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By Charise Wallace, Special to the AFRO
Founded on April 23, 1696, Prince George’s County has had a dramatic shift in its 322 years of existence from being the biggest slave owning county in Maryland, to now becoming one of the most affluent, predominantly African American counties in the nation.
By action of General Assembly, Calvert and Charles counties’ named the land after Prince George of Denmark, heir to the throne of England. They called it Street Georges Day, which is now known as Prince George’s County or affectionately P.G. County.
With over 900,000 residents, a true Marylander would definitely see that the once country county that borders Washington, D.C. has grown tremendously.
Attractions like the National Harbor, MGM, Tanger Outlets and Bowie Town Center helped boost the county with now over five million tourists and counting and is set to reach 40 million tourists in the near future.
The county is thriving daily with entertainment, shopping, restaurants and bars, business conferences and more.
Once overruled by Whites, the location now has a population of 62.5 percent African-Americans and 26.5 percent Whites, according to the United States Census Bureau.
Even though Blacks in Prince George’s Countyhave come a long way since slave plantations, some of the artifacts still exist in some residents’ backyards.According to The Washington Post, buildings that were once “big houses” or the masters’ residences still exist including, Oxon Hill Manor, one of the along the Potomac River=, Billingsley House in Upper Marlboro, and Riversdale Maryland House, the home of the founder of University of Maryland.
Donnell Long’s restaurant in Upper Marlboro, Old Towne Inn, now Black owned, was another spot that exuded racism for more than 80 years when it was known as the Judge’s Chambers. It wasn’t until the Civil Rights Act prohibited discrimination in public places in 1964 when unfair treatment amongst Blacks gradually diminished in Prince George’s County.
The county that once faced 200 years of enslavement is now stomping grounds to some of the richest Blacks in the nation. In 2014, it was notarized by Atlanta Black Star as one of the top 10 richest “Black Communities” in America.
County Executive Rushern L. Baker III wished Prince George’s County a happy birthday took on Twitter. “Happy 322nd Birthday to @PrinceGeorgesMD today! County was founded on April 23rd, 1696 and created by the English Council of Maryland from portions of Charles and Calvert counties. Today, we are a vibrant and diverse community that is truly an American success story!”
To learn more about Prince Georges County history visit princegeorgescountymd.gov.
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