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COUNTY COUNCIL MOVES TO STRIP UPPER MARLBORO SITE OF ITS HISTORIC PROTECTIONS

In an unprecedented and secretive move, the Prince George's County Council is set to discuss CR-072-2019 during their July 23rd, 2019, 10am Council Meeting, which is the first step to strip the Old Marlboro Elementary School in Downtown Upper Marlboro of its Historic Site protection and make it eligible for demolition for the construction of another Court building. The Town of Upper Marlboro Stands firmly against this move and is geared up to face the County at every step of this process.

The Town fears this is a slippery slope and may set a precedent for other historic sites throughout the County to lose their designation as well. The Town has requested on numerous occasions that this property be transferred over to the Town for adaptive re-use that would benefit the Upper Marlboro area and preserve its history.

County Council Resolution CR-072-2019

7/23/19 Meeting Agenda


A note from the Prince George's County Historic Preservation:
 
 

Sometimes History is Inconvenient in Prince George's County, Maryland

In the dog days of summer when there are few watchdogs around, the Prince George's County Council is poised to eliminate inconveniently located historic sites from the County’s historic preservation plan inventory in order to facilitate the construction of a new building for the court system. The property in question, includes the Old Upper Marlboro High School, the Old Marlboro Primary, and the final resting place of William and Sarah Beanes. Dr. Beanes was arrested and taken into captivity in Baltimore Harbor by the British during the Battle of Fort McHenry in 1814. Dr. Beanes and Francis Scott Key observed the bombardment of the fort and their subsequent release, inspired Key to pen the poem that would become our National Anthem. Rather than observe the legal process for demolishing historic buildings already contained within the County’s ordinance, the County Council seeks to subvert that process, eliminate the inconvenient historic sites designation, and thereby potentially threaten the integrity of this nationally important cemetery. On Tuesday, July 23, 2019, the Prince George’s County Council is poised to initiate the process of removing protections for these historic sites to simply make inconvenient history “disappear”.

For more information, read about the property at https://mht.maryland.gov/…/m…/PDF/PrinceGeorges/PG;79-22.pdf