Croom is an

unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...

and

census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counterparts of incorporated places, such ...

in Southern

Prince George's County, Maryland ) , demonym = Prince Georgian , ZIP codes = 20607–20774 , area codes = 240, 301 , founded date = April 23 , founded year = 1696 , named for = Prince George of Denmark , leader_title = Executive , leader_name = Angela D. Alsobroo ...

, United States. As of the 2020 census it had a population of 2,720. Croom largely consists of former

tobacco Tobacco is the common name of several plants in the genus '' Nicotiana'' of the family Solanaceae, and the general term for any product prepared from the cured leaves of these plants. More than 70 species of tobacco are known, but the ...

farms and forests converted to

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...

bedroom subdivisions such as nearby Marlton. The main (Jug Bay Natural Area) part of Patuxent River Park is in Croom.

History

The community was patented in 1671 as ''Croome'' by Christopher Rousby; it was named for the manor of Croom, near

Sledmere Sledmere is a village in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England, about north-west of Driffield on the B1253 road. The village lies in a civil parish which is also officially called "Sledmere" by the Office for National Statistics, although th ...

in the East Riding of Yorkshire. In August 1814, British forces marched through Croom on their way to the

Burning of Washington The Burning of Washington was a British invasion of Washington City (now Washington, D.C.), the capital of the United States, during the Chesapeake Campaign of the War of 1812. It is the only time since the American Revolutionary War that a ...

in the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States of America and its indigenous allies against the United Kingdom and its allies in British North America, with limited participation by Spain in Florida. It bega ...

. St. Thomas' Episcopal Church dates to colonial times and was listed on the

NRHP The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

in 2000. Other buildings on the National Register of Historic Places located at Croom are the John W. Coffren House and Store, Bellefields,

Brookefield of the Berrys Brookefield of the Berrys is a historic house located at Croom, Prince George's County, Maryland, United States. It is a -story frame house begun about 1810 in the Federal style, and completed in 1840, in the Greek Revival style. The house was ...

Mattaponi (John Bowie Jr. House) Mattaponi, also known as the John Bowie Jr. House, is a historic home in Croom, Maryland, built c. 1820 on the foundation of an earlier house dating to the 1730s, three miles northwest of Nottingham, Prince George's County, Maryland. John Bowie ...

, St. Thomas' Episcopal Parish Historic District, and Waverly. The

Columbia Air Center The Columbia Air Center was an airfield in Croom, Maryland from 1941 to 1958. It was started by African American pilots who were not permitted to use other airports, but was also open to whites. It had an all black staff, and a number of the tra ...

was located in Croom from 1941-1956. It was among the first African-American owned airports in the United States.

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...

, Croom has a total area of , of which is land and , or 3.43%, is water.

Demographics

2020 census

''Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos can be of any race.''

Government

Prince George's County Police Department The Prince George's County Police Department (PGPD) is the primary law enforcement agency in Prince George's County, Maryland in the United States, servicing a population of over 900,000 residents and visitors within 498 square miles (1,290&n ...

District 5 Station in Clinton CDP serves the community.

Education

Prince George's County Public Schools Prince George's County Public Schools (PGCPS) is a large public school district administered by the government of Prince George's County, Maryland, United States, and is overseen by the Maryland State Department of Education. The school system is ...

operates public schools serving the census-designated place. Elementary schools serving sections of Croom are Baden,

Brandywine Brandywine may refer to: Food and drink *Brandy, a spirit produced by distilling wine *Brandywine tomato, a variety of heirloom tomato Geographic locations Canada * Brandywine Falls Provincial Park, British Columbia * Brandywine Mountain, British ...

, Marlton, Mattaponi, and Patuxent. Most areas are zoned to Gwynn Park Middle School, with some zoned to James Madison Middle School and Kettering Middle School. Most areas are zoned to Frederick Douglass High School in Croom, with some areas to the north zoned to Dr. Henry A Wise, Jr. High School and some to the south zoned to

Gwynn Park High School Gwynn Park High School (GPHS) is in Brandywine census-designated place, Prince George's County, Maryland,NEIGHBORHOOD HIGH SCHOOLS AND BOUNDARIES SCHOOL YEAR 2018-2019
"

. Retrieved on August 26, 2018.

Notable people

William Duckett Bowie William Duckett Bowie (7 October 1803 – 18 July 1873), was an American politician. The eldest child of William Bowie and Kitty Beanes Duckett, he was born at Fairview Plantation in Prince George's County, Maryland. Career and Wealth His m ...

(1803–1873), politician *

Robert Bowie Robert Bowie (March 1750 – January 8, 1818) served as the 11th Governor of the state of Maryland in the United States, from 1803 to 1806, and from 1811 to 1812. He was the third child born to Captain William Bowie and Margaret Sprigg, at M ...

, governor of Maryland (1750–1818) * William Williams (c. 1793–1814), an escaped slave who enlisted in 38th United States Colored Infantry Regiment and died from his wounds after the British bombardment of

Fort McHenry Fort McHenry is a historical American coastal pentagonal bastion fort on Locust Point, now a neighborhood of Baltimore, Maryland. It is best known for its role in the War of 1812, when it successfully defended Baltimore Harbor from an attack b ...

in the

References

{{Authority control Census-designated places in Maryland Census-designated places in Prince George's County, Maryland