Queen Anne, Prince George's County, Maryland
Encyclopedia
Queen Anne in Prince George's County, Maryland
is a former seaport on the Patuxent River
in Maryland.
. 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) launch site in Queen Anne.
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).
The former seaport town, located between Upper Marlboro and Bowie, was not always a predominantly African-American settlement. 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 Queen Anne's Bridge, originally built in 1755, once served as a main road connecting Anne Arundel County to Prince George's County. The present steel truss bridge is an early 20th century replacement. The town grew to a population of about 150, but 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 such as the snows
that frequented the town. The last cargo ship left for England about 1790 and the town began to decline.
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. A horse racing track was also built in the town.
During the War of 1812
, the Chesapeake Bay Flotilla
commanded by Joshua Barney
scuttled his entire fleet in the shallows off Queen Anne to avoid the vessels being captured by the advancing British.
About 1878, William Lane Watkins became the first black man to move into Queen Anne's Town. Watkins, son of a white man and a light-skinned black woman, was taught by his father how to read and write. About 1872, accepted as a white man, he entered the Boston University Medical School, from which he graduated with a full medical degree. Soon after Watkins graduated, he was discovered to have been of mixed race, thus finding it impossible to practice in Massachusetts. With the invitation of a friend, Tim Parker, Watkins decided to move to Prince George's County. When Watkins first arrived in Prince George's county, he was able to rent a room from the family of Wilson and Jane Ellen Turner, who lived in an area near Queen Anne's. Rent was $10 a month, which was expensive for a black man around that time in the late 1870s. Soon Watkins fell in love with Wilson's daughter and began to find a home for him and his wife.
Watkins chose to live in Queen Anne's Town proper, an all-white community. When he arrived in Queen Anne's Town, Watkins was told that "N's" were not allowed to live on Queen Anne's Bridge Road. Watkins answered that he was not an "N" and he would live there if he chose to. So, he moved in anyway as did many other blacks. About 1877 Watkins became the first teacher and principal of the new Mt. Nebo School http://www.gmnebo.org/our-history, a school for black children in Queen Anne's Town. As the years rolled by, Queen Anne's Town gradually changed its racial composition. The few remaining white residents died out or moved away, thus creating the small predominantly black community, which exists today.
Sometime after World War II, a heavy truck caused the existing Queen Anne's Bridge to buckle into its present contorted form. Now the bridge is no longer suitable for cars. New roads and highways have now made it unnecessary to pass through the forgotten town of Queen Anne's.
decided to change the name of Queen Anne to Hardesty to avoid confusion with the other town in Maryland named Queen Anne
. However, local usage including signage, road names, bridge names, commercial mapping, the community association name, etc. continues to reflect the Queen Anne name.
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....
is a former seaport on the Patuxent River
Patuxent River
The Patuxent River is a tributary of the Chesapeake Bay in the state of Maryland. There are three main river drainages for central Maryland: the Potomac River to the west passing through Washington D.C., the Patapsco River to the northeast passing through Baltimore, and the Patuxent River between...
in Maryland.
Geography
Queen Anne is located at 38°53'55" North, 76°40'42" West (38.8987239 -76.6782992). 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 CommissionMaryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission
The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission is a bi-county agency that administers parks and planning in Montgomery and Prince George's Counties in Maryland.-History:...
. 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) launch site in Queen Anne.
History
Located across the upper Patuxent River, the Queen Anne's Bridge is part of a small predominantly black town in Prince George's County called Queen Anne's Town,known locally simply as Queen Anne. Queen Anne, for whom the town and bridge are named, ruled England and the American colonies from 1702-1714.The town was created in 1706 when the colonial Maryland LegislatureProvince of Maryland
The Province of Maryland was an English and later British colony in North America that existed from 1632 until 1776, when it joined the other twelve of the Thirteen Colonies in rebellion against Great Britain and became the U.S...
authorized surveying and laying out the towns of Queen Anne Town, Nottingham, Mill Town, Piscataway
Piscataway, Maryland
Piscataway is an unincorporated community in Prince George's County, Maryland, United States. It is one of the oldest European-colonized communities in the state...
, Aire (also known as Broad Creek
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...
) and Upper Marlboro
Upper Marlboro, Maryland
Upper Marlboro is a town in and the county seat of Prince George's County, Maryland, United States. The live-in population of the town core proper was only 648 at the 2000 census, although Greater Upper Marlboro is many times larger....
(then known as Marlborough Town).
The former seaport town, located between Upper Marlboro and Bowie, was not always a predominantly African-American settlement. 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 Queen Anne's Bridge, originally built in 1755, once served as a main road connecting Anne Arundel County to Prince George's County. The present steel truss bridge is an early 20th century replacement. The town grew to a population of about 150, but 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 such as the snows
Snow (ship)
A snow or snaw is a sailing vessel. A type of brig , snows were primarily used as merchant ships, but saw war service as well...
that frequented the town. The last cargo ship left for England about 1790 and the town began to decline.
In 1747, the legislature tried to improve the quality and the method of marketing tobacco
Tobacco
Tobacco is an agricultural product processed from the leaves of plants in the genus Nicotiana. It can be consumed, used as a pesticide and, in the form of nicotine tartrate, used in some medicines...
, 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. A horse racing track was also built in the town.
During the War of 1812
War of 1812
The War of 1812 was a military conflict fought between the forces of the United States of America and those of the British Empire. The Americans declared war in 1812 for several reasons, including trade restrictions because of Britain's ongoing war with France, impressment of American merchant...
, the Chesapeake Bay Flotilla
Chesapeake Bay Flotilla
For two years the United States had been fighting with Great Britain during War of 1812. The British fleet was marauding the Chesapeake Bay when Joshua Barney, a naval officer of the American Revolutionary War, assembled a motley collection of barges and gunboats known generally as the Chesapeake...
commanded by Joshua Barney
Joshua Barney
Joshua Barney was a commodore in the United States Navy, born in Baltimore, Maryland, who served in the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812.-Revolutionary War:...
scuttled his entire fleet in the shallows off Queen Anne to avoid the vessels being captured by the advancing British.
About 1878, William Lane Watkins became the first black man to move into Queen Anne's Town. Watkins, son of a white man and a light-skinned black woman, was taught by his father how to read and write. About 1872, accepted as a white man, he entered the Boston University Medical School, from which he graduated with a full medical degree. Soon after Watkins graduated, he was discovered to have been of mixed race, thus finding it impossible to practice in Massachusetts. With the invitation of a friend, Tim Parker, Watkins decided to move to Prince George's County. When Watkins first arrived in Prince George's county, he was able to rent a room from the family of Wilson and Jane Ellen Turner, who lived in an area near Queen Anne's. Rent was $10 a month, which was expensive for a black man around that time in the late 1870s. Soon Watkins fell in love with Wilson's daughter and began to find a home for him and his wife.
Watkins chose to live in Queen Anne's Town proper, an all-white community. When he arrived in Queen Anne's Town, Watkins was told that "N's" were not allowed to live on Queen Anne's Bridge Road. Watkins answered that he was not an "N" and he would live there if he chose to. So, he moved in anyway as did many other blacks. About 1877 Watkins became the first teacher and principal of the new Mt. Nebo School http://www.gmnebo.org/our-history, a school for black children in Queen Anne's Town. As the years rolled by, Queen Anne's Town gradually changed its racial composition. The few remaining white residents died out or moved away, thus creating the small predominantly black community, which exists today.
Sometime after World War II, a heavy truck caused the existing Queen Anne's Bridge to buckle into its present contorted form. Now the bridge is no longer suitable for cars. New roads and highways have now made it unnecessary to pass through the forgotten town of Queen Anne's.
Renaming
In 1897 the United States Board on Geographic NamesUnited States Board on Geographic Names
The United States Board on Geographic Names is a United States federal body whose purpose is to establish and maintain uniform usage of geographic names throughout the U.S. government.-Overview:...
decided to change the name of Queen Anne to Hardesty to avoid confusion with the other town in Maryland named Queen Anne
Queen Anne, Maryland
Queen Anne is a town in Queen Anne's and Talbot counties in the U.S. state of Maryland. The population was 176 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Queen Anne is located at ....
. However, local usage including signage, road names, bridge names, commercial mapping, the community association name, etc. continues to reflect the Queen Anne name.