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. The area is part of greater Fort Washington.

Broad Creek Historic District
Broad Creek Church
Broad Creek, Prince George's County, Maryland is located in Maryland
Broad Creek, Prince George's County, Maryland
Broad Creek, Prince George's County, Maryland is located in the United States
Broad Creek, Prince George's County, Maryland
Nearest cityFriendly, Maryland
Coordinates38°45′28″N 76°59′49″W
Architectural styleGeorgian
NRHP reference No.11000881 [1]
Added to NRHPDecember 8, 2011

The area was settled by Europeans in the 1660s and the town 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).[2][3][4][5]

In 1747, the legislature tried to improve the quality and the method of marketing tobacco, then the major crop of the area, and 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.[4]

The site is located 9 miles (14 km) south of the U.S. Capitol building on the Potomac River. Today, this "first footprint" of settlement in the capital area is a Prince George's County Historic District, with three 17th century homesites and an 18th-century Episcopal Church structure. The Broad Creek Historic District comprises 900 acres (3.6 km2) along the Potomac River, and is remarkable for its environmental resources, as well as its 12,000-year-old Indian archeological discoveries.

It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places on December 8, 2011.[1]

Broad Creek and Henson Creek

The stream named Broad Creek is a tributary of the Potomac River (Mouth: 38.7509477°N 77.0266428°W / 38.7509477; -77.0266428).[6] Henson Creek is a tributary of Broad Creek (Mouth: 38.7612253°N 77.0008087°W / 38.7612253; -77.0008087).[7] The 5.7 mile long Henson Creek Trail is managed by the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission.[8]

References
  1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  2. Baltz, Shirley Vlasak (1984). A Chronicle of Belair Mansion. Bowie, Maryland: Bowie Heritage Committee. pp. 4–7. LCCN 85165028.
  3. "African-American Sites Along the Patuxent River: Queen Anne Town". Maryland Department of Natural Resources. Archived from the original on October 11, 2007. Retrieved December 4, 2007.
  4. Virta, Alan (1984). Prince George's County: A Pictorial History. Norfolk, Virginia: The Donning Company. p. 40.
  5. Emma K. Young (September 2010). "National Register of Historic Places Registration: Broad Creek Historic District" (PDF). Maryland Historical Trust. Retrieved August 1, 2015.
  6. U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Broad Creek
  7. U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Henson Creek
  8. "Henson Creek Trail". Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission. Retrieved May 19, 2021.


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