Beltsville, Maryland

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Beltsville is a census-designated place (CDP) in Prince George's County, Maryland, United States. The population was 15,691 at the 2000 census.

Miles to Washington, DC 17.45

1 Geography
2 Demographics
3 History
4 Schools
5 External links

[edit] Geography

Beltsville is located at 39°2′15″N, 76°55′4″W (39.037509, -76.917847)^GR1.

According to the United States Census Bureau, Beltsville has a total area of 17.2 km² (6.6 mi²), all land.

[edit] Demographics

As of the census^GR2 of 2000, there were 15,690 people, 5,690 households, and 3,823 families residing in Beltsville. The population density was 913.7/km² (2,366.9/mi²). There were 5,865 housing units at an average density of 341.6/km² (884.8/mi²). The racial makeup of Beltsville is 48.20% White, 31.96% African American, 0.26% Native American, 10.75% Asian, 0.10% Pacific Islander, 5.42% from other races, and 3.31% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 9.84% of the population.

There were 5,690 households out of which 32.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.0% were married couples living together, 13.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.8% were non-families. 23.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 5.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.74 and the average family size was 3.27.

In Beltsville the population is spread out with 23.6% under the age of 18, 10.3% from 18 to 24, 34.5% from 25 to 44, 22.6% from 45 to 64, and 8.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 94.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.8 males.

The median income for a household in Beltsville is $57,722, and the median income for a family was $66,087. Males had a median income of $40,914 versus $35,645 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $24,679. About 5.5% of families and 7.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.4% of those under age 18 and 7.2% of those age 65 or over.

[edit] History

Beltsville's rich history dates back to 1649, when the land was part of an 80,000 acre land grant given to Richard Snowden I by Lord Baltimore of England. Snowden and his family were planters who established large plantations on which they built comfortable manor homes. Soon after, other settlers also moved into the area, but they were farmers who could only afford a few acres of land and whose families lived in small cabins. The principal crop was tobacco, most of which was shipped to England. Because of the fertile soil and desirable growing conditions, the crops prospered.

Industry came to Beltsville in the early 1700's when iron ore was discovered in the area. The Muirkirk Iron Furnace on U.S. Route 1 was established by Andrew and Elias Elliott, who learned their iron-making skills in Muirkirk, Scotland. They produced some of the best-quality pig iron in the country and supplied the U.S. Army with cannons, shot, wheels, and other iron products during both the Revolutionary and Civil Wars.

By 1730, Post Road (now called Route 1) was the main thoroughfare through Beltsville. Though crude, it made stagecoach travel possible. In 1783, Gabriel Peterson Van Horn established a stage line and built the Van Horn Tavern on Odell Road, where passengers could spend the night as they traveled between Baltimore and Washington. The trip took one and one-half days.

Beltsville boasts a distinguished Revolutionary War hero as its native son. General Rezin Beall, who was born on Turkey Flight Plantation on Old Gunpowder Road in 1723, prevented a British invasion at Drum Point on the Chesapeake Bay with only 100 men. He is credited with the fact that there are no Revolutionary War battlefields in Maryland.

In 1835 one of the first rail lines in the country, the Washington branch of the B&O Railroad, was built through Prince George's County. Coming from Baltimore, the line entered the county at Laurel and ran southwesterly to Bladensburg, then into Washington DC. B&O established a rail stop and freight depot on land purchased from a tobacco farmer named Trueman Belt, and they named the place after him. The new community of Beltsville was doubly blessed, for the Baltimore-Washington Turnpike crossed the rail line there. It soon became a thriving little trading center, eclipsing the older community of Vansville further north on the pike.

The National Agricultural Library in Beltsville

As the Federal Government grew, in 1910 the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) began to purchase land in Beltsville for its Agricultural Research Service (ARS), the main in-house research arm of the United States Department of Agriculture. The land now houses the Henry A. Wallace Beltsville Agricultural Research Center (BARC). The first parcel acquired was 375 acres of the Walnut Grange Plantation with its historic "Butterfly House". The Center eventually encompassed 14,600 acres and became the largest and most prominent center of agricultural science research in the world.

There are a number of historic homes and buildings still standing in Beltsville. The oldest home was built in 1773. One of the largest of the older buildings, built in 1880, was the three-story "Ammendale Normal Institute" which was destroyed by fire in 1998. Beltsville has grown because of its location on the Route 1 corridor and because its residents have always been industrious and progressive. With churches of all denominations, schools, activity centers for both children and adults, and civic organizations, it continues to grow and prosper. Through all its growth, however, Beltsville continues to have a small-town feel.

Experimental post-hardcore band Thrice recorded The Illusion of Safety here and deticated a song to the city, name 'The Beltsville Crucible'.

[edit] Schools

There are four public schools in Beltsville: Beltsville Elementary School on Wicomico Avenue, Martin Luther King Middle School on Ammendale Road, High Point High School on Powder Mill Road, and Calverton Elementary School on Beltsville Road. They are part of the Prince George's County Public School System.

There are also three parochial schools in Beltsville: The Augsburg Academy (Lutheran), St Joseph's School (Roman Catholic), and Beltsville Seventh-day Adventist (SDA).

In the 1970's, there were six public schools in Beltsville: Beltsville Elementary School on Powder Mill Road, Chestnut Hills Elementary School on Sellman Road, Beltsville Junior High School on Wicomico Avenue, Martin Luther King Junior High School on Ammendale Road, High Point High School on Powder Mill Road, and Calverton Elementary School on Beltsville Road.

Beltsville Elementary School was located on the corner of Powder Mill Road and Cedar Lane in what is now a commercial building housing TESST College and other businesses. While Powder Mill Road is now used by area motorists as an east-west link between major highways, it was once a safe road for hundreds of school children walking to and from school. School safety patrols were posted along Powder Mill Road from Emack Road to Howard Avenue, and also up Cedar Lane. School crossing guards were posted on Powder Mill Road at Cedar Lane and Ash Road. Students walked from their homes in Beltsville and were bused from Landover. The school mascot was the "Beltsville Bobcat", which was selected after a project led by the school music teacher.

Chestnut Hills Elementary School was located on Sellman Road in what is now the site of the Beltsville Library, Prince George's County Police District VI Headquarters, and Ed's Tree Service.

Beltsville Junior High School was located on Wicomico Avenue in what is now Beltsville Elementary School. The surrounding residential area was largely the same as it is now, with the exception of the area down the hill on Howard Road and Yates Road. Yates was nothing more than a gravel road, and the area now occupied by large half-million dollar homes was once a large field where horses grazed. Across Yates Road was a wooded area and a creek, which was a safe shortcut for students living up Garrett Avenue and points north. Students walked from their homes in Beltsville (south of Powder Mill Road) and were bused from Adelphi, College Park, and Landover. The school mascot was the panther.

Martin Luther King Junior High School, which is now known as Martin Luther King Middle School, was located in its present location on Ammendale Road. It was a new school at the time and served students living north of Powder Mill Road in Beltsville. The school mascot is the cobra.

High Point High School is located on the highest point in Prince George's County, up the hill on Powder Mill Road past the Calverton Shopping Center. While a few students walk from their homes in the nearby Powder Mill Village apartments, most are bused from other Calverton neighborhoods, Beltsville, Adelphi, College Park, and Landover. The school mascot is the eagle.

Calverton Elementary School is located on Beltsville Road but it is in the neighborhood of Calverton which is split down the middle by the PG/Montgomery county line. Because of that it is often forgotten by the rest of Beltsville and vice versa.

In the 1980's and 1990's, changes in Beltsville's population resulted in the closing of Chestnut Hills Elementary School and Beltsville Junior High School. The former Chestnut Hills Elementary School has, since February 1984, been home to Beltsville's public library and police station.

The Augsburg Academy, a K-6 school that is affiliated with Abiding Presence Lutheran Church, 11310 Montgomery Road, opened in 2005. Its curriculum is based on the curriculum of Hillsdale Academy, the K-12 school affiliated with Hillsdale College, Michigan.