Davidsonville, Maryland
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Davidsonville, Maryland | ||
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ZIP codes 21035 |
Davidsonville is an
Demographics
As of the
History
Native Americans
Before
18th and 19th centuries
Europeans and their descendants settled and developed farms and plantations in and around what came to be known as Davidsonville in the 17th and 18th centuries. Several good examples of 18th century development in the area remain today. One is the Anne Arundel Free School. On October 26, 1723 the
Other examples of development in the 18th century also remain. During the late 18th century, for example, Major William Brogden, once a soldier in the American Revolution, built the Roedown plantation,[4] once the home of the Marlborough Hunt Races, an annual steeplechase event attended by 5,000 spectators until discontinued by new owners.[5] George Washington is reported to have stayed at the house in 1760. Roedown is located off Harwood Rd. in Davidsonville.
Perhaps the most prominent example of 18th century settlement in Davidsonville is the Middle Plantation. The
The emergence of Davidsonville as a crossroads community began in the mid-19th century. In 1839, Thomas Davidson, from whose family Davidsonville received its name, married Jane Welch. They built a home at what is now the corner of Davidsonville Road and Central Avenue that still stands today. Davidson, like virtually all plantation owners in central and southern Maryland at the time, owned slaves. However, a staunch Methodist who was instrumental in the founding of what is now the Davidsonville United Methodist Church, Davidson apparently was conflicted as to the morality of slavery.
The Maryland Historical Trust states that "the Davidsonville Historic District is significant as a largely intact representative example of the type of crossroads community which characterized rural Anne Arundel County in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Davidsonville is among the best-preserved examples of this type of community remaining in the county; other comparable villages have been obliterated by subsequent development. The village has maintained substantial integrity despite increasingly intensive development pressure in the surrounding area."[6]
Education
Davidsonville is home to Davidsonville Elementary School, which has approximately 700 students in kindergarten through fifth grade. Also serving the area are the Free School of Anne Arundel County, the first such school of that county, which then included what is now Howard County and likely school for Johns Hopkins, Central Middle School (Edgewater, Maryland), Crofton Woods Elementary School (Crofton, Maryland), Crofton Middle School (Gambrills, Maryland), Crofton High School (Gambrills, Maryland) and South River High School (Edgewater, Maryland).[citation needed]
Notable people
- Huguenot and an early American settler who built the Middle Plantationin Davidsonville.
- Travis Pastrana, a professional motocross racer and NASCAR driver who represents Red Bull.[citation needed]
- Pat Spencer, a professional basketball player and the Tewaaraton Award winner in 2019
See also
References
- ^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau.
- ^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau.
- ^ "Anne Arundel County Free School". Anne Arundel County Public Schools. Archived from the original on September 27, 2007. Retrieved June 6, 2007.
- ^ Gartrell, John. "Roedown Plantation and the Christiana Resistance". Legacy of Slavery in Maryland. Maryland State Archives.
- ^ Yorke, Tom (March 27, 1999). "Marlborough Hunt Has Lots of History". Washington Times. p. 6.
- ^ Maryland Historical Trust. "Davidsonville Historic District". Archived from the original on March 5, 2012.
- ^
Baltz, Shirley Vlasak (1984). A Chronicle of Belair. Bowie, Maryland: Bowie Heritage Committee. p. 5. LCCN 85165028.
Further reading
- Enright, Gail. "Davidsonville's Founding Family". The Villager: Newsletter of the Davidsonville Area Civic Association. 31 (5): 5.
- Enright, Gail. "Young, Upwardly Mobile Immigrant". The Villager: Newsletter of the Davidsonville Area Civic Association. 333 (1): 7.
- Porter, Frank W. III (1979). Indians in Maryland and Delaware: A Critical Bibliography. Newberry Library, Indiana University Press. ISBN 9780253309549.
- "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on June 13, 2009.
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