1965 Map of Laurel

About this map

Laurel and the surrounding Maryland corridor appear here as a landscape of rapid mid-century institutional and suburban growth. The National Security Agency occupies a prominent footprint near the Argonne Hills, adjacent to the expansive Fort George G Meade Military Reservation. This era is defined by the intersection of military, federal research, and local community life, with the Goddard Space Flight Center (NASA) and the U S Dept of Agriculture Research Center sharing the map with historic sites like Snow Hill Manor and Perkins Chapel. Transport networks including the Baltimore and Ohio RR and the Baltimore and Washington Parkway stitch together the towns of Maryland City, Contee, and Bowie. The Patuxent River and its varied marshes, including the Island Marshes and Knowles Marshes, provide a natural buffer between these developing federal enclaves and burgeoning residential neighborhoods.