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1944 Map of Lanham

Name: 1944 Topographic Map of Lanham
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1944
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1944

About this map

Pennsylvania Railroad tracks and the Defense Highway bisect the rolling landscape of central Prince George's County during the final years of the Second World War. This mid-century view shows a rural and institutional landscape on the verge of suburban expansion, dominated by large facilities such as the Beltsville Research Center and the Bureau of Standards. A network of small schools like the Old Lanham Sch and McCarthy Sch serve localized settlements, while larger institutions like the Glenn Dale Sanitorium and Divine Savior Seminary occupy significant acreage.

Waterways like the Western Branch and Lottsford Branch drain the wooded terrain between established communities such as Lanham, Seabrook, and Glenarden. The mapping of election districts like Kent No 13 and Bowie No 14 provides a clear framework of civil organization during this period. Local spiritual and family life is anchored at sites like St Georges Ch and the Mt Oak Cem in the eastern portion of the quadrangle.