Berwyn Heights in Prince George's County, Maryland — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
Schools of Berwyn Heights
Pride of the Community
Pine Grove Academy was the first public school to serve the area. It opened in 1889, about a year after the first homes were built in the new development of Charlton Heights, later incorporated as the Town of Berwyn Heights. The one-room school was made mostly from pine logs and sat on the property where the Friends Community School now stands. It had no running water and only a pot-bellied stove for heat. Teacher Benjamin Pritchard taught all subjects to all grade levels.
By 1920, Pine Grove Academy was too small for Berwyn Heights' growing population. Parents petitioned the Prince George's County school system for a new school. Berwyn Heights resident John J. Kleiner II paved the way for it's construction when he sold the school system land for only $400. A new two-room school opened on Keleher Avenue (now 5814 Ruaton Street) in 1922, with Principal Mary Culberton and teacher Kathryn Stein Teaching Grades 1-3 in one room and grades 4-7 in the other.
With the onset of the post war baby boom in the early 1950s, the number of students swelled such that grades 4-7 had to be moved to the nearby Branchville School.
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With declining enrollment in Prince George's County Public Schools during the 1970s, Berwyn Heights Elementary School was closed in 1981 over the vigorous protests of Berwyn Heights parents and Town Council. The county declared the facility as surplus, enabling the State of Maryland to buy it for $1.00. From 1987 to 2001, it housed the Maryland Fire & Rescue Institute of the University of Maryland.
By the early 1990s, the children of baby boomers were flooding back into schools. Ann Harris Davidson, a Berwyn Heights resident, recognized that the time was right to press for the reopening of the town's elementary school. She marshaled the support of families with young children and the town's elected officials.
A modernized and enlarged Berwyn Heights Elementary School reopened in August 2002 to the cheers of the community. The school proved a great attraction for families and revitalized the town. To honor Ms. Davidson's work, the school established the Ann Harris Davidson Community Service Award, given each year to an outstanding student volunteer.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Education. A significant historical month for this entry is August 2002.
Location. 38° 59.506′ N, 76° 54.561′ W. Marker is in Berwyn Heights, Maryland, in Prince George's County.
Regionally, this marker is in the Washington Metropolitan Area. It is also in the American South, specifically in the Upper South, in the Mid-Atlantic, and on the Eastern Seaboard. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region, North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once one of the original Thirteen Colonies and also the Antebellum South.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: La Belle Avenue (within shouting distance of this marker); Town of Berwyn Heights (approx. 0.2 miles away); Carrington Avenue (approx. 0.2 miles away); Edmonston Road (approx. 0.2 miles away); Duncanson Avenue (approx. 0.3 miles away); Berwyn Heights Association (approx. 0.3 miles away); Charlton Avenue (approx. 0.3 miles away); Washington Spa Spring & Gretta Railroad (approx. 0.4 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Berwyn Heights.
Credits. This page was last revised on February 20, 2023. It was originally submitted on February 20, 2023, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 474 times since then and 31 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on February 20, 2023, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.
