Brentwood, Maryland
Encyclopedia
Brentwood is a town in Prince George's County, Maryland
, United States
. The population was 2,844 at the 2000 census. Brentwood is less than 1 miles (1.6 km) away from Washington, DC. The municipality of Brentwood is located just outside the northeast boundary of the District of Columbia and surrounded by the communities of Mount Rainier
, Cottage City
and North Brentwood
.
in Northeast Washington, DC. The town was developed beginning in the 1890s around the Highland Station of the Washington Branch of the B & O Railroad and the Columbia and Maryland Railway. Brentwood was created by Wallace A. Bartlett, a Civil War
veteran, former foreman for the Government Printing Office
, Patent Office
examiner, and inventor originally from Warsaw, New York
. Captain Bartlett lived in Washington, D.C.
until 1887, when he purchased 206 acre (0.83365316 km²) of farmland from Benjamin Holliday, which abutted the Highland subdivision. Bartlett built a farmhouse for his family on the land and, with two partners J. Lee Adams and Samuel J. Mills, formed the Holladay Land and Improvement Company. Captain Bartlett died in 1908.
In 1891, the Company platted a residential subdivision called "Holladay Company's Addition to Highland" on 80 acres (323,748.8 m²) of
the Bartlett Farm. The lots were approximately 40 feet (12.2 m) by 100 feet (30.5 m) and were arranged around an irregular grid of streets.
The lots in the northern part of the subdivision, which eventually would become North Brentwood, were smaller and were
subject to flooding from a mill race
. These lots were less expensive, and Bartlett encouraged their purchase by African-
American families with whom he was indirectly associated from his command of U.S. Colored Troops in the Civil War. The more expensive lots to the south were purchased by white working-class families, many of whom were employed as Federal government clerks. Seven additional houses were built by 1896. In 1899 Bartlett purchased the Fenwick family farm which was located to the west of the Holladay Company's Addition to Highland. With two new partners, J. Baker and Dr. Sigmund A. Czarra, Bartlett began the Brentwood Company. The 95 acres (384,451.7 m²) area was surveyed and platted in 1899. The Holladay Addition homes represented a typical cross-section of housing styles popular in the late-19th century, including I-houses, vernacular houses with Queen Anne detailing, Four-squares, and front-gable houses.
The community continued to grow in the early 20th century. A school was built and the Brentwood Citizens’ Association formed in 1903, a Methodist church was constructed in 1904, a fire department was started in 1905, and was formed in 1903. Kerosene street lamps were added in 1917 and electric lights were installed in 1920. When incorporated, the town included the southerly part of the Holladay Addition, the Brentwood Company subdivision, and two smaller additions. The houses built during this time consisted of small frame bungalows. Growth continued through the 1940s and 1950s, fueled by an influx of government workers. In the 1950s, many older homes were replaced and empty lots were filled with small cottages and ranch houses.
The majority of homes in Brentwood were built during and after World War II; young people coming to Washington, D.C., to support the war effort found a quiet place to raise their families. There are two small service-oriented commercial areas. A focal point is Bartlett Park named for Captain Bartlett who deeded the land to the town. The park is home to the Wohlfarth Building, which serves as the Town Hall.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the town has a total area of 0.4 square miles (1 km²), all of it land.
of 2000, there were 2,844 people, 905 households, and 636 families residing in the town. The population density
was 7,511.0 people per square mile (2,889.7/km²). There were 971 housing units at an average density of 2,564.4 per square mile (986.6/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 28.62% White, 49.75% African American, 0.42% Native American, 2.11% Asian, 15.05% from other races
, and 4.04% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 23.63% of the population.
There were 905 households out of which 39.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 38.8% were married couples
living together, 23.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.7% were non-families. 23.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.14 and the average family size was 3.68.
In the town the population was spread out with 29.0% under the age of 18, 10.2% from 18 to 24, 33.5% from 25 to 44, 19.4% from 45 to 64, and 7.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females there were 96.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.2 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $45,427, and the median income for a family was $45,244. Males had a median income of $28,563 versus $27,694 for females. The per capita income
for the town was $15,700. About 9.8% of families and 13.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 22.0% of those under age 18 and 2.3% of those age 65 or over.
district.
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....
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The population was 2,844 at the 2000 census. Brentwood is less than 1 miles (1.6 km) away from Washington, DC. The municipality of Brentwood is located just outside the northeast boundary of the District of Columbia and surrounded by the communities of Mount Rainier
Mount Rainier, Maryland
Mount Rainier is a city in Prince George's County, Maryland, United States. The population was 8,498 at the 2000 census. Bordering Washington, DC, Mount Rainier got its start as a streetcar suburb. According to local tradition, surveyors from the Pacific Northwest named the town, giving the...
, Cottage City
Cottage City, Maryland
Cottage City is a town in Prince George's County, Maryland, United States. The population was 1,136 at the 2000 census. Cottage City is a small, quiet community lying between Eastern Avenue , Brentwood, Colmar Manor, and the Anacostia River...
and North Brentwood
North Brentwood, Maryland
North Brentwood is a town in Prince George's County, Maryland, United States. The population was 469 at the 2000 census. The municipality of North Brentwood is located north of Washington, D.C., and is surrounded by the communities of Hyattsville, Brentwood, and Cottage City...
.
History
The town was originally incorporated in 1922 and is named after the Brentwood estate built in 1817 by Robert BrentRobert Brent
Robert Brent was the first mayor of Washington, D.C., the federal capital of the United States of America. Brent was born into a prominent Catholic family in Woodstock, Stafford County, Virginia. His mother was Ann Carroll, whose brother John Carroll was the first Catholic Bishop appointed for the...
in Northeast Washington, DC. The town was developed beginning in the 1890s around the Highland Station of the Washington Branch of the B & O Railroad and the Columbia and Maryland Railway. Brentwood was created by Wallace A. Bartlett, a Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
veteran, former foreman for the Government Printing Office
United States Government Printing Office
The United States Government Printing Office is an agency of the legislative branch of the United States federal government. The office prints documents produced by and for the federal government, including the Supreme Court, the Congress, the Executive Office of the President, executive...
, Patent Office
United States Patent and Trademark Office
The United States Patent and Trademark Office is an agency in the United States Department of Commerce that issues patents to inventors and businesses for their inventions, and trademark registration for product and intellectual property identification.The USPTO is based in Alexandria, Virginia,...
examiner, and inventor originally from Warsaw, New York
Warsaw, New York
Warsaw, New York is the name of two locations in Wyoming County, New York:*Warsaw , New York*Warsaw , New York...
. Captain Bartlett lived in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
until 1887, when he purchased 206 acre (0.83365316 km²) of farmland from Benjamin Holliday, which abutted the Highland subdivision. Bartlett built a farmhouse for his family on the land and, with two partners J. Lee Adams and Samuel J. Mills, formed the Holladay Land and Improvement Company. Captain Bartlett died in 1908.
In 1891, the Company platted a residential subdivision called "Holladay Company's Addition to Highland" on 80 acres (323,748.8 m²) of
the Bartlett Farm. The lots were approximately 40 feet (12.2 m) by 100 feet (30.5 m) and were arranged around an irregular grid of streets.
The lots in the northern part of the subdivision, which eventually would become North Brentwood, were smaller and were
subject to flooding from a mill race
Mill race
A mill race, raceway or mill lade is the current or channel of a stream, especially one for conducting water to or from a water wheel or other device for utilizing its energy...
. These lots were less expensive, and Bartlett encouraged their purchase by African-
American families with whom he was indirectly associated from his command of U.S. Colored Troops in the Civil War. The more expensive lots to the south were purchased by white working-class families, many of whom were employed as Federal government clerks. Seven additional houses were built by 1896. In 1899 Bartlett purchased the Fenwick family farm which was located to the west of the Holladay Company's Addition to Highland. With two new partners, J. Baker and Dr. Sigmund A. Czarra, Bartlett began the Brentwood Company. The 95 acres (384,451.7 m²) area was surveyed and platted in 1899. The Holladay Addition homes represented a typical cross-section of housing styles popular in the late-19th century, including I-houses, vernacular houses with Queen Anne detailing, Four-squares, and front-gable houses.
The community continued to grow in the early 20th century. A school was built and the Brentwood Citizens’ Association formed in 1903, a Methodist church was constructed in 1904, a fire department was started in 1905, and was formed in 1903. Kerosene street lamps were added in 1917 and electric lights were installed in 1920. When incorporated, the town included the southerly part of the Holladay Addition, the Brentwood Company subdivision, and two smaller additions. The houses built during this time consisted of small frame bungalows. Growth continued through the 1940s and 1950s, fueled by an influx of government workers. In the 1950s, many older homes were replaced and empty lots were filled with small cottages and ranch houses.
The majority of homes in Brentwood were built during and after World War II; young people coming to Washington, D.C., to support the war effort found a quiet place to raise their families. There are two small service-oriented commercial areas. A focal point is Bartlett Park named for Captain Bartlett who deeded the land to the town. The park is home to the Wohlfarth Building, which serves as the Town Hall.
Geography
Brentwood is located at 38°56′31"N 76°57′20"W (38.942011, -76.955597).According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the town has a total area of 0.4 square miles (1 km²), all of it land.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 2,844 people, 905 households, and 636 families residing in the town. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 7,511.0 people per square mile (2,889.7/km²). There were 971 housing units at an average density of 2,564.4 per square mile (986.6/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 28.62% White, 49.75% African American, 0.42% Native American, 2.11% Asian, 15.05% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 4.04% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 23.63% of the population.
There were 905 households out of which 39.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 38.8% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 23.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.7% were non-families. 23.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.14 and the average family size was 3.68.
In the town the population was spread out with 29.0% under the age of 18, 10.2% from 18 to 24, 33.5% from 25 to 44, 19.4% from 45 to 64, and 7.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females there were 96.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.2 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $45,427, and the median income for a family was $45,244. Males had a median income of $28,563 versus $27,694 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the town was $15,700. About 9.8% of families and 13.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 22.0% of those under age 18 and 2.3% of those age 65 or over.
Notable residents
William R. Callahan, dissident Catholic priestEducation
Brentwood is within the Prince George's County Public SchoolsPrince George's County Public Schools
The Prince George's County Public Schools system is a large school district administered by the government of Prince George's County, Maryland, United States and is overseen by the Maryland State Department of Education...
district.
- Thomas S. Stone Elementary School
- Mount Rainier Elementary School
- Hyattsville Middle School
- Northwestern High SchoolNorthwestern High School (Hyattsville, Maryland)Northwestern High School , established in 1951, is a public comprehensive secondary school located in Hyattsville, Maryland in Prince George's County, less than a mile from the internationally known University of Maryland, College Park. It is part of the Prince George's County Public Schools system...