Living in Takoma Park
Humans first crossed the Bering Strait from Asia between 25,000 and 14,000 years ago. People may have started living in the Maryland area very soon after the crossing. This was during the Pleistocene Epoch when giant mammals such as saber-tooth cats, mammoths and mastodons also shared the lands.
Around 11,000 years ago the earth experienced a massive climate change. As the earth warmed, most of the giant mammals went extinct. People survived by adapting in many ways, resulting in the development o more sedentary lifestyles.
A thousand years ago, there were many Native American tribes in Maryland. They grew corn and beans, hunted and fished, and traded extensively with each other. The populous and powerful Piscataway are the most likely Native Americans to have been living near and on the land that is now Takoma Park when Europeans started settling the regions in the 1600s.
As the English Maryland colony grew and prospered, many Piscataway and other local tribes left their traditional lands and moved along the Potomac River due to outbreaks of disease, conflict with colonists and other tribes, and forced removal by the English. In the 1700s, the Maryland Assembly set up reservations on less desirable land like Zekiah Swamp, and by later in the century, most Native Americans had migrated north from Maryland. Descendants
this page online
Starting in the 1880s, Benjamin Gilbert (pictured top left), a Washington, D.C. real estate developer bought 90 acres of land around a small train station located on the B&O Railroad Metropolitan Branch. Gilbert developed Takoma Park and marketed it to Washington bureaucrats as country living only a 6-mile commute from the city with clean water and fresh air.
Erected by City of Takoma Park, Maryland.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Animals • Anthropology & Archaeology • Native Americans • Settlements & Settlers.
Location. 38° 58.962′ N, 77° 1.277′ W. Marker has been reported damaged. Marker is in Takoma Park, Maryland, in Montgomery County. Marker is at the intersection of Albany Avenue and Takoma Avenue, on the right when traveling east on Albany Avenue. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 531 Albany Ave, Takoma Park MD 20912, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this location. The Metropolitan Branch & Takoma Park (within shouting distance of this marker); Belle Ziegler Park (within shouting distance of this marker); Walt Penney Field (about 600 feet away, measured in a direct line);
Related marker. Click here for another marker that is related to this marker. This marker has replaced the linked marker which has different content.
Additional commentary.
1. Differences in language between this iteration of the marker and the previous one
This marker features language that emphasizes the ethnic cleansing of indigenous cultures, rather than implying that they moved away on their own accord.
Additionally, commuters from DC were referred to as city officeworkers in the previous version. In this version, DC commuters are called Washington bureaucrats.
Credits. This page was last revised on May 29, 2021. It was originally submitted on May 29, 2021, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 358 times since then and 39 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on May 29, 2021, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.
