Seabrook, Maryland
Encyclopedia
Seabrook is an unincorporated community
located in central Maryland
(in Prince George's County
) about 12 miles (19.3 km) east of Washington DC.
According to the 2000 census, the population of Lanham-Seabrook
(zip code 20706) is 18,190. It is difficult to determine how much of this population resides in Seabrook and how much in Lanham
, as there are no distinct geographical or political boundaries for either community. For statistical purposes, it is part of the Lanham-Seabrook
census-designated place
(CDP).
. He originally built three cottages and a park with fenced in tame deer in the area near the rail station in the early 1870s. A school was built in 1895.
The community developed in direct relationship with the Washington Branch of the Baltimore and Potomac Rail Road
. The railroad’s main branch into Washington opened in July 1872, with stations established at Glenn Dale
, Seabrook, and Lanham
, among others. Thomas Seabrook, an engineer for the railroad, purchased 500 acres (2 km²) of land in 1871 around the location of a planned station for the purpose of creating a retreat community. By 1880, a station building and three Gothic cottages had been built, followed by commercial buildings and a schoolhouse. By 1914, the community remained small with just a few buildings located at the intersection of Seabrook Road with the railroad. By 1957, the community has grown to include approximately 185 houses along 10 streets. The streets were arranged in a grid pattern roughly parallel to the railroad line. The community extended from present-day Good Luck Road south to Annapolis Road
. Residential development continued on vacant lots within the community throughout the 20th century, while commercial development focussed along the main roads. Commercial strip development is located along Annapolis Road and Lanham-Severn Road
. The original railroad station and early commercial buildings are no longer extant, though the old schoolhouse and a few of the early dwellings survive.
Most of the more recently built Seabrook (some of which was originally called Seabrook Acres) is a development of red brick homes along the Lanham-Severn Road, now Maryland Route 564
in Maryland, approximately one half mile east of the Capital Beltway
. Many of its homes were built in the 1950s to serve the needs of new employees at the newly established NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
, which is located immediately to the north. Development of apartment complexes and other large structures has occurred during recent years of developer expansion. However, Seabrook remains a residential area with numerous single homes surrounded by green lawns shaded by century old oak trees.
commuter rail station (Seabrook Station
). Seabrook residents are served by a large number of small businesses, including restaurants, fast foot eateries, banks, lawyer services, laundry services, veterinary services, car repair, and numerous other businesses which are located at the Seabrook Station. Seabrook shoppers also tend to shop at the supermarkets and stores at Glenn Dale, Maryland
, slightly to the east on route 564, or drive east approximately 15 miles (24.1 km) to Bowie, Maryland
, with its large shopping complexes such as the Bowie Towne Centre.
, an older community, lies to the west on both sides of the Washington Beltway. Within the Lanham-Seabrook area, there is only one post office (20706), located half mile east of Seabrook Station on route 564, which both towns must share. As a result, since the post office has been designated "Lanham" all mail to both the Seabrook and Lanham area is town-designated as "Lanham" or "Lanham-Seabrook."
Unincorporated area
In law, an unincorporated area is a region of land that is not a part of any municipality.To "incorporate" in this context means to form a municipal corporation, a city, town, or village with its own government. An unincorporated community is usually not subject to or taxed by a municipal government...
located in central 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...
(in Prince George's County
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....
) about 12 miles (19.3 km) east of Washington DC.
According to the 2000 census, the population of Lanham-Seabrook
Lanham-Seabrook, Maryland
Lanham-Seabrook is a census-designated place in Prince George's County, Maryland. The combination is arbitrary, as there are two separate communities, Lanham and Seabrook, although there is no official boundary between these two communities.-Geography:...
(zip code 20706) is 18,190. It is difficult to determine how much of this population resides in Seabrook and how much in Lanham
Lanham, Maryland
Lanham is an unincorporated community in Prince George's County in the State of Maryland in the United States of America. Because it is not formally incorporated, it has no official boundaries, but the United States Census Bureau has defined a census-designated place consisting of Lanham and the...
, as there are no distinct geographical or political boundaries for either community. For statistical purposes, it is part of the Lanham-Seabrook
Lanham-Seabrook, Maryland
Lanham-Seabrook is a census-designated place in Prince George's County, Maryland. The combination is arbitrary, as there are two separate communities, Lanham and Seabrook, although there is no official boundary between these two communities.-Geography:...
census-designated place
Census-designated place
A census-designated place is a concentration of population identified by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes. CDPs are delineated for each decennial census as the statistical counterparts of incorporated places such as cities, towns and villages...
(CDP).
History
Seabrook takes its name from Thomas Seabrook, who was a topographical engineer with the Pennsylvania RailroadPennsylvania Railroad
The Pennsylvania Railroad was an American Class I railroad, founded in 1846. Commonly referred to as the "Pennsy", the PRR was headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania....
. He originally built three cottages and a park with fenced in tame deer in the area near the rail station in the early 1870s. A school was built in 1895.
The community developed in direct relationship with the Washington Branch of the Baltimore and Potomac Rail Road
Baltimore and Potomac Rail Road
The Baltimore and Potomac Railroad operated from Baltimore, Maryland, southwest to Washington, DC, from 1872 to 1902. The company was controlled by the Pennsylvania Railroad. It was the second railroad company to provide railroad service from Washington to the northeastern states, and became a...
. The railroad’s main branch into Washington opened in July 1872, with stations established at Glenn Dale
Glenn Dale, Maryland
Glenn Dale is an unincorporated area and census-designated place in Prince George's County, Maryland, United States. The population was 12,609 at the 2000 census...
, Seabrook, and Lanham
Lanham, Maryland
Lanham is an unincorporated community in Prince George's County in the State of Maryland in the United States of America. Because it is not formally incorporated, it has no official boundaries, but the United States Census Bureau has defined a census-designated place consisting of Lanham and the...
, among others. Thomas Seabrook, an engineer for the railroad, purchased 500 acres (2 km²) of land in 1871 around the location of a planned station for the purpose of creating a retreat community. By 1880, a station building and three Gothic cottages had been built, followed by commercial buildings and a schoolhouse. By 1914, the community remained small with just a few buildings located at the intersection of Seabrook Road with the railroad. By 1957, the community has grown to include approximately 185 houses along 10 streets. The streets were arranged in a grid pattern roughly parallel to the railroad line. The community extended from present-day Good Luck Road south to Annapolis Road
Maryland Route 450
Maryland Route 450 is a state highway in the U.S. state of Maryland. The state highway runs from U.S. Route 1 Alternate in Bladensburg east to US 50, US 301, and MD 2 near Annapolis. MD 450 is the original alignment of US 50 in Prince George's and Anne Arundel Counties...
. Residential development continued on vacant lots within the community throughout the 20th century, while commercial development focussed along the main roads. Commercial strip development is located along Annapolis Road and Lanham-Severn Road
Maryland Route 564
Maryland Route 564 is a state highway in the U.S. state of Maryland. Known for most of its length as Lanham Severn Road, the state highway runs from MD 450 in Lanham east to a dead end near a connection to MD 197 in Bowie.-Route description:...
. The original railroad station and early commercial buildings are no longer extant, though the old schoolhouse and a few of the early dwellings survive.
Most of the more recently built Seabrook (some of which was originally called Seabrook Acres) is a development of red brick homes along the Lanham-Severn Road, now Maryland Route 564
Maryland Route 564
Maryland Route 564 is a state highway in the U.S. state of Maryland. Known for most of its length as Lanham Severn Road, the state highway runs from MD 450 in Lanham east to a dead end near a connection to MD 197 in Bowie.-Route description:...
in Maryland, approximately one half mile east of the Capital Beltway
Interstate 495 (Capital Beltway)
Interstate 495 is a Interstate Highway that surrounds the United States' capital of Washington, D.C., and its inner suburbs in adjacent Maryland and Virginia. I-495 is widely known as the Capital Beltway or simply the Beltway, especially when the context of Washington, D.C., is clear...
. Many of its homes were built in the 1950s to serve the needs of new employees at the newly established NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
Goddard Space Flight Center
The Goddard Space Flight Center is a major NASA space research laboratory established on May 1, 1959 as NASA's first space flight center. GSFC employs approximately 10,000 civil servants and contractors, and is located approximately northeast of Washington, D.C. in Greenbelt, Maryland, USA. GSFC,...
, which is located immediately to the north. Development of apartment complexes and other large structures has occurred during recent years of developer expansion. However, Seabrook remains a residential area with numerous single homes surrounded by green lawns shaded by century old oak trees.
Businesses
Seabrook has its own MARCMARC Train
MARC , known prior to 1984 as Maryland Rail Commuter Service, is a regional rail system comprising three lines in the Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan Area. MARC is administered by the Maryland Transit Administration , a Maryland Department of Transportation agency, and is operated under contract...
commuter rail station (Seabrook Station
Seabrook (MARC station)
Seabrook is a station on MARC's Penn Line, a commuter rail line conntecting Washington, D.C. and Baltimore, in Seabrook, Maryland. It is located at 6221 Seabrook Road south of Lanham Severn Road in Seabrook, Maryland, although MARC gives the location as being in Lanham, Maryland. The station is...
). Seabrook residents are served by a large number of small businesses, including restaurants, fast foot eateries, banks, lawyer services, laundry services, veterinary services, car repair, and numerous other businesses which are located at the Seabrook Station. Seabrook shoppers also tend to shop at the supermarkets and stores at Glenn Dale, Maryland
Glenn Dale, Maryland
Glenn Dale is an unincorporated area and census-designated place in Prince George's County, Maryland, United States. The population was 12,609 at the 2000 census...
, slightly to the east on route 564, or drive east approximately 15 miles (24.1 km) to Bowie, Maryland
Bowie, Maryland
Bowie is a city in Prince George's County, Maryland, United States. The population was 54,727 at the 2010 census. Bowie has grown from a small railroad stop to the largest municipality in Prince George's County, and the fifth most populous city and third largest city by area in the state of...
, with its large shopping complexes such as the Bowie Towne Centre.
Lanham-Seabrook
Lanham, MarylandLanham, Maryland
Lanham is an unincorporated community in Prince George's County in the State of Maryland in the United States of America. Because it is not formally incorporated, it has no official boundaries, but the United States Census Bureau has defined a census-designated place consisting of Lanham and the...
, an older community, lies to the west on both sides of the Washington Beltway. Within the Lanham-Seabrook area, there is only one post office (20706), located half mile east of Seabrook Station on route 564, which both towns must share. As a result, since the post office has been designated "Lanham" all mail to both the Seabrook and Lanham area is town-designated as "Lanham" or "Lanham-Seabrook."