Nottingham (82B-035)

Located in southeastern Prince George’s County, the community of Nottingham was established when the General Assembly of the Province of Maryland passed the “Act for the Advancement of Trade and Erecting Ports and Towns” in 1706 and 1707 in order to establish commercial centers along the rivers in Maryland. In 1747, Nottingham was designated as an inspection site for tobacco. In order to protect the quality of tobacco being shipped to England, all tobacco grown in Maryland had to pass through inspections sites at Nottingham, Piscataway, Upper Marlboro, or Bladensburg before it was allowed to be publicly sold. 1 Between 1791 and 1801, Nottingham exported more than 8,340 hogsheads of tobacco. 2 These small landing communities grew as commercial activity was drawn to tobacco warehouses located on the banks of rivers and nearby creeks.

Beginning in the late eighteenth century, Baltimore began to develop as a large port, with more farmers using Baltimore for the inspection, sale, and shipping of their tobacco. As Baltimore grew, the smaller river communities began to diminish as centers of commercial activity. 3 The Patuxent River became more shallow, which limited the size of ships that could navigate the waters. By the late nineteenth century, Nottingham began to decline and the population steadily decreased as families relocated to other areas. A devastating fire in 1901 destroyed most of the buildings in the small community, leaving only a few extant structures.4

The 1861 Martenet map shows a small town situated on the banks of the Patuxent River. Within the town there were several non-residential buildings, including the Stamp & Son Store and Post Office, a blacksmith shop, and a hotel run by William Quinn. 5 The 1878 Hopkins map shows some changes in Nottingham. The map indicates the addition of a schoolhouse located in the northern part of the town, as well as several warehouses on the river banks. 6

There are two Historic Sites in Nottingham:

• PG: 82B-035-17, Turton-Smith House, 17414 Nottingham Road • PG: 82B-035-20, E. Plater House, 17415 Watershed Drive

There is one Historic Resource in Nottingham:

• PG: 82B-035-16, Nottingham School House, 17410 Nottingham Road

1 Marina King, “The Tobacco Industry in Prince George’s County, 1680-1940,” in Historic Contexts in Prince George’s County: Short Papers on Settlement Patterns, Transportation and Cultural History (Upper Marlboro, MD: Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission, 1991), 69-71. 2 John Sherwood, “…On the Banks of the Patuxent,” Maryland Journal , 16 October 1986. 3 King, “The Tobacco Industry in Prince George’s County,” 69-71. 4 Susan G. Pearl, “Early Towns in Prince George’s County, 1683-1787,” in Historic Contexts in Prince George’s County: Short Papers on Settlement Patterns, Transportation and Cultural History (Upper Marlboro, MD: Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission, 1991), 1-6. 5 Simon J. Martenet, “Atlas of Prince George’s County, Maryland, 1861, Adapted from Martenet’s Map of Prince George’s County, Maryland” (Baltimore: Simon J. Martenet C.E., 1861). 6 G.M. Hopkins, “Atlas of Fifteen Miles Around Washington, Including the County of Prince George Maryland” (Philadelphia: G.M. Hopkins, C.E., 1878). Nottingham (82B-035) 2

Windshield Survey

A windshield survey of Nottingham was conducted in July 2007. Virtually nothing remains of the once- bustling eighteenth-century port town. The survey district comprises approximately eleven primary structures and several secondary buildings. The majority of buildings are late-twentieth-century infill, some constructed as recently as 2002. There is only one remaining nineteenth-century building (the Turton-Smith House), although several other residences were constructed immediately after the fire in 1901. The Colonial Revival is the predominate style in Nottingham, whether a vernacular or modern interpretation. Most buildings sit close to the road and are oriented to face the Patuxent River. The topography of Nottingham is gently sloping towards the river. The Patuxent River continues to erode the banks of Nottingham.

One Historic Resource, Stamp’s Store & Post Office Site (PG: 82B-035-18), located at 17416 Nottingham Road, was demolished in 2002. A new single dwelling house was constructed on the site.

Historic District Evaluation

In 1975, the “Nottingham Site” was listed in the National Register of Historic Places as an archaeological site. The site is noted for its collection of materials from the Middle Archaic (ca. 6000 B.C.) through the Late Woodland (A.D. 1600) periods. Also significant is the Middle Woodland Selby Bay and Late Woodland component that may correspond to the village of Mattpament, which was shown on John Smith’s 1608 map.

Nottingham represents several of Prince George’s County Heritage Themes including: Early Towns, Landings and River Crossings, War of 1812, and Education. Despite these themes, Nottingham is not eligible as a historic district. Nottingham’s historic significance is as an eighteenth-century port town. However, there are no eighteenth-century buildings remaining in Nottingham to reflect this period of significance. As the Patuxent became unnavigable and new transportation routes bypassed the village, Nottingham no longer functioned as a port town, but as a small rural village. There is only one extant building from the nineteenth century, and it alone does not convey the significance of an eighteenth- century rural village. Several buildings from the early twentieth century remain, and the most significant of these has been individually recognized as a local historic site. In addition, the few early-twentieth- century buildings have been compromised by the late-twentieth and early-twenty-first-century structures. Any archaeological potential for information has been compromised by the erosion caused by the Patuxent River. In addition, the community fails to retain its integrity of location, design, materials, workmanship, setting, association, and feeling. Because of these issues, Nottingham is not eligible for listing as a local historic district, or as a National Register Historic District.

Individual Designation

The Nottingham School, a one-room schoolhouse constructed circa 1911, is currently listed as a Prince George’s County Historic Resource (PG: 82B-035-16). This building should be considered for evaluation as a Prince George’s County Historic Site. It is representative of one of the few remaining one-room schoolhouses in the county, dating from the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.

Prepared by EHT Traceries, Inc. November 2007 Nottingham (82B-035) 3

Nottingham, 2005 Aerial

= 2007 survey area Nottingham (82B-035) 4

Nottingham, Martenet, 1861

= 2007 survey area

Nottingham (82B-035) 5

Nottingham, Hopkins, 1878

= 2007 survey area

Nottingham (82B-035) 6

Nottingham, 1938 Aerial

= 2007 survey area

Nottingham (82B-035) 7

North elevation, 17309 Tanyard Road (EHT Traceries, 2007 ) Nottingham (82B-035) 8

Looking southeast, E. Plater House (PG: 82B-035-20), 17415 Watershed Drive (EHT Traceries, 2007 ) Nottingham (82B-035) 9

Looking northeast, 17500 Watershed Drive (EHT Traceries, 2007 )

Nottingham (82B-035) 10

Looking south, 17416 Nottingham Road (EHT Traceries, 2007 ) Nottingham (82B-035) 11

Looking northeast, Nottingham School House (PG: 82B-035-16), 17410 Nottingham Road (EHT Traceries, 2007 ) Nottingham (82B-035) 12

Looking northeast at Patuxent River (EHT Traceries, 2007 ) Nottingham (82B-035) 13

Looking southeast, Turton-Smith House (PG: 82B-035-17), 17414 Nottingham Road (EHT Traceries, 2007 )