North Brentwood, Maryland
Encyclopedia
North 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
. The Town of North Brentwood was incorporated in 1924, and was the first African-American municipality in Prince George's County.
in Northeast Washington, DC. The town was originally settled by African-American veterans of the American Civil War
, who purchased lots from their former commander, Capt. Wallace A. Bartlett beginning in 1887.
The town was developed beginning in the 1890s around the Highland Station of the Washington Branch of the B & O Railroad and the Columbia and Maryland Railway. "Brentwood" was created by Wallace A. Bartlett, a Civil War
veteran, former foreman for the Government Printing Office
, Patent Office
examiner, and inventor originally from Warsaw, New York
. Captain Bartlett lived in Washington, D.C.
until 1887, when he purchased 206 acre (0.83365316 km²) of farmland from Benjamin Holliday, which abutted the Highland subdivision. Bartlett built a farmhouse for his family on the land and, with two partners J. Lee Adams and Samuel J. Mills, formed the Holladay Land and Improvement Company.
In 1891, the Company platted a residential subdivision called "Holladay Company's Addition to Highland" on 80 acres (323,748.8 m²) of
the Bartlett Farm. The lots were approximately 40 feet (12.2 m) by 100 feet (30.5 m) and were arranged around an irregular grid of streets.
The lots in the northern part of the subdivision, which eventually would become North Brentwood, were smaller and were
subject to flooding from a mill race
. The first lots in the northern section were purchased in 1891 by Henry
Randall, an African-American man from Anne Arundel County, who built a house on Holladay Avenue (now Rhode Island Avenue
). In 1894, Randall's son, Peter Randall, constructed a house next to his father's. More family members moved into the community and built homes, and the area soon became known as Randallstown.
Other African-American families soon moved to the neighborhood, including the Plummer, Wallace, and Johnson families. They built two-story front-gable frame houses, as well as free-standing rowhouses. In 1898, the City and Suburban Railway was completed through Randallstown. By 1904 that name had been replaced by Brentwood. In the early 1900s, the development of Randallstown out-paced development in the southern areas also platted by Bartlett. A school and a church were built in 1904, and the Brentwood Colored Citizens Association was formed in 1907. The association helped acquire volunteers for a fire company, fire fighting equipment, a community hall, and electric lights. After Bartlett's neighboring development was incorporated as the town
of Brentwood
in 1922, Jeremiah Hawkins pushed for the incorporation of North Brentwood, which was achieved in 1924. After incorporation, Hawkins became the first mayor of the town. During this time period, larger house types such as Four-squares began to be built, as well as some commercial buildings.
The town continued to grow after incorporation. During the 1930s and 1940s, new homes were built, mostly bungalows
and brick Cape Cod houses. New streets were laid out, while the existing streets were paved, extended, and renamed.
. Much of the community is located within the North Brentwood Historic District
; listed on the National Register of Historic Places
in 2003.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the town has a total area of 0.1 square mile (0.258998811 km²), all of it land.
of 2000, there were 469 people, 158 households, and 112 families residing in the town. The population density
was 4,450.8 people per square mile (1,646.2/km²). There were 181 housing units at an average density of 1,717.7 per square mile (635.3/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 6.40% White, 82.09% African American, 1.28% Native American, 1.28% Asian, 6.82% from other races
, and 2.13% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 7.89% of the population.
There were 158 households out of which 33.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 31.6% were married couples
living together, 30.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.1% were non-families. 22.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.97 and the average family size was 3.43.
In the town the population was spread out with 28.8% under the age of 18, 8.3% from 18 to 24, 25.6% from 25 to 44, 24.9% from 45 to 64, and 12.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 89.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.5 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $37,188, and the median income for a family was $45,893. Males had a median income of $32,188 versus $26,000 for females. The per capita income
for the town was $18,547. About 12.6% of families and 14.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.7% of those under age 18 and 22.2% of those age 65 or over.
district.
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....
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. 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
Hyattsville, Maryland
Hyattsville is a city in Prince George's County, Maryland, United States. The population was 17,557 at the 2000 census.- History :The city was named for its founder, Christopher Clark Hyatt. He purchased his first parcel of land in the area in March 1845...
, Brentwood
Brentwood, Maryland
Brentwood 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...
, 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...
. The Town of North Brentwood was incorporated in 1924, and was the first African-American municipality in Prince George's County.
History
The town is named after the Brentwood estate built in 1817 by Robert BrentRobert Brent
Robert Brent was the first mayor of Washington, D.C., the federal capital of the United States of America. Brent was born into a prominent Catholic family in Woodstock, Stafford County, Virginia. His mother was Ann Carroll, whose brother John Carroll was the first Catholic Bishop appointed for the...
in Northeast Washington, DC. The town was originally settled by African-American veterans of the American 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...
, who purchased lots from their former commander, Capt. Wallace A. Bartlett beginning in 1887.
The town was developed beginning in the 1890s around the Highland Station of the Washington Branch of the B & O Railroad and the Columbia and Maryland Railway. "Brentwood" was created by Wallace A. Bartlett, a 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...
veteran, former foreman for the Government Printing Office
United States Government Printing Office
The United States Government Printing Office is an agency of the legislative branch of the United States federal government. The office prints documents produced by and for the federal government, including the Supreme Court, the Congress, the Executive Office of the President, executive...
, Patent Office
United States Patent and Trademark Office
The United States Patent and Trademark Office is an agency in the United States Department of Commerce that issues patents to inventors and businesses for their inventions, and trademark registration for product and intellectual property identification.The USPTO is based in Alexandria, Virginia,...
examiner, and inventor originally from Warsaw, New York
Warsaw (town), New York
Warsaw is a town in Wyoming County, New York, USA. The population was 5,423 at the 2000 census. It is located approximately 37 miles east southeast of Buffalo and approximately 37 miles southwest of Rochester. The town may have been named after Warsaw in Poland.The Town of Warsaw is centrally...
. Captain Bartlett lived in 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....
until 1887, when he purchased 206 acre (0.83365316 km²) of farmland from Benjamin Holliday, which abutted the Highland subdivision. Bartlett built a farmhouse for his family on the land and, with two partners J. Lee Adams and Samuel J. Mills, formed the Holladay Land and Improvement Company.
In 1891, the Company platted a residential subdivision called "Holladay Company's Addition to Highland" on 80 acres (323,748.8 m²) of
the Bartlett Farm. The lots were approximately 40 feet (12.2 m) by 100 feet (30.5 m) and were arranged around an irregular grid of streets.
The lots in the northern part of the subdivision, which eventually would become North Brentwood, were smaller and were
subject to flooding from a mill race
Mill race
A mill race, raceway or mill lade is the current or channel of a stream, especially one for conducting water to or from a water wheel or other device for utilizing its energy...
. The first lots in the northern section were purchased in 1891 by Henry
Randall, an African-American man from Anne Arundel County, who built a house on Holladay Avenue (now Rhode Island Avenue
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...
). In 1894, Randall's son, Peter Randall, constructed a house next to his father's. More family members moved into the community and built homes, and the area soon became known as Randallstown.
Other African-American families soon moved to the neighborhood, including the Plummer, Wallace, and Johnson families. They built two-story front-gable frame houses, as well as free-standing rowhouses. In 1898, the City and Suburban Railway was completed through Randallstown. By 1904 that name had been replaced by Brentwood. In the early 1900s, the development of Randallstown out-paced development in the southern areas also platted by Bartlett. A school and a church were built in 1904, and the Brentwood Colored Citizens Association was formed in 1907. The association helped acquire volunteers for a fire company, fire fighting equipment, a community hall, and electric lights. After Bartlett's neighboring development was incorporated as the town
Town
A town is a human settlement larger than a village but smaller than a city. The size a settlement must be in order to be called a "town" varies considerably in different parts of the world, so that, for example, many American "small towns" seem to British people to be no more than villages, while...
of Brentwood
Brentwood, Maryland
Brentwood 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...
in 1922, Jeremiah Hawkins pushed for the incorporation of North Brentwood, which was achieved in 1924. After incorporation, Hawkins became the first mayor of the town. During this time period, larger house types such as Four-squares began to be built, as well as some commercial buildings.
The town continued to grow after incorporation. During the 1930s and 1940s, new homes were built, mostly bungalows
and brick Cape Cod houses. New streets were laid out, while the existing streets were paved, extended, and renamed.
Historic sites
The following is a list of historic sites in North Brentwood identified by the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning CommissionMaryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission
The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission is a bi-county agency that administers parks and planning in Montgomery and Prince George's Counties in Maryland.-History:...
. Much of the community is located within the North Brentwood Historic District
North Brentwood Historic District
The North Brentwood Historic District, is a national historic district located in the town of North Brentwood, Prince George's County, Maryland. It was the earliest incorporated African American community in the county. The historic district comprises 128 buildings reflecting its development over...
; 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 2003.
| Site name | Image | Location | M-NCPPC Inventory Number | Comment | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church of Brentwood | 4037 Webster Street | 68-61-11 | ||
| 2 | Mack Brown House | 3907 Wallace Road | 68-61-4 | ||
| 3 | Foursquares on Webster Street | 3914, 3916, and 3918 Webster Street | 68-61-13 | ||
| 4 | Jeremiah Hawkins House Site | 4114 Webster Street | 68-61-1 | Demolished in 1991. | |
| 5 | Edith Mason House | 4501 41st Avenue | 68-61-8 | ||
| 6 | McKenzie-Bullock House Site | 4538 41st Avenue | 68-61-9 | Demolished in 1992 following fire. | |
| 7 | Nelson-Queen House Site | 4505 Church Street | 68-61-10 | Demolished in 1993 to allow for expansion of Town Hall. | |
| 8 | Henry Newton House | 4502 Church Street | 68-61-12 | ||
| 9 | Robert Orr House | 4528 40th Street | 68-61-2 | ||
| 10 | Owings Houses | 4533, 4535, and 4537 41st Avenue | 68-61-5 | ||
| 11 | A.A. Randall House | 4504 41st Avenue | 68-61-7 | ||
| 12 | Peter Randall House | 4508 Rhode Island Avenue | 68-61-37 | Built in 1892, it is the oldest dwelling in North Brentwood. | |
| 13 | Seaburn House | 4529 41st Avenue | 68-61-6 | ||
| 14 | William H. Thomas House | 3911 Wallace Road | 68-61-3 |
Geography
North Brentwood is located at 38°56′39"N 76°57′6"W (38.944111, -76.951650).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), all of it land.
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 469 people, 158 households, and 112 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 4,450.8 people per square mile (1,646.2/km²). There were 181 housing units at an average density of 1,717.7 per square mile (635.3/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 6.40% White, 82.09% African American, 1.28% Native American, 1.28% Asian, 6.82% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 2.13% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 7.89% of the population.
There were 158 households out of which 33.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 31.6% 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, 30.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.1% were non-families. 22.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.97 and the average family size was 3.43.
In the town the population was spread out with 28.8% under the age of 18, 8.3% from 18 to 24, 25.6% from 25 to 44, 24.9% from 45 to 64, and 12.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 89.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.5 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $37,188, and the median income for a family was $45,893. Males had a median income of $32,188 versus $26,000 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 $18,547. About 12.6% of families and 14.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.7% of those under age 18 and 22.2% of those age 65 or over.
Education
North Brentwood is within the 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...
district.
- Thomas S. Stone Elementary School
- Hyattsville Middle School
- Northwestern High SchoolNorthwestern High School (Hyattsville, Maryland)Northwestern High School , established in 1951, is a public comprehensive secondary school located in Hyattsville, Maryland in Prince George's County, less than a mile from the internationally known University of Maryland, College Park. It is part of the Prince George's County Public Schools system...