Editing Colmar Manor, Maryland (section)

==History==

===19th century===
The town is home to [[Dueling Creek]], formerly in [[Bladensburg, Maryland]], a small waterway that because of its secluded location was a popular site for [[dueling]]. Duels were banned in neighboring [[Washington, D.C.]], but legal in Maryland, and Dueling Creek was the site for more than 50 duels between 1808 and 1868. The most famous duel fought on the site was on March 22, 1820, between [[Stephen Decatur]] and [[James Barron]]. Decatur was mortally wounded in the exchange.

During the [[War of 1812]], on August 24, 1814, the area was the scene of the [[Battle of Bladensburg]]. The place became a battlefield again in the early days of the [[American Civil War|Civil War]] when [[Confederate States of America|Confederate]] troops mounted an assault on [[Battery Jameson]], [[Fort Lincoln (Washington, D.C.)|Fort Lincoln]], now [[Northeast, Washington, D.C.|northeast Washington, D.C.]], which was one of a number [[Union (American Civil War)|Union]] defensive forts built around the nation's capital to protect it from capture. The remains of Fort Lincoln are located on the hillside that is now a part of Fort Lincoln Cemetery.<ref name="mml"/><ref name="mht">[http://www.heritage.umd.edu/CHRSWeb/ATHA/Port%20Towns%20Resource%20Files/NR%20NOMINATIONS/PG-68-15a_Battery%20Jameson.pdf Maryland Historical Trust, Inventory Form for State Historic Sites Inventory - Battery Jameson (PG-68-15a)] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303181038/http://www.heritage.umd.edu/CHRSWeb/ATHA/Port%20Towns%20Resource%20Files/NR%20NOMINATIONS/PG-68-15a_Battery%20Jameson.pdf |date=March 3, 2016 }}</ref>

===20th century===
In 1912, the Capitol Cemetery of Prince George's County was incorporated on the Washington, D.C., boundary line. Directly north of the cemetery was the Shreve estate. The Shreve house was destroyed in the 1890s.<ref name="sha"/> The {{convert|260|acre|km2|adj=on}} farm site was used by the 6,000 jobless men from Ohio who descended on the Capitol in 1894 as "[[Coxey's Army]]".<ref>"R.A. Shreve, Of Old Md. Family, Dies," ''The Washington Post'' May 8, 1951, pg. B2.</ref> Bladensburg Road traversed the area, becoming more heavily traveled in the 1920s, and eventually became designated as [[U.S. Route 1 in Maryland|U.S. Route 1]]. Part of the former Shreve estate was subdivided into building lots in 1918. The lots were {{convert|50|ft|m}} wide by {{convert|100|ft|m}} deep, arranged along a grid pattern of streets.<ref name="sha"/> The streets were originally named after President [[Woodrow Wilson]] (1913–21), members of his cabinet, and other prominent men of the era. Some time later, the streets were renamed to conform to the system in use in the District of Columbia.<ref name="mml"/> The location of the development within the first service area of the [[Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission]] offered homeowners modern water and sewer lines. The houses constructed were modest one- and two-story wood-frame buildings. In 1931, the town's streets were paved and gutters were installed. A concrete block municipal building was constructed in 1934, followed by the construction of a brick schoolhouse in 1935. In 1959, a municipal building was constructed to house the town's administrative offices and police department.<ref name="sha"/>
[[File:Colmar Manor, Maryland.jpg|thumb|left|300px|[[Bungalow]]s in Colmar Manor, Maryland]]
During the second half of the 20th century, the area along Bladensburg Road, now known as [[U.S. Route 1 Alternate (Bladensburg, Maryland)#Washington alternate route|Alternate Route 1]], became lined with commercial establishments, and much of the housing stock was used as rental units. A large [[urban renewal]] project in the 1970s and 1980s resulted in the demolition of many commercial properties along Bladenburg Road. The old businesses were replaced with new structures such as fast food restaurants and a shopping center. Streets and houses were also improved. The Colmar Manor Community Park was established along the west bank of the [[Anacostia River]] in the 1970s on the site of a [[sanitary landfill]].<ref name="sha"/><ref>''The Neighborhoods of Prince George's County''. Upper Marlboro: Community Renewal Program, 1974.</ref><ref>Denny, George D., Jr. "Proud Past, Promising Future: Cities and Towns in Prince George's County, Maryland". Brentwood, Maryland: Tuxedo Press, 1997.</ref>

In 1999, Colmar Manor, Bladensburg, and [[Cottage City, Maryland|Cottage City]] were lauded by the [[Joint Center for Sustainable Communities]] for their collaboration with Prince George's County for the Port Towns Revitalization Initiative, which created a common [[Port Towns]] identity for the towns; encouraged businesses development through infrastructure and facade improvements; acquisition of historic properties and plans for their reuse; and reconstruction of the Bladensburg waterfront, marina and the [[Bladensburg Waterfront Park]].