Indian Head, Maryland
Encyclopedia
Indian Head is a town in Charles County, Maryland
, United States. The population was 3,422 at the 2000 census. It has been the site of a naval base specializing in gun and rocket propellants since 1890. Production of nitrocellulose
and smokeless powder
began at the Indian Head Powder Factory in 1900. The name of the base has varied over the years from Indian Head Proving Ground, to Naval Powder Factory, to Naval Propellant Plant, to Naval Ordnance Station, to the present Naval Support Facility Indian Head. The facility's main tenant activity is the Indian Head Naval Surface Warfare Center (NSWC/IH). Advanced research in energetic systems takes place at NSWC/IH. NSWC/IH absorbed the function of the closed Naval Ordnance Laboratory
, formerly in White Oak
. The base currently employs 3,700.
. The historic Algonquian-speaking American Indian
tribe was the Mattawoman (likely a band of the Piscataway) encountered by the first English settlers; the latter called the land, "Indian Head", meaning "Indian Peninsula." (One source cites that its name came from a legend related by the Algonquian
-speaking tribes. Another story claims that the town was named Indian Head because it resembles an Indian's head from the air.)
Union Brigadier General Joseph Hooker
commanded the Third Brigade near Budd's Ferry in August 1861. The site was a gathering spot for volunteers, including the 5th New Jersey Volunteer Infantry
under Colonel Samuel H. Starr
. The site was also used by the Union Army Balloon Corps
for reconnaissance
of Confederate troop movements across the Potomac.,
The city of Indian Head was incorporated in 1920. It is located between the Potomac River
and Mattawoman Creek
on Cornwallis Neck, named for the 1654 grant of 5000 acres (20.2 km²) by the second Lord Baltimore, Cecilius Calvert, to Capt. Thomas Cornwallis of St. Mary's County. This land grant included the 2000 acres (8.1 km²) Cornwallis Manor on the Potomac, presumably the Indian Head site, with St. Elizabeth's Manor of 2000 acres (8.1 km²) "nearby but detached". In 1850, the Washington Fruit Growers Association named the area including Indian Head as Glymont. At that time, with Pye's Wharf and Leonard Marbury's Wharf, it was the largest river port in Charles County. The name Indian Head applies to the land west of the current Glymont, and dates to the establishment of the Powder Factory.
Indian Head was a thriving small town during the World War II years and up until the late 1960s. The construction of St. Charles
, a giant planned community south of nearby Waldorf
, brought with it retail chains and big-box stores. These attracted Indian Head's shopping dollars and started the demise of local businesses.
Today, Indian Head is rich in history but is lacking many basic retail and service businesses. Many remedies for this situation have been attempted, but the desired growth has been slow in coming. Indian Head is bisected by Maryland Route 210
, generally known as Indian Head Highway. It goes directly into the middle of town at the entrance to Indian Head Naval Support Facility. Because of this, the town cannot benefit from through-traffic, but must be a destination in its own right.
Private plans to build a massive "Chapman's Landing" housing development a few miles to the north, were thwarted in the 1990s when the state government purchased the land to preserve as green space under its "smart growth" program. The preserved land includes an old growth Shell-Marl Ravine Forest ecosystem.
The town recently opened a "black box" stage theater
, the Indian Head Center for the Arts, a new community center building, new ball fields, and is exploring other efforts to revitalize the town. A section of the railroad to the Naval facility, built in 1918, was converted to a paved hiking/biking trail in 2008. A year-round swimming pool is at the nearby Henry E. Lackey High School
.
It later became the largest residential arson in the history of the state of Maryland
.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the town has a total area of 1.2 square miles (3.1 km²), all of it land.
, and 2.57% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.69% of the population.
There were 1,222 households out of which 44.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.5% were married couples living together, 22.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.3% were non-families. 21.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 5.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.80 and the average family size was 3.26.
In the town the age distribution of the population shows 33.0% under the age of 18, 8.4% from 18 to 24, 34.3% from 25 to 44, 16.7% from 45 to 64, and 7.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females there were 94.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.0 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $42,702, and the median income for a family was $48,375. Males had a median income of $35,625 versus $31,451 for females. The per capita income
for the town was $18,778. About 9.9% of families and 11.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.9% of those under age 18 and 11.8% of those age 65 or over.
Charles County, Maryland
Charles County is a county in the south central portion of the U.S. state of Maryland.As of 2010, the population was 146,551. Its county seat is La Plata. This county was named for Charles Calvert , third Baron Baltimore....
, United States. The population was 3,422 at the 2000 census. It has been the site of a naval base specializing in gun and rocket propellants since 1890. Production of nitrocellulose
Nitrocellulose
Nitrocellulose is a highly flammable compound formed by nitrating cellulose through exposure to nitric acid or another powerful nitrating agent. When used as a propellant or low-order explosive, it is also known as guncotton...
and smokeless powder
Smokeless powder
Smokeless powder is the name given to a number of propellants used in firearms and artillery which produce negligible smoke when fired, unlike the older gunpowder which they replaced...
began at the Indian Head Powder Factory in 1900. The name of the base has varied over the years from Indian Head Proving Ground, to Naval Powder Factory, to Naval Propellant Plant, to Naval Ordnance Station, to the present Naval Support Facility Indian Head. The facility's main tenant activity is the Indian Head Naval Surface Warfare Center (NSWC/IH). Advanced research in energetic systems takes place at NSWC/IH. NSWC/IH absorbed the function of the closed Naval Ordnance Laboratory
Naval Ordnance Laboratory
The Naval Ordnance Laboratory , now disestablished, formerly located in White Oak, Maryland was the site of considerable work that had practical impact upon world technology. The White Oak site of NOL has now been taken over by the Food and Drug Administration.-History:The U.S...
, formerly in White Oak
White Oak, Maryland
White Oak is a census-designated place and an unincorporated area in Montgomery County, Maryland, United States.-Geography:As an unincorporated area, White Oak's boundaries are not officially defined...
. The base currently employs 3,700.
History
The peninsula, a "head" of land, had been long occupied by various cultures of indigenous peoplesIndigenous peoples
Indigenous peoples are ethnic groups that are defined as indigenous according to one of the various definitions of the term, there is no universally accepted definition but most of which carry connotations of being the "original inhabitants" of a territory....
. The historic Algonquian-speaking American Indian
Indigenous peoples of the Americas
The indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of North and South America, their descendants and other ethnic groups who are identified with those peoples. Indigenous peoples are known in Canada as Aboriginal peoples, and in the United States as Native Americans...
tribe was the Mattawoman (likely a band of the Piscataway) encountered by the first English settlers; the latter called the land, "Indian Head", meaning "Indian Peninsula." (One source cites that its name came from a legend related by the Algonquian
Algonquian languages
The Algonquian languages also Algonkian) are a subfamily of Native American languages which includes most of the languages in the Algic language family. The name of the Algonquian language family is distinguished from the orthographically similar Algonquin dialect of the Ojibwe language, which is a...
-speaking tribes. Another story claims that the town was named Indian Head because it resembles an Indian's head from the air.)
Union Brigadier General Joseph Hooker
Joseph Hooker
Joseph Hooker was a career United States Army officer, achieving the rank of major general in the Union Army during the American Civil War. Although he served throughout the war, usually with distinction, Hooker is best remembered for his stunning defeat by Confederate General Robert E...
commanded the Third Brigade near Budd's Ferry in August 1861. The site was a gathering spot for volunteers, including the 5th New Jersey Volunteer Infantry
5th New Jersey Volunteer Infantry
The 5th New Jersey Volunteer Infantry was one of four regiments formed by Governor Charles Olden upon requisition of President Abraham Lincoln on July 24, 1861. The regiment departed for Washington, DC on August 24, 1861 and camped at Meridian Hill...
under Colonel Samuel H. Starr
Samuel H. Starr
Samuel Henry Starr was a career United States Army Officer, regimental commander and prisoner of war. A collection of his letters provide a rare view of military life, the War with Mexico, Indian conflicts, the Civil War, his fall from grace, recovery and post Civil War service...
. The site was also used by the Union Army Balloon Corps
Union Army Balloon Corps
The Union Army Balloon Corps was a branch of the Union Army during the American Civil War, established by presidential appointee Thaddeus S. C. Lowe...
for reconnaissance
Reconnaissance
Reconnaissance is the military term for exploring beyond the area occupied by friendly forces to gain information about enemy forces or features of the environment....
of Confederate troop movements across the Potomac.,
The city of Indian Head was incorporated in 1920. It is located between the Potomac River
Potomac River
The Potomac River flows into the Chesapeake Bay, located along the mid-Atlantic coast of the United States. The river is approximately long, with a drainage area of about 14,700 square miles...
and Mattawoman Creek
Mattawoman Creek
Mattawoman Creek is a coastal-plain tributary to the tidal Potomac River with a mouth at Indian Head, Maryland, downstream of Washington, D.C. It comprises a river flowing through Prince George's and Charles counties and a tidal-freshwater estuary in Charles County...
on Cornwallis Neck, named for the 1654 grant of 5000 acres (20.2 km²) by the second Lord Baltimore, Cecilius Calvert, to Capt. Thomas Cornwallis of St. Mary's County. This land grant included the 2000 acres (8.1 km²) Cornwallis Manor on the Potomac, presumably the Indian Head site, with St. Elizabeth's Manor of 2000 acres (8.1 km²) "nearby but detached". In 1850, the Washington Fruit Growers Association named the area including Indian Head as Glymont. At that time, with Pye's Wharf and Leonard Marbury's Wharf, it was the largest river port in Charles County. The name Indian Head applies to the land west of the current Glymont, and dates to the establishment of the Powder Factory.
Indian Head was a thriving small town during the World War II years and up until the late 1960s. The construction of St. Charles
St. Charles, Maryland
St. Charles is a census-designated place and planned community in Charles County, Maryland, United States. It is south-southeast of Washington, D.C., from northern Virginia and immediately south of Waldorf, which is the mailing address....
, a giant planned community south of nearby Waldorf
Waldorf, Maryland
Waldorf, Maryland is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in Charles County, Maryland, United States. It is south-southeast of Washington, D.C. The population of the census-designated area only was 67,752 at the 2010 census...
, brought with it retail chains and big-box stores. These attracted Indian Head's shopping dollars and started the demise of local businesses.
Today, Indian Head is rich in history but is lacking many basic retail and service businesses. Many remedies for this situation have been attempted, but the desired growth has been slow in coming. Indian Head is bisected by Maryland Route 210
Maryland Route 210
Maryland Route 210 , or Indian Head Highway, is a state highway in Prince George's and Charles counties in Maryland. At its northern end, MD 210 starts from the end of South Capitol Street in Washington, D.C., connecting the U.S. Capitol with Indian Head, Maryland...
, generally known as Indian Head Highway. It goes directly into the middle of town at the entrance to Indian Head Naval Support Facility. Because of this, the town cannot benefit from through-traffic, but must be a destination in its own right.
Private plans to build a massive "Chapman's Landing" housing development a few miles to the north, were thwarted in the 1990s when the state government purchased the land to preserve as green space under its "smart growth" program. The preserved land includes an old growth Shell-Marl Ravine Forest ecosystem.
The town recently opened a "black box" stage theater
Black box theater
The black box theater is a relatively recent innovation, consisting of a simple, somewhat unadorned performance space, usually a large square room with black walls and a flat floor.-History:...
, the Indian Head Center for the Arts, a new community center building, new ball fields, and is exploring other efforts to revitalize the town. A section of the railroad to the Naval facility, built in 1918, was converted to a paved hiking/biking trail in 2008. A year-round swimming pool is at the nearby Henry E. Lackey High School
Henry E. Lackey High School
Henry E. Lackey High School is a high school in Charles County, Maryland. It is run by Charles County Public Schools.-History:The current building was completed in 1969, replacing a previous building built in 1953 which was rededicated as General Smallwood Middle School...
.
Hunters Brooke Arson
On December 4, 2004 an arson took place in the development of Hunters Brooke which is located a few miles southeast of Indian Head.It later became the largest residential arson in the history of the state of Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
.
Geography
Indian Head is located at 38°35′52"N 77°9′25"W (38.597781, -77.156926).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 1.2 square miles (3.1 km²), all of it land.
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 3,422 people, 1,222 households, and 888 families residing in the town. The population density was 2,792.7 people per square mile (1,074.2/km²). There were 1,311 housing units at an average density of 1,069.9 per square mile (411.5/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 55.64% White, 38.08% African American, 1.78% Native American, 1.43% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.47% from other racesRace (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 2.57% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.69% of the population.
There were 1,222 households out of which 44.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.5% were married couples living together, 22.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.3% were non-families. 21.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 5.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.80 and the average family size was 3.26.
In the town the age distribution of the population shows 33.0% under the age of 18, 8.4% from 18 to 24, 34.3% from 25 to 44, 16.7% from 45 to 64, and 7.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females there were 94.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.0 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $42,702, and the median income for a family was $48,375. Males had a median income of $35,625 versus $31,451 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 $18,778. About 9.9% of families and 11.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.9% of those under age 18 and 11.8% of those age 65 or over.