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72-600: The Laurel Museum is a museum in Laurel, Maryland , in the United States. It is located in a mill workers' home that was built by Horace Capron between 1836 and 1840. It was restored by the City of Laurel, and opened to the public on May 1, 1996. Located on the northeast corner of 9th and Main Streets, the museum has exhibits that highlight the history of Laurel and its citizens. A gift shop

144-520: A CarMax dealership, Weis supermarket, and a strip mall . In March 1912, the city agreed to take out $ 35,000 in loans to build its first sewer system with twelve miles of line that terminated by dumping into the Patuxent River . In February 1913, Laurel was a stopping point in the Suffrage hike led by Rosalie Gardiner Jones . She was joined by a Laurel-based colored women's suffrage group and sent

216-404: A grist mill on the site circa 1811 which grew to a small cotton mill by the 1820s. In 1828, a detailed survey was conducted to build a canal from Baltimore to Georgetown to connect to the proposed C&O canal . The route from Elkridge Landing to Bladensburg would have built a waterway roughly aligning with modern U.S. Route 1 and Kenilworth Avenue , with special consideration not to harm

288-461: A thoroughbred racetrack, opened in 1911 and remains in operation. In the book, Seabiscuit: An American Legend , Laurel is mentioned several times as an important horse racing venue. Laurel also hosted a horse trotter ( harness racing ) track named Freestate Raceway from 1948 to 1990; it was located in Howard County on the west side of US Route 1, south of Savage in an area that now includes

360-475: A casket saved from the burning mortuary. The resulting losses inspired efforts to bring water and fire apparatus to the town. The town was struck again by the great Laurel fire of December 14, 1899, when a twelve-building fire destroyed the Laurel Presbyterian Church (known then as Presbyterian Church at Laurel). Proposed in 1897, Laurel's seven-term mayor Edward Phelps succeeded in constructing

432-413: A husk. This foundation isolated the building from vibrations coming from the stones and main gearing and also allowed for the easy re-leveling of the foundation to keep the millstones perfectly horizontal. The lower bedstone was placed in an inset in the husk with the upper runner stone above the level of the husk. American inventor Oliver Evans revolutionized the labor-intensive process of early mills at

504-519: A juvenile, affiliated with the KKK , attempted to burn St. Mark's United Methodist Church and then a private residence in the predominantly African-American neighborhood of the Grove, prompting protests and police blockades. Due to cross-burning incidents, a Ku Klux Klan march, and several arsons and suspected arsons, temporary police barricades were erected throughout late July to prevent white residents from entering

576-455: A less important role in the community. Laurel evolved into an early suburban town. Many of its residents commuted by rail to jobs in Washington or Baltimore. The town was incorporated in 1870 and reincorporated in 1890 to coincide with a new electric power plant and paved streets and boarded sidewalks. By this time, the town had grown to a population of 2,080, and the city banned livestock from

648-412: A mechanical sieve to refine the flour, or turning a wooden drum to wind up a chain used to hoist sacks of grain to the top of the mill house. The distance between the stones can be varied to produce the grade of flour required; moving the stones closer together produces finer flour. This process, which may be automatic or controlled by the miller, is called tentering . The grain is lifted in sacks onto

720-419: A parcel with a flag and message ahead to President-elect Wilson . Board track racing came to Laurel in 1925 when a 1.125-mile (1.811 km) wood oval track was built by Jack Prince and featured 48-degree banked turns. The Washington-Baltimore automobile speedway was short-lived, with featured races of 16 drivers at a time. Despite crowds of up to 30,000, receipts did not cover the $ 400,000 cost of building

792-547: A parking garage on the lower floor of the wood structure; it burned in 1917, and Academy Ford built on the same site in the late 20th century. In 1888 inventor David J. Weems tested an unmanned electric train on a two-mile banked circular track near Laurel Station. The three-ton vehicle reached speeds of up to 120 mph for twenty minutes. In 1890, Citizens National Bank opened its doors on Main Street, as Prince George's County's first nationally chartered bank. Charles H. Stanley

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864-581: A percentage called the "miller's toll". Early mills in England were almost always built by the local lord of the manor and had the exclusive right (the right of mulcture ) to a proportion on all grain processed in the community. Later, mills were supported by farming communities and the miller received the "miller's toll" in lieu of wages. Most towns and villages had their own mill so that local farmers could easily transport their grain there to be milled. These communities were dependent on their local mill as bread

936-434: A system that allows the sequential milling of these grists, noting that "a mill, thus constructed, might grind grists in the day time, and do merchant-work at night." Over time, any small, older style flour mill became generally known as a gristmill (as a distinction from large factory flour mills). Modern mills typically use electricity or fossil fuels to spin heavy steel, or cast iron, serrated and flat rollers to separate

1008-545: Is a city in Maryland , United States, located midway between Washington, D.C. and Baltimore on the banks of the Patuxent River , in northern Prince George's County . Founded as a mill town in the early 19th century, Laurel expanded local industry and was later able to become an early commuter town for Washington and Baltimore workers following the arrival of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad in 1835. Largely residential today,

1080-466: Is available and museum admission is free. The 2,590-square-foot (241 m) brick and stone building was built with four living units, and was later converted into a two-family house. It was then transformed into a commercial property, and before its abandonment in the 1970s was a rental home and storage warehouse. In 1985 the building was purchased by the City of Laurel from the State of Maryland. The museum

1152-522: Is available. Several taxicab and shuttle services also support the region. Suburban Airport was located on Brock Bridge Road, just over the Anne Arundel County border. For decades the airport provided general aviation access for medivac helicopters, flight training, business travelers, and served as a relief airport for light traffic into and out of the two major regional airports. This airport closed in 2017. The major airports currently serving

1224-597: Is land and 0.03 square miles (0.08 km ) is water. As is typical of central Maryland, Laurel lies within the humid subtropical climate zone, featuring hot humid summers and cool to mild winters with high annual precipitation. Laurel lies within USDA plant hardiness zones 7 and 8. For statistical reporting, the Census Bureau identifies four adjacent unincorporated areas : As of the census of 2010, there were 25,115 people, 10,498 households, and 5,695 families residing in

1296-480: Is located at 39°5′45″N 76°51′35″W  /  39.09583°N 76.85972°W  / 39.09583; -76.85972 . The city is situated on the bank of the Patuxent River , which was the power source for the cotton mills that were the early industry of the town. The zip codes for the incorporated city of Laurel are 20707, 20708, 20709, 20723, 20724 and 20756. Although served by the Laurel post office, Montpelier

1368-430: Is named after John Calder Brennan , a local historian who died three months before the museum's opening. The estate of photographer Bert Sadler gave the museum Sadler's notebooks and 1300 glass plate negatives to form The Sadler Collection. Starting as a permanent loan, this was ratified as a formal donation in 2007. Laurel, Maryland Ward 1: Carl DeWalt Ward 2: Kyla Clark Ward 2: Jeffrey Mills Laurel

1440-554: Is not within the city limits; the same is true of the unincorporated communities of Scaggsville and Whiskey Bottom in Howard County, and Maryland City and Russett in Anne Arundel County. A small section of ZIP Code 20707 is located in Montgomery County . According to the United States Census Bureau , the city has a total area of 4.33 square miles (11.21 km ), of which 4.30 square miles (11.14 km )

1512-555: Is operated by the Laurel Historical Society, a tax-exempt educational organization that was founded as the Laurel Horizon Society in 1976. The society received permission to use the city-owned building for a museum with the adoption of a resolution by the mayor and city council on February 25, 1991. The building was then renovated between 1993 and 1996, when it opened to the public. The museum's research library

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1584-596: Is probably the Barbegal aqueduct and mill where water with a 19-metre fall drove sixteen water wheels , giving a grinding capacity estimated at 28 tons per day. Water mills seem to have remained in use during the post-Roman period. Manually operated mills utilizing a crank-and-connecting rod were used in the Western Han dynasty . There was an expansion of grist-milling in the Byzantine Empire and Sassanid Persia from

1656-689: The Cretaceous Era are preserved in a 7.5-acre (3.0 ha) park in Laurel . The site, which among other finds has yielded fossilized teeth from Astrodon and Priconodon species, has been called the most prolific in the eastern United States. From the Late Glacial age in 10,700 B.C. to 8,500 B.C., Laurel's climate warmed and changed from a spruce forest to a hardwood forest. In the Late Archaic period from 4,000 to 1,000 B.C., Laurel would have been covered primarily with an oak and hickory forest. Laurel

1728-725: The Ebro River in Spain is associated with the Real Monasterio de Nuestra Senora de Rueda , built by the Cistercian monks in 1202. The Cistercians were known for their use of this technology in Western Europe in the period 1100 to 1350. Although the terms "gristmill" or "corn mill" can refer to any mill that grinds grain, the terms were used historically for a local mill where farmers brought their own grain and received ground meal or flour, minus

1800-532: The Laurel Museum on May 1, 1996. The museum features exhibits that highlight the history of Laurel and its citizens. A gift shop is available, and museum admission is free. The museum's John Calder Brennan Library is open to researchers by appointment. On September 24, 2001, a tornado passed through Laurel and left F3 property damage, including significant roof damage to the Laurel High School and

1872-477: The Roman Empire by the end of the first century BC, and these were described by Vitruvius . The rotating mill is considered "one of the greatest discoveries of the human race". It was a very physically demanding job for workers, where the slave workers were considered little different from animals, the miseries of which were depicted in iconography and Apuleius ' The Golden Ass . The peak of Roman technology

1944-438: The bran and germ from the endosperm . The endosperm is ground to create white flour, which may be recombined with the bran and germ to create whole grain or graham flour . The different milling techniques produce visibly different results, but can be made to produce nutritionally and functionally equivalent output. Stone-ground flour is preferred by many bakers and natural food advocates because of its texture, nutty flavour, and

2016-413: The sack floor at the top of the mill on the hoist . The sacks are then emptied into bins, where the grain falls down through a hopper to the millstones on the stone floor below. The flow of grain is regulated by shaking it in a gently sloping trough (the slipper ) from which it falls into a hole in the center of the runner stone. The milled grain (flour) is collected as it emerges through the grooves in

2088-482: The " Norse wheel ", as many were found in Scandinavia. The paddle wheel was attached to a shaft which was, in turn, attached to the centre of the millstone called the "runner stone". The turning force produced by the water on the paddles was transferred directly to the runner stone, causing it to grind against a stationary " bed ", a stone of a similar size and shape. This simple arrangement required no gears , but had

2160-533: The 3rd century AD onwards, and then the widespread expansion of large-scale factory milling installations across the Islamic world from the 8th century onwards. Geared gristmills were built in the medieval Near East and North Africa , which were used for grinding grain and other seeds to produce meals . Gristmills in the Islamic world were powered by both water and wind. The first wind-powered gristmills were built in

2232-580: The 9th and 10th centuries in what are now Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iran. The Egyptian town of Bilbays had a grain-processing factory that produced an estimated 300 tons of flour and grain per day. From the late 10th century onwards, there was an expansion of grist-milling in Northern Europe. In England, the Domesday survey of 1086 gives a precise count of England's water-powered flour mills: there were 5,624, or about one for every 300 inhabitants, and this

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2304-492: The City and Suburban and Washington, Berwyn, and Laurel railway started single line electric trolley service. The Laurel Sanitarium was built in 1905 on a 163-acre (0.66 km ) farm that comprised what is now Laurel Lakes. The facility's purpose was to care for people with nervous diseases, alcohol, and drug addiction. Five buildings that were joined to a central administration building included 8-, 14-, 30-, and 36-room facilities for men and women. Laurel Park Racecourse ,

2376-467: The Grove. In August 1967, it was announced that the city would re-purchase a privately owned swimming pool, which had been sold to a private club in 1949. The pool, which had only been available to white residents, was to be operated as an integrated public facility open to all. On May 15, 1972, Governor George Wallace of Alabama , running for the presidential nomination of the Democratic Party ,

2448-569: The Laurel area are Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport in adjacent Anne Arundel County , and Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Crystal City, Virginia near downtown Washington, D.C. The Laurel Police Department and the Prince George's County Police Department are the principal providers of the region's police officers. The Maryland State Police patrol US 1, MD 198, and Interstate 95 , which pass through

2520-547: The Mills (Roman Catholic) est. 1845, and St. Philip's (Episcopal) est. 1839 —established what are still vigorous congregations. During the Civil War , Laurel Factory, like much of Maryland, was a divided community, but with many Southern sympathizers. Union soldiers patrolled the railroad, and for a time there was also a Union hospital. During the latter half of the 19th century, while it still operated its factories, manufacturing played

2592-471: The Milstead Hotel, which served as a stop for the four stage lines operating between Baltimore and Washington. In 1898, a stable fire spread to the 100-year-old hotel and burned adjacent buildings along Main Street. With only bucket brigades, Mayor Phelps telegraphed Baltimore to send a special train with fireman, horses, and engine number 10. One fireman was crushed by the rolling fire engine, and returned in

2664-667: The Patuxent River to drain sewage, and filed urban grants for water and sewage infrastructure. 5,000 houses were planned in the adjacent 1,200-acre Maryland City development. City Planner Harry Susini anticipated the National Capitol Planning Commission would use clustered development to prevent tightly massed population in Laurel by the year 2000. In the late 1960s, the county was at the peak of racial tensions. The situation peaked in Laurel in July 1967 when four men and

2736-548: The area, and the United States Park Police patrol the Baltimore-Washington Parkway and its connectors. Grist mill The Greek geographer Strabo reports in his Geography a water-powered grain-mill to have existed near the palace of king Mithradates VI Eupator at Cabira , Asia Minor , before 71 BC. The early mills had horizontal paddle wheels, an arrangement which later became known as

2808-901: The belief that it is nutritionally superior and has a better baking quality than steel-roller-milled flour. It is claimed that, as the stones grind relatively slowly, the wheat germ is not exposed to the sort of excessive temperatures that could cause the fat from the germ portion to oxidize and become rancid, which would destroy some of the vitamin content. Stone-milled flour has been found to be relatively high in thiamin, compared to roller-milled flour, especially when milled from hard wheat. Gristmills only grind "clean" grains from which stalks and chaff have previously been removed, but historically some mills also housed equipment for threshing , sorting, and cleaning prior to grinding. Modern mills are usually "merchant mills" that are either privately owned and accept money or trade for milling grains or are owned by corporations that buy unmilled grain and then own

2880-740: The city limits along U.S. Route 1 and connects Laurel with Gaithersburg . Two MARC train stations on the Camden Line to Baltimore and Washington, D.C. are located in Laurel: Laurel Station and Laurel Racetrack Station , the latter with minimal service. Laurel Station is a particularly notable example of the stations designed by E. Francis Baldwin for the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad . The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) Metrobus service provides four routes (87, 89, 89M, and Z7 ) into Laurel, and local RTA bus service

2952-519: The city maintains a historic district centered on its Main Street , highlighting its industrial past. The Department of Defense is a prominent presence in the Laurel area today, with the Fort Meade Army base, the NSA and Johns Hopkins' Applied Physics Laboratory all located nearby. Laurel Park , a thoroughbred horse racetrack , is located just outside the city limits. Many dinosaur fossils from

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3024-511: The city. Access from I-95 to Laurel is provided by Maryland Route 198 , which also intersects U.S. Route 1 in the center of the city, Maryland Route 197 just east of downtown, and the Baltimore-Washington Parkway just east of the city limits. Other major state roads in Laurel are MD 216 , which connects the city with southern Howard County, and MD 206 . The eastern terminus of MD 200 (the Intercounty Connector) lies just south of

3096-437: The city. The population density was 5,840.7 inhabitants per square mile (2,255.1/km ). There were 11,397 housing units at an average density of 2,650.5 per square mile (1,023.4/km ). The racial makeup of the city was 30.1% White , 48.9% African American , 0.4% Native American , 9.2% Asian , 0.1% Pacific Islander , 7.6% from other races , and 3.8% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 15.5% of

3168-439: The city. The population density was 5,280.2 inhabitants per square mile (2,038.7/km ). There were 9,506 housing units at an average density of 2,514.7 per square mile (970.9/km ). The racial makeup of the city was 52.24% White , 34.50% African American , 0.38% Native American , 6.89% Asian , 0.21% Pacific Islander , 2.30% from other races , and 3.47% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 6.24% of

3240-436: The disadvantage that the speed of rotation of the stone was dependent on the volume and flow of water available and was, therefore, only suitable for use in mountainous regions with fast-flowing streams. This dependence on the volume and speed of flow of the water also meant that the speed of rotation of the stone was highly variable and the optimum grinding speed could not always be maintained. Vertical wheels were in use in

3312-555: The end of the 1933 season in the peak of the depression. Prohibition in the United States was repealed in 1934. Wasting little time, the Prince Georges Brewing Company planned a $ 500,000 brewery on 100 acres next to Laurel Park, but did not follow through. In 1954, Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory built its campus west of Laurel in Howard County, using a Laurel address. By 1960, Laurel anticipated massive growth from Fort Meade and NSA. The town still used

3384-634: The end of the eighteenth century when he automated the process of making flour. His inventions included the Elevator, wood or tin buckets on a vertical endless leather belt, used to move grain and flour vertically upward; the Conveyor, a wooden auger to move material horizontally; the Hopper Boy, a device for stirring and cooling the newly ground flour; the Drill, a horizontal elevator with flaps instead of buckets (similar to

3456-549: The first high school in Prince George's County in 1899, despite several financial obstacles, by personally assuming the financial risks in doing so. The original building built for $ 5,000, now known as the Phelps Community Center , still stands at the northeast corner of Montgomery and Eighth Streets. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979. In 1902, the City and Suburban Railway with

3528-588: The historic Harrison-Beard building. On August 29, 2005, Laurel adopted Laurel, Mississippi , as a sister city to help with Hurricane Katrina relief and recovery. In the two years following adoption, "the government, businesses and residents of Laurel, Md. ... raised more than $ 20,000 for Laurel, Miss." The following is a list of historic sites in Laurel and vicinity identified by the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission and / or National Register of Historic Places : Laurel

3600-406: The median income for a family was $ 58,552. Males had a median income of $ 37,966 versus $ 35,614 for females. The per capita income for the city was $ 26,717. About 4.3% of families and 6.4% of the population were below the poverty line , including 7.8% of those under age 18 and 6.4% of those age 65 or over. The most prominent highway serving Laurel is Interstate 95 , which skims the western edge of

3672-536: The mill expanded greatly with the addition of the Avondale Mill building in 1844. Mill president Horace Capron with his partners built housing for close to 300 workers, and a bigger cotton mill. Cotton duck from the mill was shipped down what would become Laurel's Main Street, then by rail to Baltimore. A substantial dam was built in 1850. As a mill town, Laurel was somewhat unusual in Prince George's County and

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3744-424: The name Konterra , buoyed by access to major highways via the construction of Maryland Route 200 . The Elizabeth House , a nonprofit food pantry and soup kitchen, was founded in 1988 to serve low-income residents of the Laurel area. This later grew to include emergency financial aid and transportation. A former 1840s mill workers' home on the northeast corner of 9th and Main Streets was renovated and opened as

3816-470: The nearby T. Howard Duckett Dam at Rocky Gorge Reservoir was at capacity and posed a huge threat. In 1975, the city council passed ordinances to create a historic district around Main Street. In 1982, developer Kingdon Gould III bought 3,539 acres of Laurel property (539 in North Laurel ) in two deals for $ 15 million. The largest parcel lies between Laurel and Beltsville and is being developed under

3888-496: The old wheel mills. In most wheel-driven mills, a large gear-wheel called the pit wheel is mounted on the same axle as the water wheel and this drives a smaller gear-wheel, the wallower , on a main driveshaft running vertically from the bottom to the top of the building. This system of gearing ensures that the main shaft turns faster than the water wheel, which typically rotates at around 10 rpm . The millstones themselves turn at around 120 rpm . They are laid one on top of

3960-414: The other. The bottom stone, called the bed , is fixed to the floor, while the top stone, the runner , is mounted on a separate spindle, driven by the main shaft. A wheel called the stone nut connects the runner's spindle to the main shaft, and this can be moved out of the way to disconnect the stone and stop it turning, leaving the main shaft turning to drive other machinery. This might include driving

4032-442: The population. There were 10,498 households, of which 30.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 33.4% were married couples living together, 15.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.2% had a male householder with no wife present, and 45.8% were non-families. 37.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size

4104-413: The population. There were 8,931 households, of which 26.7% had children under the age of 18, 33.9% were married couples living together, 13.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 48.1% were non-families. 37.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.22 and the average family size

4176-418: The process. Evans himself did not use the term gristmill to describe his automatic flour mill, which was purpose designed as a merchant mill (he used the more general term "water-mill"). In his book his only reference to "grist" (or "grists") is to the small batches of grain a farmer would bring in to have ground for himself (what would be generally called barter or custom milling). In his book, Evans describes

4248-416: The runner stone from the outer rim of the stones and is fed down a chute to be collected in sacks on the ground or meal floor. A similar process is used for grains such as wheat to make flour, and for maize to make corn meal . In order to prevent vibrations from the millstones shaking the building apart, they were usually placed on a separate timber foundation, not attached to the mill walls, known as

4320-476: The streets. In 1870, the Patuxent Bank of Laurel was founded on the corner of Main Street and Washington Avenue. In 1874 a delegation was sent to Annapolis to introduce legislation to make Laurel its own county of 10,000 residents with land from Prince George's, Howard, and Anne Arundel counties. In 1879 Laurel Academy of Music was built along Route 1. The building was converted to a movie theatre in 1915, with

4392-469: The track on the 364-acre Avondale property which fell into receivership in 1926. Natural gas service was extended to the community in 1929. In 1931, "Angy Gerrin" built a 7,000-seat amphitheater next to the Duvall Farm between Laurel Park and Route One for an outdoor boxing venue. His company, Mid City Boxing Club Inc, held several events with low turnouts and receipts confiscated by local police. It

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4464-595: The use of a conveyor but easier to build); and the Descender, an endless strap (leather or flannel) in a trough that is angled downward, the strap helps to move the ground flour in the trough. Most importantly, he integrated these into a single continuous process, the overall design later becoming known as the Automatic (or Automated) mill. In 1790 he received the third Federal patent for his process. In 1795 he published "The Young Mill-Wright and Miller’s Guide" which fully described

4536-675: The water power for Savage Mill . The project did not go forward; the preference was to build a railroad, the B&;O . Nicholas Snowden died in 1831, and the mill properties transferred to Louisa Snowden and her husband Horace Capon in 1834. In 1835, coinciding with the opening of the Capital Subdivision rail line from Baltimore to Washington, the Patuxent Manufacturing Company was chartered by Horace Capon, Edward Snowden, Theodore Jenkins, W.C. Shaw, A.E. Hall, and O.C. Tiffany and

4608-438: Was 2.37 and the average family size was 3.19. The median age in the city was 33.7 years. 22.6% of residents were under the age of 18; 9.5% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 37.2% were from 25 to 44; 23.8% were from 45 to 64; and 7% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 47.7% male and 52.3% female. As of the census of 2000, there were 19,960 people, 8,931 households , and 4,635 families residing in

4680-401: Was 2.97. In the city, the population was spread out, with 22.0% under the age of 18, 8.6% from 18 to 24, 42.9% from 25 to 44, 19.7% from 45 to 64, and 6.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.2 males . For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.3 males. The median income for a household in the city was $ 49,415, and

4752-522: Was a staple part of the diet. Classical mill designs are usually water-powered , though some are powered by the wind or by livestock. In a watermill a sluice gate is opened to allow water to flow onto, or under, a water wheel to make it turn. In most watermills the water wheel was mounted vertically, i.e., edge-on, in the water, but in some cases horizontally (the tub wheel and so-called Norse wheel ). Later designs incorporated horizontal steel or cast iron turbines and these were sometimes refitted into

4824-456: Was campaigning at a rally in the parking lot of Laurel Shopping Center , near what is today a Bank of America branch, when he was shot and paralyzed by Arthur Bremer , a disturbed, out-of-work janitor (see An Assassin's Diary ). On June 22, 1972, Laurel was impacted severely by Hurricane Agnes , which caused the greatest flooding ever recorded in Maryland. Several bridges were destroyed and

4896-479: Was formed from land on the fall line of the Patuxent River patented by the Snowden family in 1658 as part of the 12,250-acre New Birmingham plantation , which included the later Montpelier . The Washington Turnpike Road Company built Route 1 between 1796 and 1812, creating a major north–south land route. Milstead's Hotel halfway house was built in town to serve four stage lines a day in 1816. Nicholas Snowden built

4968-515: Was probably typical throughout western and southern Europe. From this time onward, water wheels began to be used for purposes other than grist milling. In England, the number of mills in operation followed population growth, and peaked at around 17,000 by 1300. Limited extant examples of gristmills can be found in Europe from the High Middle Ages . An extant well-preserved waterwheel and gristmill on

5040-610: Was sold the same year to C.E. Cornell, who called it "Twin Cities Arena" or "Mid City Arena". The arena was active through 1932 with the entire delegation of the National Boxing Association attending a fight with Governor Ritchie in attendance. After watching the match and calling a fight to be halted in five rounds, the delegation announced efforts to drop junior lightweight and junior welterweight classes to discourage matches between young opponents. Operations ceased by

5112-465: Was surrounded by agricultural endeavors. The community was originally known as "Laurel Factory", named for its laurel trees, when Edward Snowden became the first postmaster in 1837 and was a true company town, with a school and shops, and many of the mill workers' homes owned until the 1860s by the company. During the 1840s, three historic churches in the community—the Methodist est. 1842, St. Mary of

5184-428: Was the bank's first president, and it remained independently managed and with the same name until acquired by PNC Financial Services in 2007. Branch services are still provided from the original building. Along with those branch services being provided, there have been an additional 5 branches that were implemented. At the turn of the century, Louis Barret operated a hotel called the "Half Way House", later called

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