1965 Map of Laurel

About this map

Laurel serves as the focal point of this mid-1960s study, situated at the busy intersection of the B & O RR and the Baltimore-Washington Parkway. This period reveals a landscape transitioning from rural Maryland tobacco fields and family manors like Snow Hill Manor into a hub of federal activity. Massive government installations dominate the central and southern portions of the sheet, including the sprawling Fort George G Meade Military Reservation and the National Security Agency. Scientific and ecological research is well-established here, with the Patuxent Wildlife Research Center maintaining extensive tracts of marshes and ponds, while the Goddard Space Flight Center (NASA) and various Department of Agriculture Research Centers illustrate the region's mid-century expansion of technical infrastructure. Smaller settlements like Duckettsville and High Ridge appear alongside historical markers such as Ivy Hill Cem and St Marys Sch.