Tubman (born Araminta Harriet Ross; (1820 – 1913) was an African-American abolitionist, humanitarian, and Union spy during the American Civil War. After escaping from slavery, into which she was born, she made thirteen missions to rescue more than 70 slaves...
, W. E. B. Du Bois, and poets Langston Hughes
Langston Hughes
James Mercer Langston Hughes was an American poet, social activist, novelist, playwright, and columnist. He was one of the earliest innovators of the then-new literary art form jazz poetry. Hughes is best known for his work during the Harlem Renaissance...
and Paul Laurence Dunbar
Paul Laurence Dunbar
Paul Laurence Dunbar was a seminal African American poet of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Dunbar gained national recognition for his 1896 "Ode to Ethiopia", one poem in the collection Lyrics of Lowly Life....
. Charles Douglass’ father, the famous abolitionist Frederick Douglass, visited and would have become a resident had he not died before the house that his son was building for him was completed.
When Highland Beach was incorporated in 1922 it became the first African-American municipality in Maryland. Although founded as a summer resort, it is now a town of year-round residents who choose not to permit commercial establishments. There are some sixty homes, many of them still owned and occupied by descendents of the original settlers. The residents are proud and protective of their town’s heritage, established over a century ago by people determined to overcome the prejudices of their post-Reconstruction times. However, as of the 2000 census, African-Americans make up less than 40 percent of the town's residents.
Geography
Highland Beach is located at 38°55′55"N 76°27′59"W (38.931880, -76.466455).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 0.1 square mile (0.258998811 km²), of which, 0.1 square mile (0.258998811 km²) of it is land and 14.29% is 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 109 people, 44 households, and 27 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 1,647.1 people per square mile (601.2/km²). There were 80 housing units at an average density of 1,208.9 per square mile (441.3/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 52.29% White, 39.45% African American, and 8.26% from two or more races.
There were 44 households out of which 27.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.9% 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, 15.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.6% were non-families. 31.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 20.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.48 and the average family size was 3.11.
In the town the population was spread out with 26.6% under the age of 18, 2.8% from 18 to 24, 28.4% from 25 to 44, 29.4% from 45 to 64, and 12.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 84.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.1 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $53,333, and the median income for a family was $82,379. Males had a median income of $36,563 versus $31,250 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 $27,802. There were no families and 1.5% of the population living below the poverty line, including no under eighteens and 10.5% of those over 64.