| Edmonston, Maryland | |
|---|---|
| — Town — | |
 |
|
| Coordinates: 38°57′3″N 76°56′0″W / 38.95083°N 76.933333°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Maryland |
| County | Prince George's |
| Area | |
| - Total | 0.4 sq mi (1.0 km2) |
| - Land | 0.4 sq mi (1.0 km2) |
| - Water | 0.0 sq mi (0.0 km2) |
| Elevation | 20 ft (6 m) |
| Population (2000) | |
| - Total | 959 |
| - Density | 2,591.0/sq mi (1,000.4/km2) |
| Time zone | Eastern (EST) (UTC-5) |
| - Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) |
| ZIP code | 20781 |
| Area code(s) | 301 |
| FIPS code | 24-25425 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0597374 |
Edmonston is a town in Prince George's County, Maryland, in the United States.[1] As of the 2000 census, the town population was 959.
It is 2.5 miles from Washington, DC. Edmonston's ZIP code is 20781.
Contents |
History
The area of present day Edmonston probably acquired its name from Captain James Edmonston, a member of a prominent Bladensburg, Maryland family. He was called “Captain” because he owned a large ship. In 1742, he paid five shillings for a piece of land upon which the town of Edmonston eventually developed.[2]
Two subdivisions that would later comprise the town of Edmonston were platted in 1903; East Hyattsville and Palestine. The eastern section was developed in 1903, by J. Harris Rogers on two parcels of land he purchased in the 1880s and 1890s. Rogers platted 70 acres into a subdivision of more than 170 lots known as East Hyattsville. The west half began with the subdivision of Dr. Charles A. Wells. Wells purchased the 90-acre Palestine Farm from Benjamin Franklin Guy in 1878 and 1879 and continued the farm’s dairy operations until 1903. In that year, 25 of the farms acres were subdivided into 62 building lots of various sizes. Within the first decade 55 houses were constructed in both subdivisions and many of them remain today. The earliest buildings were simple vernacular buildings such as the "I" house that were later adapted to the constraints of the narrow suburban building lot.[3][4][5]
In the late 19th century, a pumping station was constructed in the Palestine subdivision that supplied water to the City of Hyattsville. In 1920, operations were taken over by the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission. Also in the Palestine subdivision was the first school to serve the future town of Edmonston. Constructed in 1915, the building has undergone several phases of additions and alterations.[3]
After World War I, the residents of East Hyattsville and Palestine began a movement toward incorporation to improve services. Compared to the established Hyattsville, incorporated in 1886, East Hyattsville contained more working class residents, more modest houses, and more immigrants. When incorporating in 1924, the residents decided to choose a name that would give the town an identity independent from Hyattsville and chose "Edmonston" after a major north-south road adjacent to the town and the original landowner.[3] By 1924, there were several hundred residents; at 49th Avenue and Decatur Street, there was a small neighborhood center with a few stores and a post office. Only the small grocery store remains today. The first items on the agenda for the new municipality were street paving and lighting, construction of a concrete bridge across the Anacostia River, and arrangement with the fledgling Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission to bring water and sewer pipes into the town.[2]
Edmonston's Mayor in 1927 was Kinjiro Matsudaira, the grandson of a Japanese feudal lord. His election received attention in the Philadelphia press at the time with the somewhat inaccurate lead, “Japanese Elected Mayor of American City for the First Time in History.” His father, Tadaatsu, came to the United States in 1872 to study and stayed to marry an American woman and pursue a distinguished career in civil engineering. Kinjiro Matsudaira, born in Pennsylvania in 1885, was elected Mayor of Edmonston for a second time in 1943, during World War II. Kinjiro Matsudaira married Ellen Screven nee Nettles nee Chisolm. Ellen Screven Matsudaira is a descendant of Charles Edmondston and George Chisolm, Charleston, SC and also a descendant of George Gaillard Ford, Georgetown, SC and Samuel Prioleau, a Revolutionary War Patriot. Kinjiro and Ellen had a daughter, Haru Dent, nee Matsudaira, and a son, Robert Matsudaira.[2]
In 1925, an undeveloped part of the original Palestine subdivision was platted as the Funkhouser subdivision. The land was divided into 40 lots upon which Robert Funkhouser constructed a small bungalow on each. The houses were completed in 1926 and quickly sold. Throughout the 1930s and 1940s development consisted of sporadic house construction on vacant lots within the established subdivisions. After World War II, the Edmonston Terrace subdivision was constructed consisting of an organized development of 41 nearly identical two-story, brick side-gable houses. Residential construction during the 1950s and 1960s returned to infill. Also constructed during the 1960s was the Fountain Park Apartment complex. The town is “land-locked” by adjacent communities prohibiting expansion of the municipal boundaries.[3]
Government
The Edmonston municipal government consists of four members of Council and a Mayor who, beginning in May 2008, are elected to three-year terms. Elected positions are essentially volunteer in nature and are paid a small stipend for expenses. The structure of the government is a "weak" mayor system, meaning that mayor is more or less a ceremonial position and holds no vote on legislative issues.
Current elected officials:
- Adam C. Ortiz - Mayor
- Lynta Giddens, Robert Kerns - Ward One Councilmembers
- Tracy Farrish, Elizabeth "Betsy" McCauley - Ward Two Councilmembers
Current Chief of Police: Stephen E. Walker Sr.
Bordering Areas
- Bladensburg (Southeast)
- Riverdale Park (Northeast)
- Hyattsville (Northwest)
- North Brentwood (Southwest)
Geography
Edmonston is located at 38°57′3″N 76°56′0″W / 38.95083°N 76.933333°W (38.950793, -76.933423)[6].
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 0.4 square miles (1.0 km²), of which, 0.4 square miles (1.0 km²) of it is land and 0.04 square miles (0.1 km²) of it (5.13%) is water.
Demographics
As of the census[7] of 2000, there were 959 people, 303 households, and 216 families residing in the town. The population density was 2,591.0 people per square mile (1,000.7/km²). There were 330 housing units at an average density of 891.6/sq mi (344.4/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 43.59% White, 41.08% African American, 0.52% Native American, 1.36% Asian, 10.32% from other races, and 3.13% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 19.19% of the population.
There were 303 households out of which 37.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.2% were married couples living together, 16.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.7% were non-families. 21.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.17 and the average family size was 3.69.
In the town the population was spread out with 31.0% under the age of 18, 8.4% from 18 to 24, 31.7% from 25 to 44, 21.2% from 45 to 64, and 7.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 94.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.4 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $52,813, and the median income for a family was $56,875. Males had a median income of $35,966 versus $33,846 for females. The per capita income for the town was $19,830. About 1.9% of families and 6.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 1.0% of those under age 18 and 8.4% of those age 65 or over.
Education
Edmonston is zoned to Prince George's County Public Schools
References
- ^ USGS GNIS: Edmonston, Maryland
- ^ a b c "Edmonston, Maryland History". Edmonston, Maryland. Maryland Municipal League. 2008-05-10. http://www.mdmunicipal.org/cities/index.cfm?townname=Edmonston&page=home.
- ^ a b c d "Community Summary Sheet, Prince George's County". Edmonston, Maryland. Maryland State Highway Administration, 1999. 2008-05-10. http://www.sha.maryland.gov/oppen/pg_co.pdf.
- ^ Denny, George D., Jr. Proud Past, Promising Future: Cities and Towns in Prince George's County. Brentwood, Maryland: Tuxedo Press, 1997.
- ^ Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission. Edmonston Historical Survey. Upper Marlboro, Maryland: Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission. 1993.
- ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2000 and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2005-05-03. http://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/gazette.html. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
External links
- Edmonston, Maryland is at coordinates 38°57′03″N 76°56′00″W / 38.950793°N 76.933423°WCoordinates: 38°57′03″N 76°56′00″W / 38.950793°N 76.933423°W
- Town of Edmonston
- Edmonston history from the Maryland Municipal League
1930 United States Federal Census Record Regarding Kinjiro and Ellen Matsudaira
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