Queen Anne, Prince George's County, Maryland

This article is about the small historic settlement in Prince George's County, Maryland. For the incorporated town on the Eastern Shore of Maryland, see Queen Anne, Maryland.
Queen Anne
Census-designated place
Queen Anne
Queen Anne

Location within the state of Maryland

Coordinates: 38°53′55″N 76°40′42″W / 38.89861°N 76.67833°W / 38.89861; -76.67833Coordinates: 38°53′55″N 76°40′42″W / 38.89861°N 76.67833°W / 38.89861; -76.67833
Country  United States of America
State  Maryland
County Prince George's
Area
  Total 8.7 sq mi (22.6 km2)
  Land 8.7 sq mi (22.6 km2)
  Water 0.02 sq mi (0.06 km2)
Elevation 50 ft (20 m)
Population (2010)
  Total 1,280
  Density 150/sq mi (57/km2)
Time zone Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)
  Summer (DST) EDT (UTC-4)
Area code(s) 301

Queen Anne in Prince George's County, Maryland is a former seaport on the Patuxent River in Maryland. It was delineated as a census-designated place for the 2010 census, at which time it had a population of 1,280.[1]

Geography

Queen Anne is located at 38°53'55" North, 76°40'42" West (38.8987239 -76.6782992).[2] Most of the town's former waterfront area is now part of Patuxent River Park, owned and operated by the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission. This includes hiking trails, two paddling launches, fishing locations, and an environmental education center operated by 4H. The head of tidewater on the Patuxent River is at the downstream (4H---a group not affiliated with the National 4H Club) launch site in Queen Anne.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Queen Anne has a total area of 8.7 square miles (22.6 km2), of which 0.02 square miles (0.06 km2), or 0.25%, is water.[3]

History

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).[4][5][6]

Queen Anne's Town was created as part of a 1706 act "for the advancement of trade and erecting ports and towns in the Province of Maryland." The town grew to a population of about 150.

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. A tobacco inspection station and warehouse was located on Hazelwood, then owned by Thomas Lancaster, one of the town's leading merchants.[7] Hazelwood Mansion, though in disrepair, stands today and is owned by the Maryland National Park and Planning Commission). This was one of seven state tobacco warehouses built in Prince George's County.[6] A horse racing track was also built in the town.[8]

By the mid-18th century, upland farming in the Patuxent basin without erosion control led to massive silting of the river. The ports along the Patuxent quickly filled with silt and could no longer take in ocean-going vessels[8] such as the snows that frequented the town.[6] The last cargo ship left for England about 1790, and the town began to decline.[8]

During the War of 1812, the Chesapeake Bay Flotilla commanded by Joshua Barney scuttled his entire fleet in the half dozen miles of river below Queen Anne to avoid the vessels being captured by the advancing British.[9]

Queen Anne Bridge

Main article: Queen Anne Bridge

Queen Anne Bridge, originally built in 1755, once served as a main road connecting Anne Arundel County to Prince George's County.[10]

Renaming

In 1897 the United States Board on Geographic Names decided to change the name of Queen Anne to Hardesty to avoid confusion with the other town in Maryland named Queen Anne.[11] However, local usage including signage, road names, bridge names, commercial mapping, the community association name, etc. continues to reflect the Queen Anne name. For the 2010 census, the U.S. Census Bureau used the original name of "Queen Anne" in delineating a new census-designated place covering the community.

References

  1. "Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2010 Demographic Profile Data (DP-1): Queen Anne CDP, Maryland". U.S. Census Bureau, American Factfinder. Archived from the original on September 11, 2013. Retrieved December 23, 2011.
  2. "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2011-02-12. Retrieved 2011-04-23.
  3. "Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Demographic Profile Data (G001): Queen Anne CDP, Maryland". U.S. Census Bureau, American Factfinder. Archived from the original on September 11, 2013. Retrieved December 23, 2011.
  4. Baltz, Shirley Vlasak (1984). A Chronicle of Belair. Bowie, Maryland: Bowie Heritage Committee. pp. 4–7. LCCN 85165028.
  5. "African-American Sites Along the Patuxent River: Queen Anne Town". Maryland Department of Natural Resources. Retrieved 05/04/2007. Check date values in: |access-date= (help)
  6. 1 2 3 Virta, Alan (1984). Prince George's County: A Pictorial History. Norfolk, Virginia: The Donning Company. pp. 39–44.
  7. Lavoie, Catherine C. (March 1991). "Hazelwood (written historical and descriptive data)" (PDF). Historic American Buildings Survey. Washington, D.C.: Library of Congress. Retrieved 3 April 2012.
  8. 1 2 3 Weller, Bob (1984). Prince Georges's Bounty. Upper Marlboro, Maryland: Queen Anne School. pp. 41–42.
  9. Shomette, Donald (1982). Shipwrecks on the Chesapeake. Centreville, Maryland: Tidewater Publishers. pp. 87–93. ISBN 0-87033-283-X.
  10. Pearl, Susan G. "Maryland Historical Trust Property P.G.#74B-1-12" (PDF). Maryland Inventory of Historic Bridges. State of Maryland. Retrieved 12 January 2013.
  11. Shomette, Donald (2000). Lost Towns of Tidewater Maryland. Centreville, Maryland: Tidewater Publishers. pp. 161–192. ISBN 0-87033-527-8.
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