Riverdale Park Is Rich in History

Riverdale Park's most historic landmark, the may be the one place residents know to find some of the town's history.

Yet Doug McElrath, the chair of the Prince George's Heritage, Inc., said at a lecture Wednesday evening that residents should also look beyond the mansion to learn more about their history.

McElrath, a Riverdale Park resident and a librarian at the University of Maryland, said after looking into the town's history, he learned about how the town was marketed in the 1800s.

It was then, he said, that the Riverdale Park Company put ads in newspapers like The Washington Post to attract District residents to come live in a "rural retreat."

"It was marketed as an upper-middle-class suburb or a villa park," McElrath said. "Early ads also had a theme of being out in the country."

He said the area near Oliver Street had empty lots, open to buyers so that they could build their own properties.

"They had standards," McElrath said, "and in a few cases a house was torn down for not meeting those standards."

The train access was attractive to buyers, and he said the park company also built the town's first elementary school. Riverdale first incorporated in 1920.

The Presbyterian Church now near the elementary school in University Park used to stand in Riverdale Park, where the East-West Highway now crosses the MARC train line.

McElrath said residents were active politically and socially and met in the church or the school. Residents were also proud of their baseball team, because they beat Bladensburg's team every year.

Famous residents of Riverdale include Charles Calvert, the son of the owners of Riversdale Mansion; Juan Ramon Jimenez, a Noble Prize-winning poet; Eva Chase, a Republican activist; and Fred Weick, the inventor of the Ercoupe plane, one of the first individually flown airplanes.

McElrath said after the stock market crash of 1929, the styles of homes changed and more homes were built for lower-middle-class families.

From the 1930s to the 1960s, the luster disappeared. The town became more industrialized, and East-West Highway was built; 60 homes were bulldozed to create its path. Temporary housing known as the Calvert Homes were built. The foundations are still visible near the railroad tracks in the northwest part of town.

There were flood control issues along the Northeast Branch of the Anacostia River. The Army Corps of Engineers came into town to put in levies and straighten out the river, which changed the natural scenery in the area.

Apartment buildings were first built in the postwar era, and GIs stayed in the structures.

McElrath discussed the declines of the town center and the revivals within town. He encouraged attendees to seek out the town's historical documents, including diaries in the town hall. Residents can also find information about the town's history with the help of old newspaper clippings at the library.

Bowie resident Linda Kelly said she was excited to learn about an area that meant a lot to her growing up.

Kelly, who grew up in Hyattsville, visited Riverdale Park often as young child. She also worked in Riverdale Park near where the ERCO factory was located.

"I think you tend to have a greater appreciation for a place if you know its history," she said.

Kelly remembers spending time at S & J's Restaurant and visiting the town center.

"It's nice to learn where it all came from," she said. "And to note the things before and after."