Piscataway, Maryland
Encyclopedia
Piscataway is an unincorporated community
in Prince George's County
, Maryland
, United States
. It is one of the oldest European-colonized communities in the state. The Piscataway Creek
provided sea transportation for export of tobacco
.
Piscataway was created in 1706 when the colonial Maryland Legislature
authorized surveying and laying out the towns of Queen Anne Town
, Nottingham, Mill Town, Piscataway, Aire (also known as Broad Creek
) and Upper Marlboro
(then known as Marlborough Town).
In 1747, the legislature tried to improve the quality and the method of marketing tobacco
, then the major crop of the area. It established a formal system of tobacco inspection and quality control. The town was home to one of seven state tobacco warehouses built in Prince George's County. A "Committee of Correspondence
" plotted local actions for the American Revolution
in Piscataway. One famous resident was William Marbury
, involved in a famous early Supreme Court
case.
During Prohibition
in the 1920s, the area was known for the production and sale of moonshine
. Some of the product was moved by boat to other areas along the Chesapeake Bay. The creek is now silted in and no longer navigable.
The St. Mary's Catholic Church, school, and cemetery are a prominent feature of the community. The complex includes the small 1904 church and a larger 1988 sanctuary. Its parish boundaries cover the largest territory of any Catholic parish in the Archdiocese of Washington
, including portions of five separate postal towns/communities.
A number of historic houses still survive in the middle of the little town, including a former hotel/tavern, although the last business (a small store) closed in the 1970s. A large development called "The Preserve" is partially opened and is eventually planned to have 1,100 single-family homes. A short bypass road recently opened around the community.
The poem "The Sot-Weed Factor
," by Ebenezer Cooke
, mentions details of life in Piscataway during ancient times. The same subject was the subject of a novel by the same name by John Barth
.
Unincorporated area
In law, an unincorporated area is a region of land that is not a part of any municipality.To "incorporate" in this context means to form a municipal corporation, a city, town, or village with its own government. An unincorporated community is usually not subject to or taxed by a municipal government...
in Prince George's County
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....
, 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...
. It is one of the oldest European-colonized communities in the state. The Piscataway Creek
Piscataway Creek
Piscataway Creek is an tributary of the Potomac River in Prince George's County, Maryland. The creek is a tidal arm of the Potomac for its final , entering the Potomac at Fort Washington Park. Tinkers Creek is a tributary to Piscataway Creek, converging from the north upstream of the mouth of the...
provided sea transportation for export of tobacco
Tobacco
Tobacco is an agricultural product processed from the leaves of plants in the genus Nicotiana. It can be consumed, used as a pesticide and, in the form of nicotine tartrate, used in some medicines...
.
Piscataway was created in 1706 when the colonial Maryland Legislature
Province of Maryland
The Province of Maryland was an English and later British colony in North America that existed from 1632 until 1776, when it joined the other twelve of the Thirteen Colonies in rebellion against Great Britain and became the U.S...
authorized surveying and laying out the towns of Queen Anne Town
Queen Anne, Prince George's County, Maryland
Queen Anne in Prince George's County, Maryland is a former seaport on the Patuxent River in Maryland.-Geography:Queen Anne is located at 38°53'55" North, 76°40'42" West . Most of the town's former waterfront area is now part of Patuxent River Park, owned and operated by the Maryland-National...
, Nottingham, Mill Town, Piscataway, Aire (also known as Broad Creek
Broad Creek, Prince George's County, Maryland
Broad Creek in Prince George's County was the first footprint of European settlement in the immediate counties around what would become the nation's capital, Washington, D.C...
) and Upper Marlboro
Upper Marlboro, Maryland
Upper Marlboro is a town in and the county seat of Prince George's County, Maryland, United States. The live-in population of the town core proper was only 648 at the 2000 census, although Greater Upper Marlboro is many times larger....
(then known as Marlborough Town).
In 1747, the legislature tried to improve the quality and the method of marketing tobacco
Tobacco
Tobacco is an agricultural product processed from the leaves of plants in the genus Nicotiana. It can be consumed, used as a pesticide and, in the form of nicotine tartrate, used in some medicines...
, then the major crop of the area. It established a formal system of tobacco inspection and quality control. The town was home to one of seven state tobacco warehouses built in Prince George's County. A "Committee of Correspondence
Committee of correspondence
The Committees of Correspondence were shadow governments organized by the Patriot leaders of the Thirteen Colonies on the eve of American Revolution. They coordinated responses to Britain and shared their plans; by 1773 they had emerged as shadow governments, superseding the colonial legislature...
" plotted local actions for the American Revolution
American Revolution
The American Revolution was the political upheaval during the last half of the 18th century in which thirteen colonies in North America joined together to break free from the British Empire, combining to become the United States of America...
in Piscataway. One famous resident was William Marbury
William Marbury
William Marbury was one of the famous "Midnight Judges". Due to President John Adams's work in the night before he was to leave office, Marbury was to be appointed a Justice of the Peace in the District of Columbia. He was appointed there to give the Federalists a stronghold in the judicial...
, involved in a famous early Supreme Court
Supreme Court of the United States
The Supreme Court of the United States is the highest court in the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all state and federal courts, and original jurisdiction over a small range of cases...
case.
During Prohibition
Prohibition
Prohibition of alcohol, often referred to simply as prohibition, is the practice of prohibiting the manufacture, transportation, import, export, sale, and consumption of alcohol and alcoholic beverages. The term can also apply to the periods in the histories of the countries during which the...
in the 1920s, the area was known for the production and sale of moonshine
Moonshine
Moonshine is an illegally produced distilled beverage...
. Some of the product was moved by boat to other areas along the Chesapeake Bay. The creek is now silted in and no longer navigable.
The St. Mary's Catholic Church, school, and cemetery are a prominent feature of the community. The complex includes the small 1904 church and a larger 1988 sanctuary. Its parish boundaries cover the largest territory of any Catholic parish in the Archdiocese of Washington
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington is a particular church of the Roman Catholic Church in the United States. It comprises the District of Columbia and Calvert, Charles, Montgomery, Prince George's and Saint Mary's counties in the state of Maryland....
, including portions of five separate postal towns/communities.
A number of historic houses still survive in the middle of the little town, including a former hotel/tavern, although the last business (a small store) closed in the 1970s. A large development called "The Preserve" is partially opened and is eventually planned to have 1,100 single-family homes. A short bypass road recently opened around the community.
The poem "The Sot-Weed Factor
The Sot-Weed Factor
The Sot-Weed Factor is a 1960 novel by the American writer John Barth, which marks Barth's discovery of Postmodernism.-Plot:The novel is a satirical epic of the colonization of Maryland based on the life of an actual poet, Ebenezer Cooke, who wrote a poem of the same title...
," by Ebenezer Cooke
Ebenezer Cooke
Ebenezer Cooke , a London-born poet, wrote what some scholars consider the first American satire: “The Sotweed Factor, or A Voyage to Maryland, A Satyr”...
, mentions details of life in Piscataway during ancient times. The same subject was the subject of a novel by the same name by John Barth
John Barth
John Simmons Barth is an American novelist and short-story writer, known for the postmodernist and metafictive quality of his work.-Life:...
.
Further reading
- Along the Potomac Shore in Prince Georges County (local history book)