Greenbelt, largest and most successful of the New Deal towns

Greenbelt
September 30, 1937

The first residents move into Greenbelt, the largest and best known of the New Deal’s federally-funded “greenbelt towns.” Greenbelt becomes an important model for other planned communities and America’s move to the suburbs. The new community initially has segregated housing in Jim Crow America.

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Greenbelt Museum

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“Underground railroad” term coined

Thomas Smallwood coins the expression “underground railroad,” in a newspaper column in 1842. Born a slave in PG county he teams up with Charles Torrey (pictured), a white clergyman, to help over 400 slaves escape through DC.

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Land Recognition

We acknowledge the enduring presence of many American Indian tribes who once lived in Maryland and who now, having lost their lands, live in a diaspora. Read more.

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